Netflix’s 3 Body Problem was a pleasant surprise for me. I’m in the camp of viewers who loved season one and couldn’t get enough of it. So much so that I’m already wondering how long it’s going to take for 3 Body Problem season 2 to arrive.
I say that despite having found a rather significant 3 Body Problem plot hole that needs fixing.
I’ve also decided that I probably won’t wait for season 2 to find out what happens next.
I can’t stop thinking about the story
I hadn’t exactly been looking forward to watching 3 Body Problem before it came out, considering who made it for Netflix. That would be the creators (and destroyers) of Game of Thrones, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. That’s why I started 3 Body Problem several days after the premiere. I only set out to watch the first episode without reading any reviews.
I fell asleep halfway through the first episode but woke up when that thing happened. If you’ve seen it, you know what it is. I was wide awake. I rewatched the parts I had slept through. That was enough to rope me in. I was hooked, and I wanted to know what would happen next.
I finished 3 Body Problem in about a week. I didn’t binge-watch either, choosing to progress at my own pace. I might watch just a few minutes one day, to then devour two episodes on another. Now that I’m done with it, I want more. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Has Netflix renewed 3 Body Problem for season 2?
I’ve also come to realize that 3 Body Problem is a somewhat polarizing show. Not everyone loves it. It’s not getting perfect scores from reviewers or the average Netflix subscribers. And it didn’t top Netflix’s charts immediately as many hit shows do.
There are some potentail red flags in there when it comes to Netflix’s decision to renew the show for a second season or not. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time Netflix had canceled an expensive show that had a dedicated fan base.
Add to that the high cost of 3 Body Problem, reportedly $20 million an episode, and you’ve got one more factor that Netflix will consider before greenlighting more seasons. On top of that, Netflix’s deal with Benioff and Weiss amounts to $200 million. That’s actually one reason to have the two (and Alexander Woo) push forward with the story.
Whatever the case, Netflix has not inked a deal for season 2, and the showrunners have no details to share. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the creators did tease that a bigger story could unfold in season 2 and hinted that talks are ongoing.
“It’s something we’ve talked about with the Netflix guys, too,” Benioff said.
“Liu Cixin’s created this indelible trilogy and the books just get better for me,” he added. “The second book is far better than the first, and the third book just completely blew my mind. The story just gets more and more ambitious as it goes, and it takes a huge leap in book two. So I feel like if we survive to the second season, we’re going to be in a good place.”
I’ll read Liu Cixin’s books instead of waiting
The same report says the showrunners imagined the story as a four-season TV show. Even if Netflix were to renew the show for three more seasons, I’m not going to wait.
I want to find out what happens next so badly that I’m going to read Liu Cixin’s Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy: The Three-Body Problem, The Dark Forest, and Death’s End.
That way, I’ll have my answers for the actual story the Netflix show is based on long before I get to see season 2 of 3 Body Problem.
You can find the trilogy pretty much anywhere, both in paperback and digital. Amazon is a good place to start. I’ll probably read the digital version on Apple Books.