Fans looking for TV shows like The Expanse have had a tough time filling the void since the show’s sixth and final season aired in 2022. Based on the novels by James S.A. Corey, The Expanse stood out for its intricate political drama, compelling characters, and hard sci-fi approach that rarely pulled punches. It earned critical acclaim and a fiercely loyal fanbase, who hoped for a seventh season to complete the remaining books in the series. But with years gone by and no word from Amazon, the future of The Expanse seems frozen in stasis – ironically, much like the Belters in cryosleep.

Thankfully, there’s another sci-fi series out there that delivers the same mix of high-concept storytelling and character-driven drama, just with a very different premise. It’s grounded, emotional, and endlessly twisty, with a time-travel hook that’s as cerebral as anything in The Expanse. It may not be set in the stars, but it’s packed with enough tension, ethical dilemmas, and long-form arcs to grip any fan of space-faring sagas. While it flew under the radar for many, the hidden Netflix gem Travelers could be exactly what fans of The Expanse need to fill the void left by the still-absent season 7.

The Expanse Season 7 Doesn’t Seem Likely, But Netflix’s Travelers Makes A Great Replacement

Travelers Offers A New Way To Get Your Fix Of Smart, Serialized Science Fiction

Despite no official cancellation notice, The Expanse season 7 is looking increasingly unlikely. After Amazon revived the series from its original Syfy run and gave it three more seasons, the sixth season wrapped up many core storylines, particularly the Free Navy war, but it left some major threads dangling. Notably, the final scene teased a larger existential threat connected to the mysterious alien entities that wiped out the protomolecule’s creators. This storyline, drawn from the final trilogy of The Expanse novels, remains untouched in live-action form.

Amazon and the cast have remained open to continuing the story, potentially in a different format or later down the line. However, as time passes and the actors move on to new projects, the chances of a full-fledged The Expanse season 7 dwindle. The long delay of new episodes of The Expanse leaves fans in a frustrating limbo: not quite abandoned, but nowhere near closure.

This is where Travelers enters the picture. Created by Stargate SG-1‘s Brad Wright, the Netflix series ran for three tight, story-rich seasons from 2016 to 2018. Set in a near-future where humanity faces collapse, the show follows time travelers sent back to prevent catastrophe by inhabiting the bodies of people about to die in the present. The catch? They have to complete complex missions while blending into lives that aren’t their own.

Much like The Expanse, Travelers thrives on character depth, ensemble storytelling, and escalating moral tension. Every decision has consequences, and even the “heroes” are often forced into ethically grey territory. While the scale is smaller, more grounded in present-day Earth than asteroid belts, Travelers explores survival, sacrifice, and systemic failure in ways that resonate deeply with The Expanse‘s audience. For anyone seeking TV shows like The Expanse, Travelers is a satisfying next step.

Why Netflix’s 3-Season Sci-Fi Show Will Appeal To Fans Of The Expanse

Travelers Shares The Expanse’s Love Of Moral Complexity, High Stakes, And Deep Character Arcs.

There’s a lot of crossover appeal between The Expanse and Travelers, even though they differ in genre mechanics. Where The Expanse is set across the solar system with factions like Earth, Mars, and the Belt vying for power, Travelers is a more intimate story about a group of operatives trying to rewrite the future from inside the present. But both shows lean hard into what makes science fiction more than just cool tech: they use speculative ideas to explore big, real-world questions.

One major similarity is the focus on moral ambiguity. In The Expanse, decisions made by characters like Holden, Amos, and Drummer often have unintended ripple effects. The heroes are rarely clean-cut, and the villains are often deeply humanized. Travelers operates in the same space – its central team is made up of people trying to save the world, but their missions frequently come at great personal or ethical cost. They’re not invincible, they’re not always right, and the show isn’t afraid to challenge their choices.

Both shows also place a premium on team dynamics. In The Expanse, the crew of the Rocinante becomes a found family, forged through trauma and shared ideals. Travelers gives viewers a similarly bonded unit: the five-person team of “travelers” must trust each other absolutely as they navigate both mission objectives and the emotional fallout of living double lives. The relationships – fraught, loyal, and often heartbreaking – feel just as earned and intense.

Another area where Travelers aligns with The Expanse is serialized storytelling. Each season of both shows builds on the last, with arcs that gradually reveal more about the central mysteries. There’s no reset button, no monster-of-the-week format, just steadily escalating stakes that culminate in moments of devastating clarity. And like The Expanse, Travelers plays the long game, with plot threads woven in early that don’t pay off until much later.

Even the differences are worth noting in a positive light. Travelers doesn’t require an encyclopedic knowledge of interstellar politics to follow, which makes it more accessible to casual sci-fi fans. Plus, its Earth-bound setting allows for grounded stories about contemporary issues like surveillance, cults, and free will – all told through a time-travel lens. For anyone searching for TV shows like The Expanse that balance genre flair with real emotional stakes, Travelers deserves to be on the radar.

Despite Being Canceled After 3 Seasons, Travelers Has A Satisfying Conclusion

Travelers Sticks The Landing With A Finale That Feels Earned, Complete, And Emotionally Impactful

While it’s never fun to recommend a canceled show, Travelers is the rare exception that delivers a full, satisfying story in its three-season run. It may not have been planned as a final season from the outset, but season 3 was crafted with an awareness that cancellation was a possibility, and it shows. Travelers doesn’t leave viewers hanging with unfinished arcs or jarring cliffhangers. Instead, it offers a bold, complete ending that ties back to the very first episode in a thematically rich way.

The final episode of Travelers, “Protocol Omega,” gives closure to the team’s storyline while also resetting the show’s central premise in a clever and emotionally resonant twist. It’s a finale that asks hard questions about fate, sacrifice, and the limits of intervention – concepts that fans of The Expanse will instantly recognize and appreciate. The emotional payoff is strong, the stakes are real, and the ending doesn’t feel like a compromise.

In contrast to The Expanse, which ends with key narrative threads unresolved, Travelers wraps its core story while still leaving room for interpretation. It respects its audience by not spelling everything out, but it also doesn’t leave them adrift. For fans who are used to TV shows like The Expanse getting axed mid-arc, Travelers is a refreshing exception – a show that may have ended early, but ended well.

The Expanse

10/10

Release Date

2015 – 2022-00-00

Showrunner

Naren Shankar, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby

Writers

Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby

Franchise(s)

The Expanse