3 Body Problem (TV series)

3 Body Problem is an American science fiction television series created by David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo. It is the third adaptation of the Chinese novel series Remembrance of Earth's Past by former computer engineer Liu Cixin. The series' title comes from the first volume, The Three-Body Problem, named after a classical physics problem dealing with Newton's laws of motion and gravitation. The eight-episode first season was released on Netflix on March 21, 2024.

The series centers on a diverse group of characters, mainly scientists, who encounter an extraterrestrial civilization, triggering numerous threats and profound changes for humanity. While the two earlier adaptations, the animated The Three-Body Problem in Minecraft (2014–2020) and the live-action Three-Body (2023), were entirely in the novels' original Mandarin, 3 Body Problem is primarily in English with some Mandarin. It also alters parts of the original Chinese setting to include foreign characters and locations, particularly in the United Kingdom as well as China.

This was Benioff and Weiss' first television project since the conclusion of their series Game of Thrones (2011–2019). It received positive reviews, with praise towards its cast, ambition, and production values. The series received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series. In May 2024, the series was renewed for a second and third season. The second season is set to premiere in 2026.

Premise

Ye Wenjie, a Chinese astrophysicist, runs into trouble with the authorities after witnessing her father's death during a struggle session in the Cultural Revolution. Due to her scientific background, she is sent to a secret military base racing against other countries to make first contact with aliens during the Cold War. While there, she makes a choice that impacts humanity's future. In present-day London, a series of mysterious suicides and science-averse phenomena lead a government investigator and a group of friends called the "Oxford Five" into a mystery of extraterrestrial origin.

Cast and characters

Main

• Jovan Adepo as Dr. Saul Durand, a research assistant and member of the "Oxford Five"
• John Bradley as Jack Rooney, an entrepreneur and member of the "Oxford Five"
• Rosalind Chao and Zine Tseng as Dr. Ye Wenjie, an astrophysicist whose decisions as a young scientist threaten the survival of humanity. Chao portrays the character in the 2020s, while Tseng portrays a younger version in scenes set in the past.
• Liam Cunningham as Thomas Wade, chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), who also heads the global Strategic Intelligence Agency
• Eiza González as Dr. Augustina "Auggie" Salazar, a nanotechnologist and member of the "Oxford Five"
• Jess Hong as Dr. Jin Cheng, a theoretical physicist and member of the "Oxford Five"
• Marlo Kelly as Tatiana Haas, a fanatic member of a group of humans working for the San-Ti, an extraterrestrial civilization
• Alex Sharp as Dr. Will Downing, a sixth form physics teacher and member of the "Oxford Five" who is diagnosed with stage 4 cancer early in the series
• Sea Shimooka as "Sophon", a sophisticated intelligence platform used by the San-Ti to communicate with humanity
• Saamer Usmani as Prithviraj Varma, a Royal Navy officer and Cheng's boyfriend
• Benedict Wong as Clarence "Da" Shi, an MI6 officer working for Wade and the Strategic Intelligence Agency
• Jonathan Pryce as Mike Evans, a friend of Ye Wenjie since the 1960s who shares her view that humanity should be eliminated, and has become a prominent member of the small group of humans working for the San-Ti
  • Ben Schnetzer as young Mike Evans
• Claudia Doumit as Captain Van Rijn (season 2)
• Ellie de Lange as Ayla (season 2)

Recurring

• Gerard Monaco as Collins
• Adrian Edmondson as Denys Porlock
• John Dagleish as Felix
• Alfie Allen (season 2)
• David Yip (season 2)
• Jordan Sunshine (season 2)

Guest

Episodes

Production

Development

It was announced in September 2020 that David Benioff and D. B. Weiss were developing a television adaptation of the novel at Netflix, with Alexander Woo co-writing alongside them. Benioff and Weiss have said they are prepared to adapt the whole trilogy, which they expect to require three or four seasons.

On December 25, 2020, Lin Qi, founder of Yoozoo Games and an executive producer on 3 Body Problem, died after ingesting a poisoned beverage, with four others becoming ill. An executive at Yoozoo Games, Xu Yao, was sentenced to death for murder in March 2024, the day after the series premiered on Netflix. Lin had purchased the rights to the book franchise and hired Xu Yao, a lawyer, in 2017, to manage the rights to Liu's novels; the poisonings were an attempt by Xu to take control of the subsidiary company that owned the rights to the series. On May 15, 2024, Netflix renewed the series for a second season. On May 31, 2024, Benioff, Weiss and Woo confirmed that the series was renewed for seasons 2–3 during the official Television Academy 3 Body Problem panel at the Netflix FYSEE space at Sunset Las Palmas in Los Angeles.

According to Benioff, he had already worked with UK-based staff for Game of Thrones and wanted to use them in this production, and Benioff stated that the need to coordinate among those staff influenced the choice of the UK as a setting in 3 Body Problem.

Casting

In August 2021, Eiza González entered negotiations to join the cast. The same month, Derek Tsang was hired to direct the pilot episode. González would be confirmed as joining the cast by that October, with additional castings including Benedict Wong, Tsai Chin, John Bradley, Liam Cunningham and Jovan Adepo. In June 2022, Jonathan Pryce, Rosalind Chao, Ben Schnetzer and Eve Ridley were added to cast. In November 2025, Claudia Doumit, Ellie de Lange, Alfie Allen, David Yip, and Jordan Sunshine joined to the cast for the second season.

Filming

Production on the series began on November 8, 2021, with principal photography taking place in the United Kingdom. Filming took place in London over a nine-month shoot between October 2021 and mid 2022. At Netflix's Tudum 2022 event, Alexander Woo, David Benioff, and D.B. Weiss announced that the production of the first season was completed. Netflix reportedly spent $20 million per episode, for a total budget of $160 million for the first season. Filming of season two started November 26, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.

Release

3 Body Problem was released on Netflix on March 21, 2024. A companion podcast to be hosted by Jason Concepcion and Maggie Aderin-Pocock was also announced alongside it. On January 10, 2024, SXSW Film & TV Festival announced 3 Body Problem as the Opening Night TV Premiere. The second season is scheduled to premiere in 2026.

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported a 78% approval rating with an average rating of 6.9/10, based on 115 critic reviews. The website's critics' consensus reads, "Tackling its ambitious source material with impressive gusto, 3 Body Problem's first season proves a solid start that should leave sci-fi fans eager for more." Metacritic assigned it a score of 70 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Cindy White of The A.V. Club gave the series a B+ and said, "It may wear the garb of prestige television, but underneath it's just a nerdy science-fiction show, with a healthy emphasis on the science." Reviewing the series for USA Today, Kelly Lawler gave a rating of 3/4 and wrote, "Benioff, Weiss and Woo took a book trilogy known more for its thought experiments in philosophy and theoretical physics than its plot and made a solid bit of hard sci-fi that is (mostly) accessible to more casual fans of the genre." Eric Deggans of NPR commented, "As the characters in 3 Body Problem lurch toward answers, we all get to bask in an ambitious narrative fueling an ultimately impressive tale. Just remember to be patient as the series sets the stage early on." Wenlei Ma of The Nightly described the series as "Ambitious, towering and crammed with big ideas about intellectual curiosity, exploration and our place in the universe while still managing to tell intimate stories about human relationships." Inkoo Kang of The New Yorker gave a positive review, writing "The Netflix adaptation of Liu Cixin's trilogy mixes heady theoretical questions with genuine spectacle and heart."