'3 Body Problems' creators say season 2 will be better

C Shimoka in “3 Body Problem”

Netflix

Reactions to Netflix's sci-fi epic 3 Body problem She is, if anything, inconsistent. Comments from top critics are everywhere, from Lavish praise to Dis And everything in between. Viewers are similarly divided, with some fans of Liu Cixin's novel criticizing the series for its bold adaptation choices, and many others saying… 3 Body problem It is one of the best genre shows they have ever seen (one might even say a serial). Age of chaos to 3 Body problem interactions). However, among fans who have finished the show so far, one consistent reaction has emerged: the show's cliffhanger ending (no spoilers here) really made them want to see what happens next.

Series creators David Benioff, Dan Weiss, and Alexander Wu indicate that the second season will be better than the first. Benioff said earlier Hollywood Reporter For our in-depth cover story on the show (in the quote expanded here): “At our first Comic-Con [for Game of Thrones] “Someone asked me if we were going to get a second season,” he said. “I remember saying there's a scene that's going to happen in Season 3 — I didn't even want to name it, but 'RW, for people who know — if we can get there, I think we'll be OK.'” And there's a scene in Season 2. [of 3 Body Problem] What I feel is – it's not a doomsday scene [in season one] – It's something that happens in Season 2… Things get wild in a big way and there's one scene that, if we get to it, we'll be golden – like when we got to the Red Wedding in Thrones“.

“It's something we talked about with the people at Netflix as well,” he added. “Liu Cixin has created this inedible trilogy, and the books have gotten better for me. The second book is much better than the first, and the third book completely blew me away. The story gets more ambitious as it goes on, and takes a huge leap in the second book. So I feel that if we stick to If we survive a second season, we'll be in a good place.

Headwind vs 3 Body problem is its hefty price tag — it's said to be Netflix's most expensive scripted series ever, costing $20 million per episode. It's a price that streamers could have swallowed more easily a few years ago when the show was greenlit, during the heyday of Peak TV and the great IP gold rush. Netflix is ​​famously mathematical when it comes to making renewal decisions. “Budget and audience size are one of the factors that should go into renewal decisions,” chief content officer Bela Bajaria said last year. “Sharing is really important. People pressed play but didn't finish the series?

Straight from the gate, 3 Body problem It opened at No. 2 on Netflix's top TV shows list, which isn't great, but many hit shows on Netflix grow from word of mouth after they debut (e.g. The Queen's Gambit And Squid game).

Netflix executives have also fallen back on their “algorithmic is everything” reputation, and if there's one show where other factors can put a thumb on their algorithmic scale, it's 3 Body problem. Honestly: in terms of genre programming, 3 Body problem Not like Shadow and bones or vampire – Mid-sized titles that have a loyal fan base, but are not considered prestige TV shows.

Even when balancing negative reviews, when you have great ideas, show that likes New York times And The New Yorker Praised as “a rare kind of sci-fi epic that blends theoretical questions with real spectacle and heart” and a “morally provocative” show with “visual grandeur, excitement and dazzling moments”, such collections of acclaim 3 body On the high shelf of cultural importance. Although Netflix has endless hours of content, one long-standing criticism is that much of its content is considered trivial. to prepare 3 Body problem It was obviously a play on a show that we hope will be a hit, but it also feels important.

Also important is the fact that Benioff and Weiss were hired as part of a massive multi-year overall deal worth at least $200 million, and this is the only series they've pitched themselves (along with Woo). Streamers and networks tend to be a little more hesitant to cancel shows from big hitters (which isn't to say Netflix won't pull the trigger — they just canceled Ryan Murphy's) He went up After one season, for example).

Another positive sign is that Netflix is ​​doing everything it can to promote 3 Body problemand supported the screening with a strong publicity push at the South By Southwest Film & TV Festival and accompanying podcast.

What helps even more is the fact that Netflix – unlike some of its competitors – is doing quite well at the moment. Its latest quarterly report showed that the service added 13 million subscribers, beating Wall Street estimates. Netflix stock has almost recovered from its disastrous 2022 decline.

The show also has a powerful behind-the-scenes advocate in script head Peter Friedlander. “This project feels very personal to me,” Friedlander told us. “The experience I had reading the books was unlike anything I had ever had before. I didn't know what the show was going to be – how do you process the scale of the universe, the scale of infinity? These concepts are very difficult to accept, and the way the author writes about them is breathtaking.” I am proud to present a story that is entertaining and has a great message.

the 3 Body problem The showrunners say they envision the series ideally spanning four seasons (with a big jump for Season 2). While it's anyone's guess whether they'll get all four — and the show's as-yet-unknown ratings will be key — 3 Body problem He has several factors to his advantage in the capture process. For their part, the showrunners are wisely acting as if the renewal is going to happen, so they are prepared to quickly return to production.

“We don't have a second season, but we need to keep going as hard as we do,” Benioff said He said recently Gaming Radar. “Because if we get a second season, we'll need to start pre-production and production to get it out to people in a reasonable amount of time.”