The Expanse

Official Trailer (SyFy)

Synopsis:

Our world, centuries in the future, during which Mars and the asteroid belt have been colonized. Earth and Mars are independent powers, but rely on the asteroid belt for resources. The three regions are on the verge of war with each other.

Cast:

• Three time Golden Globe niminee Thomas Jane ("Hung" 2009, "The Mist" 2007, "Face/Off" 1997).
• Steven Strait ("The Strain", "Robocop").
• Cas Anvar ("Source Code" 2011, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" 2009").
• Dominique Tipper.
• Wes Chatham ("The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" 2014, "In the Valley of Elah" 2007).

Ratings:

IMDB: 76% (New series with > 200 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A (New Series)

Length:

season 1: 10 episodes.

Notes:

Syfy President, Dave Howe, claims "The Expanse is epic in scale and scope and promises to be Syfy's most ambitious series to date". We'll see if that holds true. Based on the first episode, which was released early, the show looks interesting. Production values are pretty good. Casting is unimpressive.

Links

The man in the High Castle

Official Trailer (Amazon Studios)

"What If" (Amazon Studios)

Synopsis:

Life in America after the Allied forces lose the second world war.

Cast:

• Alexa Davalos ("Clash of the Titans" 2010, "Chronicles of Riddick" 2004, "Defiance" 2008)
• Rupert Evans ("Hellboy" 2004).
• Luke Kleintank ("Max" 2015).
• Rufus Sewell ("Dark City" 1998, "The Illusionist" 2006).

Ratings:

IMDB: 84%
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% (based on 4.5/5 average rating as of nov 2015).

Length:

season 1: 10 episodes.

Notes:

No patience required here. Suspense builds quickly in this very engaging "what if", as events rush towards seeming disaster. Each episode is well done. Unfortunately, the very brief and simple ending feels like a cop-out after the the detail provided by previous episodes. Expect to be entertained. Don't expect a clever ending.

Links