At last, Netflix has renewed 3 Body Problem. However, the streaming service did not refer to the extension as a “Season 2”. Netflix said they’re making more “3 Body Problem” episodes, but they didn’t call it a season 2. It seems like they’re just adding on to the existing story, rather than starting a whole new season. As of now, we don’t know how many episodes have been greenlighted by the streamer.
There is no denying that Netflix took its time with 3 Body Problem’s renewal. The streamer’s concern with the latest creation from Game of Thrones creators, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, seems valid. We should expect future episodes to be more intricate in terms of storyline. This scenario could adversely affect the viewership of the upcoming episodes, as Netflix’s subscribers generally prefer shows or movies with straightforward storylines (even if they are trashy). In addition, Season 1 had a heavy price tag of $20 million per episode. The per-episode budget will likely increase for the forthcoming episodes, considering the show’s highly ambitious tone.
Co-creator David Benioff revealed in his interview with Collider in April that 3 Body Problem would need at least three to four seasons to reach its conclusion. It means we are looking at a mammoth total budget of $640 million (or more) for four seasons. We all know that Netflix does not shy from spending money on its projects, as long as they bring impressive viewerships. The streamer has axed many big-budget shows in the past when they failed to meet its expectations in terms of viewership, such as Mindhunter, Sense8, The Get Down, Marco Polo, The Defenders, Altered Carbon, Hemlock Grove, and more. It means that the fate of 3 Body Problem relies only on its viewership numbers.
As of May 5, 3 Body Problem received over 46.6 million views with receiving more than 345.5 million hours of viewing. The next slot of episodes certainly needs to do better than this to protect the show’s future. Let’s see what happens. Stay tuned for more updates.