Having been rescued by Amazon, The Expanse has become something of a cult favourite show on its Prime Video service. Following the crew of the Rocinante as it skirts with death, gets thrown into adventures and involved in some pretty tense political battles is about as enthralling as any modern Sci Fi.

We're now up to the sixth season of The Expanse, and the show's producers have confirmed this is also the finale. It's the last ever season. So exactly how and when can you catch it on your TV?

The Expanse release date: When is the next episode coming out?

As with so many of Amazon's other hit shows, The Expanse is being released on an episode-by-episode basis every Friday. The first episode of season 6 was made available on 10 December, and episode 2 will be avaialbe on the 17th. And so on.

How many episodes are in season 6?

Previous series' of The Expanse have featured up to 10 episodes, but in the final season, there are just six, with the finale being made available to stream on 14 January 2022. Listed below are the episode names and release dates:

  • S6E1 - Strange Dogs - 10 December 2021
  • S6E2 - Azure Dragon - 17 December 2021
  • S6E3 - Force Projection - 24 December 2021
  • S6E4 - Redoubt - 31 December 2021
  • S6E5 - Why We Fight - 7 January 2022
  • S6E6 - Babylon's Ashes - 14 January 2022

How and where to watch The Expanse

The Expanse is an Amazon Original production, which means it's an exclusive to Amazon's own Prime Video platform as it stands.

Prime Video is included with an Amazon Prime membership which costs $12.99/£7.99 per month or - if you'd rather - you can subscribe to Prime Video exclusively for $8.99/£5.99. To save a little money overall, you even have the option to take Amazon Prime as an annual plan, essentially getting 12 months of service for the price of 10.

Who are the main cast in The Expanse season 6?

The big downer for season 6 is that Cas Anvar will not be returning to reprise his role as Alex Kamal in season 6. His character has been written out of the show. Apart from that, you can expect to see the usual cast and characters. They include the following:

  • Steven Strait - as Jim Holden
  • Wes Chatham - as Amos Burton
  • Dominique Tipper - as Naomi Nagata
  • Frankie Adams - as Roberta 'Bobbie' W. Draper
  • Cara Gee - as Camina Drummer
  • Nadine Nicole - as Clarissa Mao
  • Keon Alexander - as Marco Inaros
  • Jasai Chase Owens - as Filip
  • Shohreh Aghdashloo - as Chrisjen Avasarala

What's going to happen in season 6?

If you've watched up to the end of season 5, you'll know we have a new prime antagonist: Marco Inaros. And the synopsis published by Amazon for season 6 doesn't shy away from naming him. In it, Amazon says the following:

"Holden and the crew of the Rocinante fight alongside the Combined Fleet of Earth and Mars to protect the Inner Planets from Marco Inaros and his Free Navy's campaign of death and destruction. Meanwhile, on a distant planet beyond the Rings, a new power rises."

Without revealing too much of the previous seasons (in case you're yet to experience the delights of The Expanse), it's clear season 6 is ramping up to be a big battle between unlikely allies (Earth and Mars) and Marco's fleet of space pirates.

Will there be a season 7 of The Expanse?

The short answer here is: no. Season 6 is the final season of The Expanse, and unless Amazon's executives and the production company have a major change of heart - or another studio picks up the show - that's not likely to change.

However, it's not completely ruled out. The Expanse is based on a series of books, and there are three more books after the 6th. So there's story left to tell, and if the right studio comes in, there's a possibility it could happen.