Three-Body Explained

Country:China
Language:Mandarin
Num Episodes:30
Network:CCTV

Three-Body is a Chinese science fiction television series adapted from the novel The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, which was first published in serialized form in 2006. The series premiered on January 15, 2023.[1]

Premise

In 2007, Wang Miao, one of China's leading nanomaterials experts, is enlisted by Shi Qiang, a detective who specializes in counterterrorism, in cases of strange apparent suicides in the scientific community. During their investigation, Wang and Shi 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

Production and release

Although Tencent obtained the rights to the novels in 2008,[2] 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.[3] Filming lasted for 5 months in 2015, but the final product was never released.[4] [5] [6] While YooZoo Film struck a deal in September 2020 to produce their own adaptation for Netflix[7] with Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss at the helm, work on the script for a Chinese adaptation was already underway at Tencent and took four years to complete. Shooting began in July 2020 and lasted 126 days.[1] [2] The Beijing Electron–Positron Collider II doubled for the particle accelerator in the series.[8]

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,[9] and a final trailer 3 days prior to the premiere.[10] After several delays, the series began airing on January 15, 2023, with the first 4 episodes available for streaming on WeTV and Rakuten Viki.[11] [12] The series made its first American debut on the New York PBS affiliate WNET in December 8, 2023.[13] On February 10, 2024, NBC released the complete 30-episode English-subtitled version of "Three-Body" on its Peacock streaming platform.[14] It is also available on Amazon Prime in the US and UK. [15]

Reception

Three-Body has received wide acclaim in China. On Douban, the series received a score of 8.7 out of 10.[16] Viewers praised the overall production quality, the faithfulness of the adaptation and the casting. Domestic critics praised the visuals as astonishing.[17]

In the United States, The New York Times 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.[18]

Awards and nominations

Award ceremony ! scope="col"
YearCategory <-- List wins first (sorted alphabetically), then noms (also alphabetically). Sort pending the same. -->Nominee / WorkResult
Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards2023Best Visual EffectsThree-Body[19]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Chinese TV Series Based on "The Three Body Problem" to Premiere Sunday . 2022-01-15 . www.pandaily.com . en.
  2. Web site: Tencent's First 'Three-Body Problem' Trailer Sparks Rivalry With Netflix's Adaptation . January 15, 2023. variety.com. Rebecca Davis. November 10, 2021 .
  3. Web site: Sci-fi Writer Now Imaginative Gamer. Xing Yi (China Daily). April 8, 2015. April 9, 2015. english.entgroup.cn. EntGroup Inc.
  4. Web site: Premiere of Film based on Acclaimed Sci-fi Novel 'The Three-Body Problem' Pushed Back until 2017. June 23, 2016. June 24, 2015. english.entgroup.cn. CaixinOnline.
  5. Web site: 三体 (2017). June 24, 2016. movie.douban.com. douban.com. zh.
  6. Web site: 三体 (2017). June 24, 2016. movie.mtime.com. Mtime.com Inc. zh. February 7, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190207003140/http://movie.mtime.com/207074/. dead.
  7. News: Moore . Kasey . 'The Three-Body Problem' Netflix Series: Everything We Know So Far . October 10, 2023 . . March 28, 2023 .
  8. Web site: 《三体》剧版在中国首个电子对撞机内部取景 . 搜狐 . 上游新聞. 2023-01-16.
  9. Web site: 'Three-Body' leads Tencent Video's upcoming blockbusters . 2022-01-15 . www.china.org.cn. en.
  10. Web site: Release date unveiled for China's "Three-Body" live-action TV drama . 2022-01-15 . www.news.cn. en.
  11. Web site: 电视剧《三体》1月15日央视播出 . 2022-01-15 . www.finance.sina.com.cn . zh.
  12. Web site: Three-Body . 2022-01-15 . www.wetv.vip . zh.
  13. Web site: Three-Body. The Chinese Sci-Fi Series . www.thirteen.org . 13 April 2024.
  14. Web site: Peacock will stream the Chinese adaptation of The Three-Body Problem . The Verge. 9 February 2024 . Andrew . Webster .
  15. Web site: Watch Three-Body | Prime Video . Amazon .
  16. Web site: 三体 (豆瓣). zh. Douban. 2023-02-22.
  17. News: Lu. Xingyu. Wu. Yating. 电视剧《三体》收官 扬起国产科幻出海之帆. zh. 成都日报. 2023-02-16. 2023-02-22.
  18. News: Hale . Mike . 2023-02-03 . 'Three-Body' Review: A Chinese Series Beats Netflix to the Screen . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-02-13 . 0362-4331.
  19. Web site: 아시아콘텐츠어워즈&글로벌OTT어워즈 후보작 발표.. "더 글로리, 무빙, 만장적계절, 그리고 퍼스트러브하츠코이. Park. Jae-hwan. Asian Content Awards & Global OTT Awards Nominees Announced... "The Glory, Moving, All Seasons, and First Love Hatsukoi". KBS. Naver . September 12, 2023. September 13, 2023. ko.