Chrisjen Avasarala

The Expanse’s hard- as- nails UN badass

UK Broadcast TBC

US Broadcast Syfy, finished

The Expanse is one of the best shows to come out of the US for a long, long time, and, while it doesn’t have a UK airdate as we write this, we’re already waving the pom- poms and cheerleading its arrival. There are many reasons for our excitement: from its Battlestar Galactica-meetsBlade Runner vibe ( aka spaceships and weary gumshoes) to its tensionfilled action and fabulous cinematography, The Expanse is superb.

While there are plenty of brilliant characters to highlight here, we’ve gone for Shohreh Aghdashloo’s enigmatic UN deputy undersecretary, Chrisjen Avasarala. She’s without a doubt the most colourful character in an otherwise rather bleak- looking show, laden with bright silks, necklaces and earrings so heavy poor Aghdashloo’s lobes are practically touching her shoulders. But don’t let her glamour fool you into thinking she’s style over substance: right from the off, you’re never quite sure what Avasarala’s up to. One moment she’s playing with a grandchild and the next she’s double- crossing a lifelong pal; she’ll lie on her roof staring up at the stars admiring their beauty, and then she’ll torture a terrorist without a thought for morality. “Complex” sums her up rather nicely, and a complex character is a believable one.

But there’s another reason Avasarala’s so watchable, and that’s because the woman playing her is so brilliant. Aghdashloo could recite a phone book in her gravelly voice and make your hair stand on end; she’s that good. She brings an earthly ( pun fully intended) gravitas to one of the most powerful women in The Expanse’s solar system. Don’t miss her, and don’t miss this show.