Netflix is in the middle of adapting a 3-part sci-fi story, and we can be fairly certain that we will actually see the end of this Netflix show. Netflix is not always to be trusted when it comes to getting an end to a beloved series. Too often, Netflix drops a new show on its platform, then rips it away with no explanation.
The streamer is starting to shirk that stereotype of late, with shows like The Night Agent, Outer Banks, and Wednesday getting longer leashes than what we saw for series like Shadow & Bone, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, and The OA. Still, it’s always in the back of your head while enjoying a show on the streamer that you may not see a proper finale.
3 Body Problem appears as if it will get over that hump. The series is an adaptation of the Chinese novel series, Remembrance of Earth’s Past, a three-book series with the first volume titled The Three-Body Problem. This sci-fi series begins with Chinese astrophysicist Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao and Zine Tseng) being sent to a secret military base where she makes a humanity-altering decision.
Decades later, a group of friends known as the “Oxford Five” investigate a series of suicides and phenomena in London that seem to be related to Wenjie’s decision. It’s an ambitious story, but the Netflix adaptation is unrelenting in tackling it. Showrunners David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo dive right into the science and mystery from the first moment.
Season 1 does involve a lot of complicated table settings, and you may find yourself having to rewatch scenes. All of this mystery and science would be very frustrating if we didn’t know where it was going, but Netflix has renewed the show for a second and third season, with each season adapting a book, meaning we’re getting an ending.
Netflix’s 3 Body Problem Is Avoiding A 3 Season Problem
The problem with a lot of heady sci-fi TV shows is that the barrier to entry is quite high. It’s not like watching a comedy where you can just flip on any episode and have a good time. For science fiction that is particularly interested in the science, you have to start from the beginning and really pay attention.
If the show peters out and there’s no real ending, it might feel like you’ve wasted all that time and energy. If that show is on Netflix, you might be nervous to start it at all, considering the streamer’s track record. You should feel secure starting 3 Body Problem, because we now know the show is going to get an ending.
There’s A Caveat To 3 Body Problem’s Early Renewal
There is one caveat that comes with the guarantee that 3 Body Problem will get an ending. It appears that the next two seasons will have fewer episodes than the eight in season 1 (via Forbes). Season 2 will only be six episodes long, and season 3 will be even shorter at five episodes.
|
Rememberance of Earth’s Past Book vs. Show |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Title |
Pages |
Episodes |
|
The Three-Body Problem |
400 |
8 |
|
The Dark Forest |
510 |
6 |
|
Death’s End |
600 |
5 |
This is particularly worrying because the next two books in the series, The Dark Forest and Death’s End, are much longer than season 1. Benioff and Weiss also famously struggled to tell a complete story in two truncated seasons with Game of Thrones. All of this could spell trouble. However, it’s equally possible that Netflix and the showrunners have a handle on exactly what they want for 3 Body Problem, and we should just be content to have a complete sci-fi series on our hands.
- Release Date
-
March 21, 2024
- Directors
-
Minkie Spiro, Derek Tsang
- Writers
-
David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Alexander Woo
