Prime Video’s Sci-Fi Thriller Coming Next Month Is Already Bigger Than ‘The Expanse’ at Its Peak

Since The Expanse ended in January 2022, audiences have both desperately wanted the show to return and to find an ideal replacement. There’s no doubt that The Expanse is a shining jewel in Prime Video’s catalog, specifically its sci-fi and thriller collections, so it’s no surprise that almost five years later, people still can’t stop talking about it. There are plenty of incredible new titles coming to Prime Video in October 2026, but if you’re patient enough to wait just a little longer, there’s an amazing TV show arriving in late November that will likely succeed The Expanse in more ways than one.

There are several hard sci-fi TV shows better than The Expanse, at least according to some, but many others agree that there is yet to be another gripping title that can truly outdo the Prime Video show. However, Nov. 25, 2026 could change all of that with the release of Blade Runner 2099, which serves as a sequel to the iconic movies Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049.

‘Blade Runner 2099’ Is Set to Overtake ‘The Expanse’ as Prime Video’s Best Sci-Fi Series

Although The Expanse‘s legacy isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, there’s a chance it’ll be overshadowed by Blade Runner 2099. Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner sequel series will see Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer lead the franchise into a new era, with the pair portraying Olwen, a Replicant Blade Runner, and Cora, a human posing as a Replicant, respectively. As we join them in LA in the year 2099, we follow Olwen as she approaches the end of her lifespan and teams up with Cora to track a group of Replicants gone rogue.

The Expanse‘s lore is lengthy and complicated, and that’s because it’s an adaptation of James S. A. Corey’s book series of the same name. The show only covers the first six books out of nine, but even still, with so much content, it makes sense why it has been praised so much for its sci-fi world-building. However, the Blade Runner franchise has an even bigger legacy than The Expanse: 1982’s Blade Runner is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, a staple title in the origins of the science fiction genre.

It’s rumored that Blade Runner 2099 has a budget of roughly $20 million per episode. When it was broadcast by Syfy, it was reported by industry insiders that The Expanse was given a budget of around $3.5 to $5 million per episode, and that number was rumored to be upped to around $7 million under Amazon Prime Video. Of course, this is just speculation, but if true, we could be looking at quadruple the amount of sci-fi action in Blade Runner 2099 compared to The Expanse​​​.

Without even airing yet, Blade Runner 2099 has proved itself even bigger than The Expanse, both in terms of scale and legacy. While it’s a shame that Harrison Ford has no Blade Runner future ahead of him (at least supposedly, as showrunner Silka Luisa recently confirmed that he is not in Blade Runner 2099), it’s the legacy he’s left behind as Rick Deckard that has allowed the franchise to expand to this size.

Blade Runner 2099 is produced by Alcon Entertainment, too – the same people behind The Expanse – so we know that the new Blade Runner sequel series will be treated with the utmost respect and held to the highest standards possible. If Alcon Entertainment were able to bring The Expanse to life on the screen in the way they did, imagine what they’re going to do with Blade Runner 2099.

Release Date

2026 – 2026-00-00

Network

Prime Video

Showrunner

Silka Luisa