Amazon Prime fans beat the heat and binge ‘best sci-fi series in years'
Ascension, which first aired in 2014 with six 45-minute episodes, has shot up the rankings on the streaming platform in recent weeks.
The synopsis on Prime reads: 'In 1963, the U.S. government launched a covert space mission sending hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension to populate a new world.
'Nearly 50 years into the journey, as they approach the point of no return, a mysterious murder of a young woman causes the ship's population to question the true nature of their mission.'
Despite having just a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Ascension has delighted fans, with more people discovering the show in the years since it aired.
'One of the very best Sci-Fi shows I've seen in years. Every episode changes what you think is going on and reveals another layer,' wrote James Newton in a Google review.
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He added: 'It does veer into fantasy a bit at the end, and possibly religion (but not in the traditional sense) but the bulk of the show is so good, it more than makes up for the ending.'
Another user, ömer ünal, compared it to The Truman Show, insisting while there were some 'good sociology ideas', they 'probably wouldn't have worked out that way'.
They added: 'Vintage look is awesome. Acting… not good in total, but most series are that way anyway. Should have had a second season. I liked it.'
Plenty of fans complained that the show ended without a satisfying ending, with Brian Schmidt warning in his Google review: 'Be careful… don't be like me and not know that they did not finish the series.
'It is a show that grabs your attention, and each episode leaves you wanting the next. The idea and premise of the show is very interesting. Again, be careful if you start, you won't stop until there is no more and you will be wanting more!'
User Chris Hanna praised the show as a 'great series', however, but said they were 'very sad' there was only six episodes, given the 'interesting' subplots, adding: 'Great to watch… when you just want to vedge. (sic)'
Another fan, with the username Just Me, was furious at being 'left hanging', as they urged someone to give the show new life.
'I think they should bring it back and at least finish out the series. Give us an ending,' they said. 'We need answers. So many shows have just stopped and left us all hanging in mid air.'
Sadly, in 2015 SyFy made it clear they would not be making any more new episodes.
They said at the time: 'We were very happy with Ascension as an event series, but with so much high profile development in the works, we have decided not to pursue a full series.' More Trending
Ascension starred Battlestar Galactica actress Tricia Helfer as power broker Viondra Denninger, and Brian Von Holt as Viondra's husband Captain William Denninger.
Gil Bellows played Harris Enzmann, son of Ascension mission founder Abraham Enzmann, while Rescue Me's Andrea Roth appeared as the ship's chief medical officer Dr. Juliet Bryce.
This article was first published on April 28.
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Ascension is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
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