“Unusual” Netflix announcement puts 3 Body Problem at risk

While fans are happy to hear 3 Body Problem has been renewed for Season 2, the official announcement from Netflix has a few worried about what it’s implying.

The news came on May 15, 2024, that the sci-fi series would be getting a second season after its initial end in March. But fans fear it’s also the end of the series.

“‘The announcement was rather unusual as Netflix avoided calling the renewal a second season and didn’t specify how many episodes, or seasons, will be ordered. The showrunners had previously hoped to get a total of four seasons to adapt the three books in Liu’s trilogy.’ I’m getting Sense8 vibes,” said one fan on Reddit.

What does this mean? Despite the popularity among fans for 3 Body Problem, it didn’t perform as expected despite landing in the Top 10 list. One fan suggests the series will get the same treatment as the 2015 series Sense8.

“Sense8 was canceled after season 2 but the creators were allowed a 2-hour movie to wrap things up. The same thing happened to The OA but the creators turned it down saying they couldn’t possibly wrap things up in that amount of time. I think the commenter is speculating that 3BP is only getting a wrap-up movie,” explained one person.

The decision to create a 2-hour movie after Sense8’s cancellation was due to heavy backlash among fans online, particularly as the series had ended on a cliffhanger that needed to come to a close.

If this is true, then creator David Benioff’s ambitions to see the series get multiple seasons won’t be fulfilled. 3 Body Problem has plenty of storylines to unfold as Liu Cixin’s work expanded into three installments.

Even Variety reported on the peculiar way that Netflix made the announcement. They explained that the lack of calling the news “Season 2” could mean Netflix is ordering additional episodes and not a full season. In the press release, Benioff stated they will “get to tell this story through to its epic conclusion.” This may mean that the new installment could be the last.

However, it was reported the streaming platform will make an official announcement on details at a later date.

3 Body Problem is available to stream on Netflix, and you catch up on whether the humans beat the San-Ti and explainers like what the countdown means in the series.