Tencent’s Three-Body gets a thumbs up from Chinese viewers who wonder if Netflix version of sci-fi classic will be as authentic
- The 30-episode drama created by Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings has become the company’s most popular streamed programme
- Chinese viewers are speculating whether upcoming Netflix version, which is expected to premiere later this year, will be as loyal to original book
The much-anticipated Chinese TV adaptation of the country’s bestselling sci-fi novel The Three-Body Problem debuted this month to critical acclaim, setting up a rivalry with Netflix’s version, which is set to hit screens later in 2023.
Three-Body, a 30-episode drama created by Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings, became the company’s most popular streamed programme on its January 15 debut, according to the Tencent Video platform. As of January 26, it had an 8.0 out of 10 rating on Douban, China’s equivalent of online database IMDb.
The Three-Body Problem is a novel by Liu Cixin, the first of a trilogy called Remembrance of Earth’s Past. The title refers to the three-body problem in orbital mechanics.
The Tencent series, which is also airing on state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV), sets the stage for an impending invasion of Earth by an alien civilisation that has captured a signal sent by the Chinese military.
For the overseas audience, Tencent has made Three-Body available on YouTube with multi-language subtitles, offering the first few episodes for free and subsequent updates for a fee. The show received a broadly warm reception from foreign fans, with the first episode on its main YouTube channel recording over 617,300 views as of January 26.
The Chinese audience has applauded how faithful the adaptation is to the original book, with one of the most upvoted comments on Douban saying “this is living proof that if you follow the original book, it will be a great work. I hope the upcoming adaptations can keep this in mind.”
Some Chinese viewers were quick to speculate on the upcoming Netflix version, which is expected to premiere later this year, wondering if it will have the same affinity to the original text.
Some were anxious that the Netflix version, produced by HBO’s Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, may be modified to better fit Western tastes.
“Now the pressure is on Netflix,” one Douban user wrote in a review.
The positive reviews came after an animation series of the trilogy by Tencent’s streaming rival Bilibili, launched in late 2022 and still updating, received a mixed reaction. It has a 4.3 out of 10-point rating on Douban currently, with many viewers criticising the show for its rigid rendering and poor storytelling technique.
Three-Body
Season Number: 1
Episode Number: 15
Episode Title:
Air Date: Jan 27, 2023
Language: Chinese
Subtitle Language: English
Source: Three-Body.S01E15.CHINESE.1080p.VIKI.WEBRip.AAC2.0.x264-SMURF.
