3 Body Problem is the new eight episode scifi series on Netflix from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Thankfully those two did not go through with their garbage plans for a series about an alternate reality where the confederacy won the civil war and slavery was still legal (they were really going to do this). This was instead their first post GoT show, and it’s based on a book by Liu Cixin, one of three in a series. I’ve watched all of 3 Body Problem, and like GoT there are some shocking moments and some baffling plot decisions. Some episode seem custom made for a weekly television show that will get us talking and waiting, only the entire season was released at once and it’s not getting that buzz online. Writer Alex Welch on Inverse wonders if this was a poor decision on Netflix’s part, and if GoT was the last big water cooler show. I’ve removed all the spoilers from the excerpt below, but the source article has some.
Despite the show’s high-profile nature, the popularity of its source material, and its considerable budget, 3 Body Problem hasn’t caused nearly the same stir as Benioff and Weiss’ previous show did every season. Is that because the new Netflix series hasn’t been a success so far? The streamer’s metrics are too unclear to say with any real certainty. However, one thing 3 Body Problem’s recent premiere does seem to confirm is that the age of event TV viewing is officially over.
3 Body Problem is no less ambitious than Game of Thrones. While it isn’t nearly as awe-inspiring as that HBO series managed to be, it is the kind of big-budget genre show designed to capture viewers’ attention and dominate cultural conversations.
As they did with Game of Thrones, Benioff and Weiss pack 3 Body Problem’s first season with jaw-dropping moments…
Season 1 of 3 Body Problem, for all of its flaws, had the potential to capture a similar level of attention. By dropping all of its episodes at once, though, Netflix has robbed the show’s biggest moments of their weight. It’s made the show something viewers can watch at their own pace, which has made the wider conversation around it frustratingly diffuse. That’s a far cry from the kind of engagement Game of Thrones not only cultivated but encouraged. The further away we get from it, the more it looks like Game of Thrones may have been television’s last true event show.
I don’t know if I agree with Welch’s idea that Game of Thrones is the last “event show,” but I’m not the right person to comment about that. I didn’t give a sh-t about Game of Thrones because it lost me a few seasons in and I stopped watching. Welch makes the point that content gets lost in this age of streamers, and this is definitely true. It’s my job to read entertainment news all day and I subscribe to just about every streamer. Most of the time I pick some dumb popular show on Netflix to watch. It’s like being confronted with a twenty page diner menu and ordering a burger and fries.
As for 3 Body Problem, there were some incredible scenes and performances, but the series didn’t add up to much. There were only two to three characters I cared about. Netflix could have released this season in two parts, as they’ve done with Stranger Things, The Crown and The Witcher. They only seem to make that business decision with established properties though. 3 Body Problem was entertaining but I hate watched the last couple of episodes. If it’s less popular due to the release schedule that means that Benioff and Weiss will get less opportunities to make huge budget shows. I’m fine with that. If they make a second season of this I’ll probably watch it, but I won’t feel good about it.
photos credit: Ed Miller/Netflix