3 Body Problem renewed by Netflix - just don't call it a second season

In news that could be seen as good or bad, Netflix’s 3 Body Problem has been renewed for a series of episodes that will bring the story to a conclusion.

Why is this potentially bad news? We have no idea how many episodes are being commissioned. And given the timing and wording, it seems unlikely 3 Body Problem will be given the 3-4 seasons the series creators said they hoped to have before the show was released.

“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. Here we go,” the Netflix X account posted, as a quote from the 3 Body Problem creative leads.

That’s David Benioff, D.B. Weiss and Alexander Woo.

We’re keen to see 3 Body Problem given a proper conclusion too, but this renewal has some unusually unsettling vibes.

Perhaps we’re worrying about nothing, but we’d like to see some more detail on this one please, Netflix.

For a bit of context, there are currently eight episodes of 3 Body Problem. The Chinese adaptation of the series, broadcast in 2023, has 30 episodes — close who what the Netflix version might end up with if the show were to run to three or more reasons.

Currently available evidence suggests 3 Body Problem likely underperformed by Netflix’s estimations.

In its seven weeks in the top 10, 3 Body Problem racked up 345.5 million hours viewed, or 47.7 million views.

It’s not even close to breaking into the top 10 most-viewed shows, which begin with The Witcher Season 1, at 663 million hours over the first 91 days. And in terms of view count, Baby Reindeer has already sailed past 3 Body Problem with 70 million views according to Netflix stats.

3 Body Problem was no full-on flop, but it was also highly expensive to make, a reported $20 million per episode. The Night Agent apparently cost $2-3 million per episode, and is the sixth most-watched English language Netflix show to date.

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