Though it might not seem that way with all the Sharknadoes and Lavalantulas floating about, Syfy is still committed to hard-edged science fiction, as evidenced by its upcoming adaptations of Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End and the Expanse books by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Thanks to Deadline, we also now know when both of those series will premiere, which will help us schedule any Sharknado/Lavalantula jokes we may want to make in the future.
Childhood’s End tells the story of an apparently peaceful invasion of Earth in which aliens essentially make everything as rad as possible, but at a cost that is so mysterious it will take three nights to tell the whole story. Thus, Childhood’s End will be presented as a three-night, six-hour event, beginning on December 14 and ending on December 16. The miniseries stars Charles Dance, Mike Vogel (Under The Dome), and Colm Meaney, and it was written/executive produced by Life On Mars creator Matthew Graham.
The Expanse will also premiere its first two episodes on December 14 and 15, but its remaining eight episodes will then be doled out weekly (as is normal for most TV shows). Unlike Childhood’s End, which opens in what is essentially the present day, The Expanse is set 200 years in the future after humans have colonized the solar system. It stars Thomas Jane as “a tough detective” and Steve Strait as “a rogue ship’s captain.” Together they have to try and find a missing woman while investigating a massive space conspiracy. Also, in a fun bit of network synergy, the Lavalantulas might make a cameo. (They won’t.)