Petition To Save ‘The Expanse’ After Syfy Cancellation Hits 75,000 Signatures, Fans Appeal Directly To Amazon
The efforts to save The Expanse after the space drama was canceled by Syfy continue to grow, with a petition to save the show now hitting 75,000 signatures and fans taking some creative measures to get the attention of Amazon.
Lost amid a number of other high-profile cancellations was the axing of the popular and highly acclaimed show from Syfy, which was at one point the centerpiece of the network’s return to its science-fiction roots. But fans of The Expanse took immediate action to help save the show, including a petition that has quickly reached 75,000 signatures.
As the petition noted, the show has good international ratings and a pre-existing relationship with Netflix (which holds the show’s international rights) that could help save it after being canceled.
“Syfy just announced they won’t be continuing The Expanse after the third season which is a d**n shame. Not only because it’s one of the best sci-fi series of the last few years, but also because it’s been getting a lot of good ratings (especially internationally),” the petition read.
“We, the people of Earth, Mars and the Belt, call upon Netflix or Amazon to secure the national and international rights for this show so the millions of fans can continue to dream of a life in space.”
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The push to save The Expanse appears to have a higher level of organization than nearly every other recent social media campaign to return shows from cancellation. Fans have gathered on the show’s Reddit page to push these efforts, which included a creative bid to get Amazon’s attention.
On Tuesday, fans pooled together money to hire an airplane with a banner reading “Save The Expanse” to fly in Santa Monica, California, outside the Amazon Studios headquarters. The message caught the attention of the show’s writers, who tweeted a short video of the plane flying the banner.
We’re here & it’s incredible. Our fans, everyone banding together, you’re incredible. We’re emotional & we’re humbled & we’re thankful. No matter what happens, we are ALL part of something special. Thank you. ?? #TheExpanse #SaveTheExpanse pic.twitter.com/MuGQdrLWYk
— The Expanse Writers (@TheExpanseWR) May 15, 2018
There are some big Hollywood names behind the effort to save The Expanse as well. Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin took to Twitter to support the efforts to find it a new home, saying that The Expanse is the “best space show on television.” Actor Patton Oswald joined him, calling on Amazon to help save The Expanse.
Just saw online that SyFy has cancelled THE EXPANSE. It's a damn shame, especially for fans of space science fiction… of which I count myself one. It was the best space show on television, far and away. I hope its producers can find another home for it. https://t.co/UTD1SUjyUl pic.twitter.com/9TuJKktMBl
— George RR Martin (@GRRMspeaking) May 12, 2018
Please @amazon — you guys do some serious, quality shows and this is some of the smartest science fiction to appear in a long time. #SaveTheExpanse https://t.co/ljk0xMEz7V
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) May 15, 2018
While the campaign to save The Expanse is getting plenty of viral attention on the internet, it is not clear if they have the attention of either Amazon or Netflix. In the days after Syfy announced the show was canceled, there was no indication if any other network or streaming service is looking seriously into bringing it back.
