Netflix’s adaptation of Liu Cixin’s Remembrance of Earth’s Past book series, 3 Body Problem, has been a hit for the streaming giant. The show, created by Game of Thrones writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, follows humanity’s encounter with an extraterrestrial civilization and explores global panic, politics, and chaos. The first season received tens of millions of views and was renewed for two more seasons.
However, a new update reveals that Season 2 will have only six episodes (a reduction of two) and Season 3 will have just five episodes. The episode counts were shared by cinematographer Catherine Goldschmidt on Instagram. While not officially confirmed by Netflix, these reductions raise questions about the show’s budget and the decision behind it.
The first season cost around $20 million per episode and had eight installments in total. If this price tag holds for Seasons 2 and 3, it might be a move to keep costs down. The Remembrance of Earth’s Past series consists of three books, which would typically translate to one season per book, with some divergences.
The reduced episode count for Season 3 does echo Game of Thrones’ own truncated final seasons, but things are different this time around due to the completeness of the source material. Seasons 2 and 3 will be filmed back-to-back, ensuring a proper ending. This could also lead to shorter gaps between the two seasons.
The show’s reception has been mixed, with a solid but not spectacular 78% Rotten Tomatoes score among critics and audiences. Despite this, the reduced episode count might be a creative decision that best serves the story, potentially leading to a satisfying conclusion.
Source: https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/netflixs-160m-sci-fi-show-from-game-of-thrones-creators-gets-disappointing-s2-update-it-repeats-a-hbo-controversy