Outer space has always been the perfect setting for sci-fi TV shows to go big. The Expanse made incredible use of it, turning humanity’s future among the stars into an epic story about class wars and dangerous discoveries. Over six seasons and 62 episodes, the hard sci-fi series tied Earth, Mars, and the Belt into one volatile political web. The series then cracked the solar system open with ring gates leading to hundreds of other star systems.
However, not every space opera needs an entire solar system’s worth of conflict to feel giant. One HBO Max series took humanity to a distant planet and imagined a future so strange and beautiful that even The Expanse feels modest in comparison. That series is Raised by Wolves, Ridley Scott’s ambitious sci-fi drama. Unfortunately, it only lasted for two seasons before HBO canceled it.
‘Raised by Wolves’ Turns Humanity’s Future Into a Beautiful Nightmare
Created by Aaron Guzikowski and executive-produced by Ridley Scott, Raised by Wolves begins after a devastating religious war destroys Earth. In the 22nd century, the Androids Mother (Amanda Collin) and Father (Abubakar Salim) arrive on the distant planet Kepler-22b with a mission to raise human children as atheists and build a new civilization. Things become complicated when the survivors of the war arrive, bringing their beliefs and lingering conflicts.
Raised by Wolves also stars Travis Fimmel as Marcus, a Mithraic soldier. His spiritual transformation lends a tense and unpredictable tone to the series. Niamh Algar and Winta McGrath round out a disturbing yet oddly sympathetic family.
The show’s premise sounds like your usual post-apocalyptic survival story, but it quickly becomes stranger. Mother was originally designed to be a deadly weapon — the Necromancer— by an atheist architect. Her protective instincts can be as frightening as the threats her family faces. Meanwhile, Father brings warmth and humor. Their relationship raises questions about whether artificial intelligence can develop true affection, and whether programming can fully control who or what someone becomes.
Raised by Wolves refuses to make its alien setting feel like a straightforward substitute for Earth. Kepler-22b has absurd landscapes, mysterious structures, and creatures that prove humanity knows little about its new home. Scott directed the first two episodes, and his aesthetic is clear in the eerie architecture and unnerving android imagery. Overall, Raised by Wolves recalls the visuals of Blade Runner and Prometheus. It develops its own identity by mixing science, mythology, and religious belief.
‘Raised by Wolves’ Imagines a Strange Future
Prime Video’s The Expanse feels broad. It has more ships, more factions, and more planets, and links them all to the same slow, physics-bound journey. Raised by Wolves starts after the exodus. Kepler-22b sits hundreds of light-years from Earth, so the characters already live in another star system and never need a gate to get there. For the characters, home is a memory, and going back is impossible.
Ridley Scott’s Raised by Wolves is bigger in scale, even though it takes a different route. Its vision stretches beyond humanity’s familiar institutions and asks what civilization might look like after Earth becomes uninhabitable. Instead of focusing on the practical challenges of space travel, it explores artificial life and the origins of belief.
While The Expanse focuses on gravity and spacesuits, Raised by Wolves imagines machines that have already outrun their makers. The androids are stronger than any human. A quantum computer governs a colony, and soldiers can’t tell if they’re being controlled by faith or manipulation.
Of course, The Expanse wins when it comes to length, a passionate following, and a satisfying ending. The series built its masterful universe over 62 episodes, while Raised by Wolves had only 19 episodes. The latter’s shorter run led to a ruthless approach, resulting in an unsettling and underrated sci-fi drama about alien mysteries. Almost every episode raises a question big enough to carry a series. The story stays focused on a handful of characters, but it feels big because the series deals with religion, parenthood, and artificial minds.
Sadly, HBO Max canceled Raised by Wolves in 2022. While it left plenty of loose threads, the show never stopped being ambitious.
- Release Date
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2020 – 2022-00-00
- Network
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HBO Max
- Directors
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Alex Gabassi, Luke Scott, Ernest R. Dickerson, Lukas Ettlin, Ridley Scott, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Sunu Gonera
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
