Slotted into the back half of Netflix’s current Top 10 list of the hottest shows in the U.S., behind hits of the moment like “Hostage,” “Wednesday,” and “The Hunting Wives,” is a decade-old sci-fi drama that’s getting a new life on the streaming giant. “Extant,” a CBS show which dates back to 2014, was executive produced by Steven Spielberg and stars Halle Berry in a story that blends elements of space exploration, family drama, and AI. And at the moment, it’s the #10 show in the U.S. based on Netflix’s Top 10 ranking that can be found inside the app itself.
For longtime fans, the resurgence is a chance to revisit a twist-filled sci-fi tale. And for newcomers, it’s an opportunity to dive into a thriller they might have missed the first time around — with Berry playing an astronaut named Molly Woods. Especially if you’re a fan of shows like “Altered Carbon,” “Manifest,” and “The Lazarus Project” on Netflix, keep reading to see why “Extant” might just be worth adding to your watchlist.
What is Extant about?
“After a 13-month solo space expedition,” the streamer explains about the plot, “astronaut Molly Woods (Halle Berry) is getting back to her normal routine on Earth alongside her husband, John (Goran Visnjic), a robotics engineer, and their young son, Ethan (Pierce Gagnon).”
There are two twists built off of that basic description which drive the narrative forward. One, Ethan isn’t a boy but rather a young android called a “Humanich,” in the parlance of the show. Also, even though Molly spent an extended period in space all by herself, she somehow got pregnant. It’s completely bizarre, because she and her husband (a robotics engineer) developed their humanoid son in the first place as a result of the couple’s infertility.
“On the humanoid robot front,” Netflix continues, “John has received funding from the Yasumoto Corporation to continue his research, of which Ethan is patient zero. As John continues to develop the Humanich, Ethan deals with learning about both his human and robotic nature. While Molly investigates to try to find out if [International Space Exploration Agency] is somehow involved in her pregnancy, she unearths bigger secrets that begin to threaten her family and her life.”
In addition to that fascinating premise, it’s also worth noting that the show features a strong cast. Besides Berry and Visnjic (well-known to audiences from “ER”), Grace Gummer (from “Mr. Robot”) plays Julie Gelineau, John’s assistant at the Humanichs Project. “Shogun’s” Hiroyuki Sanada plays the man funding John’s research, while “The West Wing’s” Michael O’Neill is ISEA head Alan Sparks.
