''Three-Body'' () is a Chinese

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

adapted from the novel '' The Three-Body Problem'' by

Liu Cixin Liu Cixin (, pronounced ; born 23 June 1963) is a Chinese computer engineer and science fiction writer. In English translations of his works, his name is given as Cixin Liu. He is sometimes called "''Da'' Liu" ("Big Liu") by his fellow sc ...

, which was first published in serialized form in 2006. The series premiered on January 15, 2023.

Premise

In 2007, Wang Miao, one of China's leading

nanomaterials Nanomaterials describe, in principle, chemical substances or materials of which a single unit is sized (in at least one dimension) between 1 and 100 nm (the usual definition of nanoscale). Nanomaterials research takes a materials science ...

experts, is enlisted by Shi Qiang, a detective who specializes in

counterterrorism Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and Intelligence agency, intelligence ...

, in cases of strange apparent suicides in the scientific community. During their investigation they encounter a mysterious organization called "The Frontiers of Science" and proceed to learn the truth behind how an extraterrestrial world depicted in a popular video game connects with the fate of humanity on Earth.

Cast

Zhang Luyi Zhang Luyi (born 7 June 1980), also known as Edward Zhang, is a Chinese actor and director. Background and career Zhang first studied film direction at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, before entering Peking University Peking Unive ...

as Wang Miao * Yu Hewei as detective Shi Qiang * Chen Jin and

Wang Ziwen Wang Ziwen (, born 28 February 1987), also known by her English name Olivia Wang and now as Ava Wang, is a Chinese actress. She is most known for portraying Qu Xiaoxiao in the popular Chinese television drama ''Ode to Joy (TV series), Ode to Joy' ...

as Ye Wenjie *

Lin Yongjian Lin Yongjian (, born 14 February 1970) is a Chinese actor. Lin graduated from PRC Academy of Drama in 1990 and has been a successful stage actor at Guangzhou Soldiers' Drama Troupe after graduation. He has been starring in more than 50 comedi ...

as General Chang Weisi *

Li Xiaoran Li Xiaoran (; born 8 May 1976) is a Chinese actress. She graduated from Beijing Dance Academy at the age of 17, and was the only dancer recruited into the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe from Beijing. Filmography Television series Awards and ...

as Shen Yufei *

Eric Wang Wang Chuanjun (; born 18 October 1985), also known as Eric Wang, is a Chinese actor and host. Wang is noted for playing Sekitani Kamiya in the romantic comedy television series ''iPartment'', which enjoyed the highest ratings in China when it w ...

as Ding Yi * Kou Zhenhai as Ye Zhetai * He Dujuan as Yang Dong * Kenan Heppe as Mike Evans * Mike Koltes as Colonel Mike Williams * Yang Rong as Mu Xing

Production and release

Although

Tencent Tencent Holdings Ltd. ( zh, s=腾讯, p=Téngxùn) is a Chinese Multinational corporation, multinational technology Conglomerate (company), conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen. It is one of the highest grossing multimed ...

obtained the rights to the novels in 2008, attempts to produce a Chinese live-action adaptation of the novels began in earnest in 2015 with '' The Three-Body Problem'' film by YooZoo Film. Filming lasted for 5 months in 2015, but the final product was never released. While YooZoo Film struck a deal in September 2020 to produce their own adaptation for

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

with ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

'' showrunners

David Benioff David Friedman (; born September 25, 1970), known professionally as David Benioff (), is an American novelist, screenwriter, and producer. Along with his collaborator D. B. Weiss, he is best known for co-creating ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–201 ...

and D. B. Weiss at the helm, work on the script for a Chinese adaptation was already underway at

and took four years to complete. Shooting began in July 2020 and lasted 126 days. The

Beijing Electron–Positron Collider II The Beijing Electron–Positron Collider II (BEPC II) is a Chinese electron–positron collider, a type of particle accelerator, located in Shijingshan District, Beijing, People's Republic of China. It has been in operation since 2008 and has a ...

doubled for the particle accelerator in the series. In November 2021, a trailer for the series was released with no specific premiere date. This was followed by a second trailer in June 2022, and a final trailer 3 days prior to the premiere. After several delays, the series began airing on January 15, 2023, with the first 4 episodes available for streaming on WeTV and Rakuten Viki. The series made its first American debut on the New York PBS affiliate

WNET WNET (channel 13), branded on-air as Thirteen (stylized as THIRTEEN), is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the Educ ...

in December 8, 2023. On February 10, 2024,

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

released the complete 30-episode English-subtitled version of "Three-Body" on its

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

streaming platform. It is also available on Amazon Prime in the US and UK.

Episodes

Reception

''Three-Body'' has received wide acclaim in China. On

Douban Douban.com (), launched on 6 March 2005, is a Chinese online database and social networking service that allows registered users to record information and create content related to film, books, music, recent events, and activities in Chinese ci ...

, the series received a score of 8.7 out of 10. Viewers praised the overall production quality, the faithfulness of the adaptation and the casting. Domestic critics praised the visuals as astonishing. In the United States, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' critic Mike Hale noted that the series was faithful to the original text, with logical adaptations made to suit television. However, he described the screenplay and cast as mediocre, and the game scenes not as vivid as the original.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* *
Three-Body
(30 episodes, English subtitles).

.
Three-Body
(30 episodes, multiple subtitles). Rakuten Viki.
【FULL完整版】《三体 Three-body》
(30 episodes, English subtitles). MiGu Official Channel/YouTube.
【4K Ver.】ENG SUB【三体 Three-Body】
(30 episodes, English subtitles). Tencent Video/YouTube. {{DEFAULTSORT:Three-Body Problem Television about alien invasions Television shows based on Chinese novels Television shows filmed in China 2023 Chinese television series debuts Adaptations of works by Liu Cixin Search for extraterrestrial intelligence in film and television