Adam Savage Interviews the Creators of The Expanse!

Ever wonder what's it like to stand on the deck of a spaceship you'd WRITTEN into being? Superfan Adam visits the Toronto set of SyfY's The Expanse and chats with co-authors and producers Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck about the process of adapting the book series into the television show.
Season 2 of The Expanse premieres Wednesday, Feb. 1 on Syfy. Season 1 is available now, via on demand, Syfy.com and Amazon Prime.

[@DJlegionuk]

I very much like the fact that Adam is still as much of a fan as we are and his interviews are always interesting.

[@erismo2138]

If the show is so diverse, why do they only cast Earthers in Belter roles?

[@Skunkwurx]

Haha, after reading some of the comments that is well thought and at the right time. Sound!

[@makara4615]

Yeah. It's really annoying to have a Naomi that's the same size as holen if not smaller and a golden who's body-structure is reminiscent of that of a better 😅 Good actors, just kinda odd.

[@theterranempire2172]

Eris Mo It would be awsome that just to counter your comment a ship drops from orbit full of belter actors from ceres!

[@hafor2846]

bashpr0mpt Dude, I want the drugs you're taking. The evidently don't make you smart, but apparently very high...

[@stephenmeinhold5452]

WTF are you talking about dude is this a comment about something else and you have mistakenly posted here instead?

[@evil1knight]

the expanse is soo good! one the recent SyFy shows that doesnt feel B rate

[@hookedupboer]

> Can't speak for the latter, but Dark Matter doesn't hold a candle to The Expanse.

[@jesseward4115]

It doesn't hold a candle but it still is vary good. One best TV space operas I have seen.

[@mons2918]

Yes! I love this show, can't wait for season 2!

[@nguyenloi2211]

The Expppanseeee movie here => twitter.com/a87aba80a225b4e06/status/826626337112629248

[@GonkThePowerDroid]

I never binge watch. I sometimes watch two consecutive episodes of something, but not several days in a row. I watched The Expanse over 4-5 days. That's a clear record for me. Watched all episodes on a projector. Many shows don't really work on a projector, but Expanse was great :)

[@interestedinstuff1499]

These guys are so calm. I can't imagine being that relaxed during an interview. I'm watching this interview in the future so I know what happens. And you're reading my words in the past, so you know more than me. Isn't time travel fun.

[@ForlornCreature]

yeah it’s pretty cool

[@jimmysgameclips]

I loooove this show, it feels nicely different/grounded and you really get into it as it goes on. Bring on Season 2

[@Dreadnought33]

The show is amazing but the books wil blow your mind

[@VFRSTREETFIGHTER]

Such a GREAT show!

[@princeedmunddukeofedinburg]

how so ?

[@qutini]

the science and world feels real, the graphics are really good and the story is slightly better than ok. Worth a look if you enjoy Sci fy

[@thedatatreader]

I'm just rather pleased at how they solved the problem of providing water to the colonies. Asteroid Mining! Why was that such a difficult concept for other science fiction writers to address?! The acquisition of supplies would logically be the biggest weakness for any colony of people, and in space that commodity would be the one thing people need most, water. It was also incredibly refreshing that the "poisoning" that caused the Detective and crew member such difficulty during the end of Season 1 was just massive radiation exposure, which most if not all SciFi gloss over. (The addition of real anti-radiation medication was a nice touch) Needless to say, this is one of the smartest and accurate science fictions shows I've seen to date!

[@lueefour]

Just a little further than half way in Babylon's Ashes. These guys are awesome and the show is very fun to watch.

[@Kyyanno]

Soooooooooooooo envious that you got to visit the Rocinante! :D I've read all the series save for the newest book, and thoroughly enjoyed season 1 of the show once Netflix got hold of it. Of course, things will be different between written and filmed versions, but they've transposed it all so damn well! Bring on Season 2, so much excite for Bobby! :3

[@CesarIsaacPerez]

That was awesome! I wish we would get a tour of the set! It doesn't look all disjointed but like the actual ship!

[@guspaz]

This show was just fantastic, and I immediately fell in love with it, only to be really bummed out when it utterly tanked in the ratings (only half as many people watched it as Stargate Universe when that show got cancelled) I was extremely surprised that they ordered a second season. I'm really hoping the ratings tick up, because after watching the first season, I went and read a whole bunch of the books, and I really want to see the rest of that on screen!

[@DarthBiomech]

It probably tanked because nobody was expecting anything decent from a SyFy. If it was premiered on, say, Netflix, I bet it would be received far better.

[@augeanmanus]

Darth Biomech May of missed the irony here, but Netflix was where I watched this. Best series I've watched in a long time and I'm as old as Adam.

[@korenn9381]

It did really well on netflix outside of the U.S. Maybe that's why the second season was ordered.

[@TehBenju]

@@korenn9381 look where we are now bois

[@BrimstoneBeard]

Great show; I love their attention to detail regarding the physics of the world and how different environments have effected people. Might have to give the books a go.

[@Porco1984]

I love the show, so far. And I worship the books, such a great universe and awesome characters :D

[@PareshDesaiYL]

so wish the interview could been longer....but they are very busy. Love the books and the show.

[@julianbeek]

Epic show! Truly a must watch for the sci-fi enthousiast.

[@shintsu01]

Loved this Serie! cant wait for season 2 to come out! keep up the great work!

[@themrnebur91]

Cant wait for season 2 to be released on february 1!

[@TheJorith]

Really love this series and the amount of detail!

[@fin7821]

Love this. Season one is on Netflix in the UK.

[@Grevlain]

Damn I love this show. Great vid. I think The Expanse is some of the best hard-science fiction ever put to screen.

[@ticket67]

Love "The Expanse". Apart from the cliché of the detective, everything is great.

[@Whitewingdevil]

For those who wondered like me: Season 2 is set to premiere on February 1 2017.

[@daytripp02]

The Books are great and so far the show has been also !

[@EnderSpy]

Can't wait for season 2!

[@DarthBiomech]

This show is the best that happened to TV sci-fi in a while. At least in terms of how to portray space environments *CORRECTLY*. Even Firefly went no further than "well, there's no sound in space".

[@Jussi_Huhtiniemi]

Can't wait for season 2

[@banpiro]

Adam, We are still waiting for The Expanse spoilercast in the podcast.

[@RobertShaverOfAustin]

I just finished book 6, _"Babylon's Ashes""_. I listened to all of them from Audible and have to say it's so much better to listen to than to read, at least for me. The narrator, Jefferson Mays, brings it alive. I would never be able to "hear" the patois or pronounce the names. The accent he brings to the potty-mouth Chrisjen Avasarala is just so evocative it makes me smile. The first season of the TV series covers only half of the first book. This bodes well for them taking their time to fully explore the books through film. Two hour movies are just too short to do justice to any book. Long form series is my favorite medium for entertainment.

[@PaytonMcMullenJr]

love the show

[@lozza925]

Collaboration can produce very strong results

[@theboxface6796]

4:05 Gotta love the game of thrones reference

[@MisterFuturtastic]

I have an idea.. something I hope Tested will do. Make a contest where people propose the Tested guys build something and we all vote on it and the winner has their idea built by the tested guys.

[@DailyFrankPeter]

I can't imagine what it's like to write a single book as a team with another person.... it seems such an individualistic activity.

[@BigZ7337]

The first season was so good, best science fiction show since Fringe.

[@quietmagician3774]

Thanks!

[@MikeTheBike2010]

Great show, would love to know where they get the ideas for the spaceship names!

[@Slamo28]

This show is fiiiiiiireeee

[@swsephy]

I haven't read the books but the show is pretty decent. Will watch season 2.

[@bashkillszombies]

The books are ridiculous. I pirated them just to see how regressive they are, and they're basically Marxist multi-culty nonsense. Yet the irony is they identify that Earth has, under their glorious Communist revolution, become a complete shit hole where 99% of humans are parasites. You know you're a political zealot when Hollywood has to town down your political propaganda because it's too much for the Commifornian's to swallow.

[@qwasd0r]

In the thumbnail Ty Franck looked like Adam Jones from Tool and I thought: "That makes sense."

[@JakeAikens]

Audio is really great on this one. Did anyone even point a mic at those guys?

[@JLPicard1648]

Great show, but the books are even better

[@gusbisbal9803]

There is always at least one asshole that will say "but the book is better" why.... why.

[@sammyplasm]

I prefer the books too, the show was pretty great though. Any other assholes here?

[@rolithesecond]

pretty sure the show has better visuals though (just kidding)

[@JLPicard1648]

***** There are objective benefits to the medium

[@Iberokolxi]

Gotta join the assholes

[@simplystormie]

im going give this a try.

[@ScarProxy]

what! there's another season coming O_O.... what! F-yea

[@Jdtcst5]

Damn I wish I knew you were there. I work on that show!

[@SegginsProductions]

Brandon Dale I know this is an old comment, but that's awesome! What do you do, are you still working on the new seasons?

[@bulkbogan4320]

Give Adam a cameo.

[@Thermalions]

Been there, done that.

[@ThatSlowTypingGuy]

From the sounds of it, it seems like the writing process for the show is very similar to TNG before Jeri Taylor took over.

[@philippenachtergal6077]

He has worked for GRR Martin ? How so ? Dammit, I'll have to look that up.

[@feckster100]

I'm in love with bobby

[@Kai_Arrid]

Hello, I've seen your videos of Adam at comic cons and I was planning on going to one in a year or two but I have a problem, I'm having trouble making my costume for comic con. I was planning on making golden storm trooper armor with a chrome shine to it, but without proper resources I'm unable to make it. If you could help me with it that would be great, I'll even pay you for your help.

[@robpodosek]

nice vid bosmang

[@succubyte]

could you do a dovabear sculpt ?

[@jasminedelrymple7345]

make a full size dinosaur please

[@iamironclaw]

The guy with the long hair looks a bit like Peter Dinklage.

[@chrislightbody]

Love the show, but can you guys please do some color correction/grading? You're clearly shooting with a good camera and just not doing anything in post, color and image are super flat.

[@mescalito2324]

space is dark and uninviting

[@aldeharp]

Love both the show and books , they are each their own thing. The casting is not spot on accurate to the books, Amos and Alex and are not bald or balding and it would be a bit expensive to portray the physicality of the Belters I guess. This is all fine so long as you have good acting, chemistry and the feel. Great science fiction and top blokes.

[@airsoftgame3468]

hi

[@Azyx90]

It's too bad that the show was just a bit lacking in execution in my opinion. When I first watched the show I was a bit confused about what are all the problems and how big those problems are. I read the first and second books around the same time I watched the show and that explained a bunch of stuff for me. I'm loving the books though and I believe that I'm able to enjoy the show a bit more because of that. I liked how the book described the situation in this world and I felt that there are a bunch of little details that just weren't explained very well in the show. I'll throw this as an example for the sake of my argument: For example (according to the books) the fysical difference between the Belters, Martians and Earthers should've been a bit more obvious and people living there could instinctively notice the differences. Not a word needs to pass between two people and they already knew who is from where. That distinction made the discrimination much easier and more prevalent. I bet that you couldn't tell that Miller or is belter (and his partner is not) without them having a line telling you that difference. Detective Miller and Naomi are both supposed to be taller, thinner and more gray than they are in the show because they are both born in poor families in the Belt. A good example of "proper belter" is when Avasarala tortures the Belter man by hanging him from the wall. He's thin, tall and grey as they all are supposed to be.

[@kierasher1]

The show tries not to rely heavily on exposition as a full explanation of what is going on in the background is not necessary to follow what is happening to the characters. There is only so much time in the TV format, so I'm going to straight up disagree with you here. We could not have asked for a better execution on a syfy budget.

[@timothy790110]

Nyyppis I was also confused for the first couple of episodes and was thinking of quitting, but by episode 3 or 4 I was so intrigued I went back and rewatched the first ones because I really wanted to understand. Subtitles helped me.

[@Azyx90]

+Kier Simmons Yeah, ok. I don't know what kind of budget we're talking here, but they did amazing job if the money was really tight. I felt that it was a bit on the lower end of production value, but never knew how small of a budget they really had. There were some scenes where the production value felt quite high. That must've thrown me off. I'll just say then that in the future they might want to consider trying to differentiate the factions a bit more, because I think it's very important side of this story.

[@Azyx90]

+timothy790110 I watched the series quite quickly after finding it but never rewatched the first episodes. Started reading the books during the last episodes of first season because I wanted to know more about the world. Have you read the books? :) They are awesome and there are truckloads of little details explained in there. How acceleration works for travel and combat, how/why the ships are designed the way they are in the show and all kinds of cool things that are "left behind the scenes" in the actual show.

[@98Zai]

Beware, they might be deleting negative comments. Make sure to check back later to see if this is still here. Kinda disappointed in tested as well as youtube for not letting us keep a record of our comments.

[@leels31]

i love tested

[@austyryu772]

Someone give that guy a mic

[@Thermalions]

"Everyone loves Bobbie" - not the TV incarnation. The actress (Frankie Adams) just doesn't sell me on the tough and strong Gunny that her character is supposed to be. She doesn't have the muscular definition that the character embodies ("her muscles seemed to get bigger every time she even walked through a weight room. As a marine, she trained all the time.” Book 2), and comes across as more whiny and undisciplined than "vulnerable" (in the words of one of the Executive Producers). Mars in the TV universe is obviously hard up for even half decent marines if she's the best they can promote.

[@jwadaow]

The book character makes less sense unless she is taking steroids, it's unscientific.

[@christ4032]

I always think of bobby as Sgt. Thunderthighs

[@MikkoTikkanen]

The guy on the left is creepy AF. He just stands there and stares at Adam while hes having a conversation with the other guy.

[@djmips]

what should he have done?

[@MikkoTikkanen]

I dunno. Look at something else or smth, like fe. the dude next to him but most of the time he just stares at Adam, even while the other dude is talking. Or at least that's how it looks like. Creeps the fuck out of me. :(

[@Demane69]

Seems about right for most of the writers I've met (mostly video game rpg types due to my work circle). Most have been decent enough people but they really often do give off a creepy, "live in their own head" sort of vibe. The worst carry an air of superiority yet look and often smell like they live in their parent's basement.

[@animationcycles7109]

Late to the party. Funny enough I thought the same thing. I'm socially awkward, and even they bothered me. Could be a variety of reasons. Maybe they just finished 13 hours of travelling, did 6 interviews, now at the show for some input, and haven't ate yet? Who knows, but they are hard to watch.

[@lovetekman]

The show has a decent premise and great production value, but it has quite the way to go in the script and acting/directing department IMO.

[@BigDaddy-gl7bl]

Worrying about diversity doesn't bother me as much when the characters are actually written well......cough...cough....Daisy Ridley....cough

[@busteraycan]

The disrespect for Roci by calling it by an inferior name!

[@limabravo6065]

Ya know what was great about the expanse, it was diverse in an organic way with no need to draw attention to it, because it seemed like thats how thats that environment would evovle.

[@timothy790110]

So they are bringing in more stereotypical "badass" women, aka women who act like men. Damn it. Can they have women who act like women, ever?

[@TheInfoYouNeed]

In this story, their are women who act like women or well, regular people, entire povs, multiple characters, you'll probably see them in season 2, but they haven't peaked yet. Just hang

[@98Zai]

People in situations like these, hard working people who risk their lives working dangerous jobs on ships and asteroids aren't exactly the type that paint their nails or faces, neither men nor women. But that doesn't mean that they can't be feminine when they don't have to keep their guard up. (if you want shows that center on the lives of typically feminine women, Gilmore girls is apparently popular again) They are acting like people who are in a certain situation, not like men! The only reason your mind works like this is because popular culture have always put men in that role - your way of thinking has been shaped by the media. In the past, women and men worked alongside each other on the fields, there were no stay-at-home wives except the unbelievably wealthy few in the aristocracy.

[@erismo2138]

Please define acting like a woman for all of us. Then do so to all the women in your life. I think you will find it far more instructional than they will.

[@CatcherMorningstar]

badass women like the one in tv shows don't exist in real life

[@TheHalcyonTwilight]

You don't hang with the right kind of women then.

[@ScorchieCritter]

I absolutely adore the book series. The T.V. show not so much. The plot felt rushed and the characters motivations were not well fleshed-out. I'm surprised anyone who hadn't read the books could even follow it. I know mom and sister certainly couldn't. I was constantly trying to explain things to them. Eventually they gave up because it all so muddled and bland. It's a shame. I had high hopes, but unless something changes for the better in season 2, I can't see myself watching it.

[@antontxu]

yes please, carry on with the books, don't do like GRRM

[@worm6942]

hmmm idk, jamies questions feel as forced as much as their attempts at making the show pc

[@nixda36]

But what ever i love the show so far please dont do the same thing as with sgu!!!! I still hate scifi for that move......

[@robberesford904]

They didn't want white men in space?..... 8 days after John Glenn passed away, well done guys.

[@killersalmon4359]

They wanted the stories to reflect the diversity on Earth, since by the time the stories take place, being in space is no big deal. If you read a lot of older science fiction, it's a little bit jarring because a LOT of the characters in what is supposed to be a futuristic setting are basically white men. Occasionally they'll throw in an Asian character here and there, but it's mostly white men. Try reading the Space Beagle book, which was the inspiration for Alien - it's just men. Back then, they couldn't even conceive of women being in space. When you read it now, it's just weird.

[@Skunkwurx]

oh put a cap on it, sit down and re-fucking-lax

[@hafor2846]

The main fucking character is white, dumbass

[@tetsuoswrath]

Wow. When Daniel says it wouldn't be good if they just adapted the books directly I feel like I shouldn't even read them. That's such a shitty angle too. If the book isn't good enough to be a film the way it is, don't try and make it better for film. Consistency of continuity is exactly why people are complaining about all the adaptations out there. Continuity is more important to me that a consensus agreement on the show. :{

[@dark_winter8238]

They realize that changes have to be made for different mediums. I have not seen one claim that the show is better than the books. I have seen dozens claiming the opposite.

[@RedSntDK]

I'm almost done listening to the first audiobook "Leviathan Wakes" and you get a lot more personal with the characters, it's honestly an amazing adaptation where they pulled a lot of characters to the front of the show like Avasarala, but also bury some of the less important in the grand scheme of things like Amos' "love" interest on Tycho. I'm so far very impressed, but it also helps to have followed the show from start to finish, week after week going online and hearing other peoples take on those episodes. (PS: It's also why I'm here in the comment section of a 5 year old video..)

[@Fogdude19]

First

[@MrShadowThing]

I thought the color of your skin and if you were a man or a woman didn't matter. Apparantly to these guys, it does. That kind of talk is annoying. They should care about diversity in THOUGHT, not diversity of skincolor or gender.

[@makara4615]

Can't stop cringing when they start talking about diversity 🙄

[@xcvsdxvsx]

Proto-typical warrior woman? Proto-typical warriors are not women. Woman have like 40% less upper body strength than the average man. Any woman who is a warrior is definitively a-proto-typical. I love me some samaus aran but the surprise is what was so cool about her, BECAUSE SHES SO NOT PROTO-TYPICAL. What is wrong with people... Maybe they are just projecting because a girl could beat them up :D

[@xcvsdxvsx]

Ivan Ilyich It's a dirty job but someones gotta do it.

[@xcvsdxvsx]

SnakeHelah Productions Woman don't CARE about fighting. You know how boys play cow boys and Indians and they pretend to shoot each other and fake sword fight. Girls dont do that. They braid each others hair and dream about ponies. And there is nothing wrong with that. Yes exceptions exist. Of course. BUT THE EXCEPTION ISN'T PROTOTYPICAL YOU INSUFFERABLE DOLT.

[@lordmunch1]

***** I think you're glossing over a lot to frame human behavior in such a neat way. Though at a young age girls and boys have behavioral differences, like the ones you describe. When they continue to develop many factors begin to influence them, not only biology but culture as well. Humans aren't driven by instinct, because unlike other animals we've evolved a way to modify our behavior to suit the environment we find ourselves in, we called this culture. For example, other species are motivated by survival and their physical morphology is adapted to only a few environments, while humans live everywhere, including in space, and we engage in different activities like singing, dancing, or arguing on KZbin. It is this distinct capacity that is unique to humans; this immense plasticity in behavior that is guided by both our biology and our culture. For example, no one is born a warrior (rough housing in childhood is hardly a predictor of whether a child will become a warrior), not a man nor a woman. It is a compilation of various factors through out life, including your circumstances in life, values, judgements, choices, upbringing, the world you live in, etc. In fact a larger predictor of whether someone joins the military is not their gender, but how much money they make in a year. On top of that quiet shy children who do not rough house, might grow up to be soldiers, while loud, brash, children grow up to be movie directors. There is no set course for any human being, if there were, we wouldn't have left sub-tropical africa.

[@erismo2138]

The word woman in "warrior woman" is an adjective. That's a pretty important fact to miss. No one is talking about a prototypical warrior. A prototypical warrior wouldn't be a woman. That's correct and absolutely irrelevant. If I were talking about a proto/typical utility vehicle, you wouldn't pipe in and say that typical vehicles don't have off-road capabilities. No one was talking about that, it's obvious what the qualifier means.

[@xcvsdxvsx]

Eris Mo Sounds legit.

[@serifkara4939]

I loved this show and had never noticed the racial and gender diversity in it but watching Jamie constantly shove in your face in every interview has ruined the show a little for me. I hope I can wash the virtue signalling off myself as I go an watch more interviews about this show and start watching season 2.

[@Skunkwurx]

yea I don't see why that would ruin it for you. They have done a good job of keeping the characters as they were in the books. They are trying to push the fact they did something good for the industry, when they should be saying they were staying true to the books and true to what the future will actually look like. It just makes them sound grandiose

[@Gaaxure]

2:29 Everybody may or may not love Bobby Draper, but I certainly speak for a lot of expanse fans, when I say that I absolutely hate the casting choice they made. She couldn't act her way out of a paper bag. Her delivery is flat and cringeworthy, she has no physical presence, and she even looks wrong for fucks sake. Instead of an imposing, ripped Martian marine we got a chubby, knock kneed, tongue-tied teenage girl.

[@dylanmonstrum1538]

Diversity is better when it's not forced.

[@ticket67]

Love "The Expanse". Apart from the cliché of the detective, everything is great.