Amazon Orders 'The Expanse' Season 6, Which Will Bring The Sci-Fi Series To An End

The Expanse will return for a sixth and final season on Amazon. The streamer just gave the go-ahead for The Expanse season 6 ahead of the season 5 premiere, which is set for December. The series, which "is set in the future where humanity has colonized the solar system," originated on Syfy, where it ran for three seasons. After Syfy canceled the show, Amazon swooped in and picked it up. Now, the end of the series is in sight.

Amazon Studios announced today that they've gone ahead and ordered The Expanse season 6, which will also be the final season of the show based on James S.A. Corey's books. The series is described as "a high-action, sci-fi adventure that explores the depth of humanity against the far-spanning reaches of the known universe. The series is rooted in science and fiction while remaining a thorough and thoughtful examination of some of the most vital societal issues of our day." In The Expanse, it's the future, "where humanity has colonized the solar system and the people of Earth, Mars and the Asteroid Belt have long been in opposition with one another. When the crew of the Rocinante uncovers an ancient alien technology, a vast conspiracy begins to emerge, one that will bring the solar system to the brink of war."

Season 5, which premieres on Amazon December 16, "picks up as multitudes of humans leave the solar system in search of new homes and vast fortunes on the earth-like worlds beyond the alien Ring, and a heavy price for centuries of exploitation of the Belt finally comes due and a reckoning is at hand. For the crew of the Rocinante and the leaders of the Inner Planets and the Belt, the past and present converge, bringing forth personal challenges that have wide-reaching repercussions throughout the Solar System."

Regarding the renewal, executive producers Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson said:

"From the moment we committed to bringing this show to life up until this final season, we have worked tirelessly to honor the vision of the writers. We have prided ourselves on having one of the most diverse casts on television and giving a platform to stories that matter. A special thanks to Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, the writers of both the books and series, and to Naren Shankar, the series showrunner and Executive Producer. It continues to be an honor and privilege to work with this team. We also would like to thank Amazon for their continuing support to help us tell this story in its fullest and to bring The Expanse to a global audience."

I'll confess here that I've never watched The Expanse, but I know it has a very vocal fanbase who will no doubt be happy to know the show is going out on its own terms and not just being canceled again. Season 5 will debut on December 16 with three episodes and will continue to debut one episode weekly through February 3, 2021.