Scientists keep taking their own lives, and no one knows why. That’s the central mystery at the start of 3 Body Problem, the new Netflix series based on a trilogy of sci-fi novels by Chinese author Cixin Liu. But it soon unfolds into something far grander: There’s a mysterious VR video game, flashbacks to revolutionary China, shady billionaires, and strange cults.
But really, it’s all about physics. Liu’s novels are beloved in China and have a smaller but similarly dedicated following among English-language readers, but they are hard science fiction—heavy on concept, light on character. More than once in the series, someone resorts to wheeling out a chalkboard to make their point, and there are scenes in the books that seem impossible to film: multidimensional structures collapsing in on themselves, a computer made up of millions of soldiers, nano-wires cutting through steel, diamond, flesh.
For showrunners David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo, adapting The Three-Body Problem for the screen presented a unique challenge. Woo was a writer on HBO’s True Blood, but Benioff and Weiss are best known for Game of Thrones. An adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s fantasy saga A Song of Ice and Fire, Thrones became a once-in-a-decade television phenomenon, but didn’t quite stick the landing—in some corners of the internet the names Benioff and Weiss are on a level with Joffrey Baratheon.
(L to R) 3 Body Problem executive producers and writers D. B. Weiss, Alexander Woo, and David Benioff.Courtesy of Austin Hargrave/Netflix
So there may be some trepidation for those weighing whether to watch their new show. But 3 Body Problem has all the ingredients that made those early seasons of Game of Thrones so compelling: jaw-dropping set pieces, a web of interpersonal conflict, and an existential threat slowly marching toward the gates.
WIRED spoke to Benioff, Weiss, and Woo about the challenge of adapting a series previously thought to be unadaptable.
Amit Katwala: You’ve talked about how you read the novels simultaneously and decided this was the thing you wanted to work on next. What really attracted you to Three-Body Problem as something to adapt?
David Benioff: We might have three different answers. For me, there were so many scenes in the books that I read and thought, “I really want to see this.” Throughout the whole trilogy there are so many scenes that are thrilling to read, but also as a TV writer and producer deeply intimidating, because you’re thinking, how are we going to show multiple dimensions on screen? How is that going to work? I literally can’t visualize some of the things that are described in the book. The only other time I’ve had that experience is with George Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire.
D. B. Weiss: Something that you’re going to devote this much of your life to, it has to haunt you. It has to be something that when you put it down and walk away it just keeps lurking in your mind. I read these books and I’d be thinking about them while I was going for a walk, I’d be thinking about them when I was taking my kids to school. I never stopped thinking about them.
Netflix’s first trailer for its new series Supacell paints South London as an epicentre of supernatural activity, with a comic book flair that’s charged with superhero action. The new show will land on the platform this June – and it already looks like a strong contender for our list of best Netflix series.
Supacell comes from the mind of Rapman, a British record producer and film director, and will be his first full-length series off the back of his feature film Blue Story from 2019 – both of which are explicit in their faithful homages to South London living. But with Supacell, people with supernatural powers roam the streets freely.
What to expect from Supacell
The trailer (see above) does a clever job of letting us glimpse into the events of the series without giving away too much information, and has us on the edge of our seats for its June release. In it, we are introduced to main characters Michael (Tosin Cole) and Dionne (Adelayo Adedayo), who have an Instagram-perfect relationship with a nice home, fancy car, and a happy engagement to show for it. However, as it is with any drama series, there’s more than meets the eye.
In a way that seems to allude to the classic British show Misfits, Michael unexpectedly develops super powers and is given the ability to travel to the future where he learns that Dionne’s death is fast approaching. To save her, he must bring together others who have also mysteriously developed the same powers, but the question remains; what is it that connects these people?
It’s safe to say that Supacell is going to be one superhero spectacle, but its raw depiction of South London culture could be the reason it becomes a roaring success. Prior to Supacell, Rapman had dabbled in short films prior to his first full length feature Blue Story (2019), which hones in on postcode-based gang rivalry in South London. It proved to be successful with viewers, gaining a score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, which could serve as a hint that Supacell’s ode to its director’s hometown will be its success factor.
Due to the recent successes of South London-based films like Rye Lane, it’s clear that audiences enjoy relatable viewing, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Supacell gains status as a modern British television classic. And since the series is carried by an ensemble cast of actors that are less-known, it eliminates high expectations and will encourage viewers to take it for face value.
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Netflix is used to taking gambles. From pioneering the crackdown on account sharing between households to remaking some of the best anime shows, the streaming giant has a penchant for persuing high-risk, high-reward strategies.
You can now count 3 Body Problem, Netflix’s TV adaptation of Liu Cixin’s brain-melting book series, among its big swings. Indeed, the streamer’s latest big-budget series isn’t just packed with abstract sci-fi fare; it’s also helmed by Game of Thrones’ (GoT) showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, whose reputation took a significant hit after the high-fantasy HBO show’s divisive final season.
Alongside Netflix and True Blood showrunner Alexander Woo, though, Benioff and Weiss have returned to form with an effective, mind-bending series that delivers a fitting take on Cixin’s dense and seemingly unfilmable source material. Its occasionally reductive plot threads and storytelling deviations will irritate fans of Cixin’s novels, while its more cerebral elements and plot pacing might baffle others. As a deep-thinking, multi-genre, and surprisingly intimate series, however, 3 Body Problem largely hits the sweet spot.
Secret Invasion
Ye Wenjie (right) is the character who sets 3 Body Problem‘s narrative in motion. (Image credit: Netflix)
3 Body Problem’s plot jumps between two storylines set in different time periods. The first, which takes place in the 60s and 70s, follows Ye Wenjie (Zine Tseng), a Chinese astrophysics prodigy who becomes increasingly misanthropic as a result of numerous personally traumatic events. Disillusioned by the cruelty of the human race, Ye makes a fateful decision – one that echoes across time and space – when a seemingly benevolent alien race reaches out to her during her research into extraterrestrial life.
Half a century later, unorthodox detective Da Shi (Marvel star Benedict Wong) investigates a series of gruesome, unexplained deaths involving scientists across the globe. Under the command of a mysterious organization led by the enigmatic Thomas Wade (Liam Cunningham), Shi soon finds himself trailing the Oxford Five – a group of scientific experts who might hold the key to staving off an invasion that humanity is ill-equipped to deal with.
3 Body Problem shines brightest when it leans into the human aspect of its story
3 Body Problem spends its early episodes flitting between these timelines, which isn’t a novel storytelling approach for a sci-fi show, but it nonetheless succeeds in slowly untangling the biggest mysteries within its core narrative. It’s not a superficial show by any means, either, with its layered story posing philosophical questions – mainly of the existential variety – and other brain teasers throughout its eight-episode run. Plotwise, 3 Body Problem also poses more questions than it answers, meaning viewers looking for an easy watch are in for a rude awakening.
3 Body Problem’s science-led subplots aren’t as complex as you might think. Well, mostly anyway. (Image credit: Netflix)
If you really focus on the narrative playing out, however, 3 Body Problem rewards you. Indeed, those who concentrate can spot clues that foreshadow events to come. It’s an interactive form of storytelling that showcases one of 3 Body Problem’s biggest strengths, i.e. its ability to subconsciously turn you into a prescient detective, rather than simply being an objective observer. I found myself trying to solve its largest puzzles before the answers were revealed by way of plot exposition, and I’d recommend you do the same if you want to add an extra dimension to your viewing experience.
Speaking of story exposition, there’s a frustration in how some of this is delivered. At times, 3 Body Problem does right by its narrative explanations – Da Shi’s evidence board, which contains important details about the Oxford Five in episode 1, for example, is a smart way of relaying important background information about each individual. Other times, characters vexingly repeat facts from one episode to the next. The revelation that the invading alien race is 400 years away from reaching Earth, for instance, is ‘revealed’ multiple times throughout episodes 3 and 4. My memory isn’t what it was, Netflix, but come on.
3 Body Problem is a cleverly constructed and sweeping epic
Its genre-bending makeup is also periodically erratic. A trailer that landed in January teased the potential for 3 Body Problem to be a sci-fi epic, VR horror, and mystery thriller rolled into one, but the tonal shifts throughout its early episodes are disappointingly temperamental. The lurching from sci-fi spectacle to tragicomedy, particularly during scenes that are seemingly set in a virtual reality (VR) world, typifies the show’s struggle to achieve equilibrium, something it doesn’t manage until its midway point.
You won’t look at virtual reality in the same way again after 3 Body Problem. (Image credit: Netflix)
I previously suggested that 3 Body Problem had the capacity to give you VR nightmares when its first clip surfaced online in November 2023, but some of its more terror-positioned visuals just aren’t frightening. Some are spooky and unsettling – the seemingly perpetual and unexplained countdown timer that plagues Auggie Salazar (Eiza Gonzalez), one of the Oxford Five, early on is unequivocally haunting. Other moments have a macabre flavor to them, including scenes where Jin Cheng (Jess Hong) and Jack Rooney (Jon Bradley) – other members of the aforementioned quintet – interact with obscure, state-of-the-art, minimalist VR headsets. Alas, that’s as terrifying as things get.
There are, though, moments that are genuinely shocking. One sequence in episode 5 is deeply disturbing in its simplicity; its body horror unnervingly juxtaposed with the eerily still atmosphere that accompanies it. Throw in more bloody, at-times physical and psychological violence, plus other adult-weighted material – and morbid, R-rated, and deadpan jokes – and the narratively dark aura that epitomizes Benioff and Weiss-led projects is as prominent here as it was in Thrones. They might have traded high fantasy for mind-bending sci-fi, but their fingerprints are evident across the final product.
A sky full of stars
The Oxford Five (Raj, third from the left, not included) are the heartbeat of 3 Body Problem. (Image credit: Netflix)
For all of its big-brain concepts, multi-genre scope and exorbitant scale, though, I believe 3 Body Problem shines brightest when it actively leans into the deeply human aspect of its story.
As I alluded to earlier, there’s a barely perceptible shift around the halfway mark as the show gravitates away from its staggering science-based theories and philosophical conundrums in favor of an intimate tale about life, love, death and survival. That’s not to say that 3 Body Problem throws its metaphysical and sci-fi-led elements away – after all, there’s still a pulsating, dread-inducing War of the Worlds-inspired story to be told and, hopefully in future seasons, concluded.
There’s a frustration in how some of 3 Body Problem’s story exposition is delivered
3 Body Problem’s ability to tell a meaningful, relatable, and tender story is what surprised me most about Netflix’s new lavish TV original, though. It displays a substantial emotional weightiness, particularly through Bradley’s Jack, Hong’s Jin, Alex Sharp’s Will (another of the Oxford Five), and Zine Tseng’s young Ye – based on her quietly intense performance, Tseng is a star in the making – that makes for a gripping melodrama to lose yourself in.
The dynamic between Thomas Wade and Da Shi is brimming with deadpan humor and occasional tension. (Image credit: Netflix)
It isn’t a completely somber and/or poignant affair, mind you, with plenty of adult-based levity, awkward humor, and even the odd slapstick moment that pleasingly lightens the mood amid the trauma-laced subplots. 3 Body Problem doesn’t shy away from giving each cast member their time in the sun, either, with the aforementioned actors – plus other important characters, including Jovan Adepo’s Saul, the only Oxford Five member I haven’t mentioned – installed as episodic leads. By the way, this is a Benioff and Weiss-created TV adaptation so, just like GoT, I’d advise not becoming too attached to any one character (if you know, you know).
Considering that I struggled to connect with its multidimensional cast of characters in its first half, it was remarkably gratifying to be able to identify and empathize with (albeit belatedly) them later on. The relationships between certain individuals – Wade’s interactions with Da Shi and Jin are notable highlights – crackle and fizz with pleasing intent, while the surprising team-ups between radically different characters add a dynamic flavor to specific scenes, too. Who would have thought that a trippy, paranormal, and theory-led show would do its best work in its character-driven component?
My verdict
3 Body Problem is a cleverly constructed and sweeping epic that, once it navigates its clunky embryonic stage, finds an impressive balance between its high-brow plot, intimate and character-driven storylines, and grounding in real science and history-defining events. An equal-parts international and intergalactic mystery, it’s an ambitious, mind-melting Netflix sci-fi show that demands your attention.
At times, it has the makings of an HBO-style prestige drama, with Benioff and Weiss’ work on Thrones paying dividends on their latest big-budget small-screen project. Largely, it’s a fitting adaptation of Cixin’s often unwieldy literary works, although it slightly trivializes its hypothetical source material through intermittent creative deviations and simplified conceptual explanations.
3 Body Problem was one of 10 exciting shows I couldn’t wait for in early 2024 and, after enjoying what it had to offer, I feel vindicated in my prediction. It won’t have the same, industry-altering impact that Game of Thrones had in 2011, but it’s more than earned a spot – a potentially permanent one – in my best Netflix shows guide. Once you’ve gorged yourself on all eight episodes on launch day, I’m confident you’ll understand why.
3 Body Problem exclusively launches in full on Netflix on Thursday, March 21.
