Fans hunting for a TV show likeThe 100since its final episode aired aren’t alone - and while few sci-fi series feel like they can match up, one stands out as unmissable. Over seven seasons,The 100built a fanbase that was obsessed with its gritty survivalism, moral ambiguity, and apocalyptic stakes. Following Clarke Griffin (Eliza Taylor) and her friends as they returned to a ravaged Earth after a nuclear war, the show constantly raised the stakes. It was a post-apocalyptic epic that blended sci-fi thrills with brutal character drama, and even when the story got messy, the tension never let up.
The 100concluding in 2020 left a void, one that could only ever be filled by something just as high-stakes, just as emotionally raw, and just as willing to explore the darker sides of humanity. Thankfully, there is another show out there - one that didn’t just match the ambition ofThe 100, but arguably exceeded it. With six tightly written seasons, a 95%Rotten Tomatoesscore, and a sprawling sci-fi universe that’s equal parts action, politics, and philosophy,The Expanseis exactly the kind of showthat fans ofThe 100need to watch next.
The Expanse Is About A Future Where Humans Have Colonized Space
The Hit Series Imagines A Gritty Future Shaped By Interplanetary Conflict And Fragile Political Alliances
Originally airing on Syfy before moving to Prime,The Expanseis aTV show likeThe 100in that it drops viewers into a dangerous, divided future where survival hinges on impossible choices. Set hundreds of years ahead, humanity has expanded beyond Earth and established colonies on the Moon (Luna), Mars, and the Asteroid Belt.
However,instead of utopia,The Expanseintroduces viewers to a world fractured by inequality, distrust, and looming war.Earth is run by the United Nations, Mars is a military powerhouse with a chip on its shoulder, and the Belt - home to miners and laborers - is under-resourced and heavily oppressed.
The Expanseis part detective story, part war thriller, and part political drama - but always deeply human.
Much likeThe 100’s Ark versus Grounders dynamic,The Expansethrives on the tension between these factions.The Belters, who have their own slang, culture, and sense of identity, often feel like the Sky People of the Belt - born into a life of survival and constantly dehumanized by those in power.Meanwhile, Mars and Earth resemble the more developed colonies inThe 100, driven by politics, resource scarcity, and fear of rebellion.
The Expansekicks off its epic space-opera narrative with a mysterious ship explosion and the disappearance of a young woman named Julie Mao (Florence Faivre), which spirals into a galaxy-wide conspiracy involving advanced alien technology known as the protomolecule.The Expanseis part detective story, part war thriller, and part political drama - but always deeply human.
Fans ofThe 100will immediately recognize the morally grey tone and real-world parallels.The Expansedoesn’t sugarcoat its themes. Colonization, power, justice - it all comes crashing together in a world that feels lived-in and just a little too believable. WhileThe 100eventually left Earth behind,The Expansestarts with that big cosmic sandboxand dives even deeper.
The Expanse Has Some Of The Best Worldbuilding & Character Work On TV
Layered Character Arcs With A Richly Detailed Sci-Fi Universe Make For Grade-A Viewing
One of the standout features ofThe 100was its ability to evolve, both in terms of worldbuilding and character complexity.The Expansepulls off something similar, but with even greater precision. From the very first season, it’s clear that this isn’t just another space opera. The show creates an entire ecosystem of political, cultural, and economic systems that feel not only plausible, but eerily familiar.
Every faction inThe Expansefeels distinct, and every setting has its own rules and rhythm.
Theattention to detail inThe Expanseis staggering.Belter culture has its own language (a Creole called Belter-slang), hand gestures, and even physiology, due to living in low gravity. Mars, on the other hand, is a disciplined, militarized society obsessed with terraforming its planet - a dream that feels almost religious. Earth is bloated, complacent, and struggling to maintain control. Every faction inThe Expansefeels distinct, and every setting has its own rules and rhythm.
Characters like James Holden (Steven Strait), Naomi Nagata (Dominique Tipper), Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo), and Amos Burton (Wes Chatham) are as morally complex and compelling asThe 100’s best. Like Clarke or Bellamy, Holden is forced to make impossible decisions that ripple across the solar system. Amos, in particular, channels the same kind of unflinching survival instinct as Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos), and Naomi’s struggle with identity and loyalty mirrors Raven’s (Lindsey Morgan) internal battles.
What makesThe Expansea TV show likeThe 100is how invested it is in letting its characters evolve naturally, through pain, loss, and occasional moments of grace.There’s no hand-holding, no clear heroes or villains, just people trying to survive and do what’s right in an increasingly chaotic universe.
The Expanse Is The Right Show For Fans Of The 100
The Space Opera Offers The Same Emotional Weight, Moral Complexity, And High-Stakes Drama
For fans still mourningthe end ofThe 100,The Expanseisn’t just a suitable replacement - it’s a spiritual successor.Both shows delve into the ethics of leadership, the cost of survival, and the fragility of peace in a violent world. Just like Clarke had to weigh the fate of her people over and over again, Holden constantly finds himself at the center of decisions that could reshape the galaxy.
The pacing ofThe Expanseis also similar - intense, with regular shifts in tone and stakes. One episode might focus on a rescue mission gone wrong, another on political backroom deals, and another on the terrifying implications of alien technology. It keeps viewers on their toes, much likeThe 100did when it suddenly pivoted from tribal warfare to AI overlords and nuclear annihilation. In short,The Expanseis the kind of TV show likeThe 100that doesn’t just fill the gap - it expands the possibilities of what sci-fi storytelling can be.
