Netflix was in a bind with 3 Body Problem, one of its most expensive series ever, but one that didn’t quite beat the doors down in terms of viewership, which was solid, but far from record breaking. In order to continue the show they would almost certainly need to see the three-book trilogy to its conclusion. But what they’re doing instead sounds…very strange.
This week, TV Line reported that Netflix said at its upfront presentation that 3 Body Problem was picked up for “all new episodes.” Not only was the term “season 2” not actually used, but Netflix promised that the series would actually have an ending through this renewal.
“We’re thrilled that we get to tell this story through to its epic conclusion. Ever since we read the last page of Cixin Liu’s magnificent trilogy, we hoped we’d be able to bring the audience to the end of the universe with us,” co-creators David Benioff, D.B. Weiss and Alexander Woosaid. “Here we go!”
What…exactly is going on here? Previously, the creators said that in order to build out the full three book saga, they’d need probably four seasons, given the scope of the last book. So did Netflix really renew the series for another 24 episodes, or is something else happening here?
What this sounds like to me is that they’re going to try to figure out a way to cull the books quite a bit and reduce how long it will take to reach the end, as four full seasons would probably cost close to half a billion dollars. That would seem like an enormous task, and that’s not what they laid out originally, but it may be what they need in order to actually be able to finish without some cliffhanger ending to join Netflix’s graveyard of unfinished shows.
But why won’t Netflix just say the show is renewed for seasons 2 and 3, or 2, 3 and 4? They said that these seasons and episode numbers would be “revealed at a later date” so it appears this message was just to confirm that no, it’s not cancelled and yes, somehow, the show will actually be able to have a conclusion “to the end of the universe.”
Netflix is also in a unique situation with Game of Thrones’ David Benioff and DB Weiss as they have a big, expensive deal with them, a partnership they would probably not want to jeopardize by axing their high-profile show. So this may be an investment in future content, not a renewal based purely on viewership numbers relative to cost. That’s a luxury many Netflix series don’t get (RIP Altered Carbon).
I am certainly excited to be able to see the rest of 3 Body Problem realized on screen, but this was a strange way to announce that, and it raises more questions than answers.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
