The Expanse season 4 is currently in development and releases later this year, so what can fans expect from the new season? Based on the novels of the same name by James S. A. Corey - a pen name for authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck - The Expanse aired on Syfy for three seasons before ultimately being canceled in May 2018, in the middle of season 3. However, The Expanse season 4 is still happening.

Continuing off The Expanse season 2's jaw-dropping finale, The Expanse season 3 further developed the protomolecule story, and rather than wrapping it up, it transformed into something new, both literally and figuratively. About midway through season 3, the protomolecule created The Ring, which brought all factions, governments, and corners of the solar system together (but not before fighting each other first, of course).

Related: Expanse Showrunner Explains How The Show Will Be Better On Amazon

In The Expanse season 3's finale, Klaes Ashford attempted to destroy The Ring, but it was James Holden (Steven Strait) who knew what they really needed to do in order to survive. So, he boarded the Behemoth and, thanks to Clarissa Mao, managed to open the Ring gates. The Rocinante passed through The Ring in the final shot of the season, thus ending one story arc and beginning another. So what can fans expect from The Expanse season 4?

Last updated: May 19, 2019

The Expanse Season 4 Amazon Renewal

Cas Anvar & Steven Strait in The Expanse Season 3

Alcon Entertainment originally sold the U.S. rights to The Expanse to Syfy for three seasons, and Syfy decided not to acquire the rights to future seasons due to an extremely confining distribution agreement, which included only first-run linear rights. Because of that, if people didn't watch The Expanse live, then Syfy wouldn't really benefit from their views, so it didn't make sense to continue the series if streaming services were benefitting more than they were.

But because Amazon had seen success with The Expanse on their Prime service in the United States, and since fans heavily lobbied the company to pick up the show, Amazon ended up ordering The Expanse season 4 from Alcon TV to distribute entirely on Prime. It took only two weeks for The Expanse to be canceled and renewed, so fans already knew another season was coming when season 3 ended.

The Expanse Season 4 Release Date Info

Wes Chatham Cas Anvar and Dominique Tipper in The Expanse Season 3

The Expanse season 4 is scheduled to release on Amazon Prime by the end of 2019. That much was confirmed by Amazon Studios TV co-chief Vernon Sanders during the TCA Winter Press Tour. Given the fact that Sanders said "end of 2019," that leads us to believe The Expanse season 4 will release in December, which worked out quite well for Amazon's The Man in the High Castle before. Furthermore, Sanders confirmed that all of the original cast will be returning, along with new members such as Burn Gorman, who actually confirmed that The Expanse season 4 wrapped production in early February. Since The Expanse season 4 is going to air on Amazon Prime, it stands to reason that the new season will be released in its entirety, as the service does for other programs as well. In the meantime, fans can check out the tabletop game, The Expanse RPG, by Chris Pramas: Green Ronin Publishing, as well as the latest book in the franchise, Tiamat's Wrath.

The Expanse Season 4 Cast & Story

Given the fact that The Rings opened at the end of The Expanse season 3 and that the Rocinante went through one of them, it seems learning about who the creators were and what's on the other side of The Ring will be a focus for The Expanse season 4. According to showunner Naren Shankar, The Expanse season 4 will explore the planet Ilus and, presumably, cover the fourth book in the series, Cibola Burn. Sanders confirmed that viewers will see the other side of The Ring in The Expanse season 4, so there's no need to be concerned that the series will avoid answering the tough questions.

However, just because The Expanse season 4 is now exploring the other side of The Ring, that doesn't mean they're leaving Earth and Mars behind, as those planets will still be a part of the ongoing story. Furthermore, The Expanse season 4 is adding new members to its cast in Rosa Gilmore (The Handmaid's Tale), Keon Alexander (Tyrant), and Jess Salgueiro (The Strain), with Gilmore playing a Belter named Lucia Mazur, Alexander playing a Belter faction leader, and Salgueiro playing an unknown corporate security officer.

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The Expanse seasons 1-3 are now available on Amazon Prime.