{"id":48567,"date":"2024-03-27T12:24:39","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T11:24:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2016040"},"modified":"2024-03-27T13:59:08","modified_gmt":"2024-03-27T12:59:08","slug":"netflix-needs-to-embrace-weekly-release-and-3-body-problem-proves-it","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/netflix-needs-to-embrace-weekly-release-and-3-body-problem-proves-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Netflix needs to embrace weekly release \u2013 and 3 Body Problem proves it"},"content":{"rendered":"

Increasingly, it looks like the best release schedule for a show like 3 Body Problem is actually just the one we had decades ago. <\/p>

By Tom Beasley\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 27 March 2024 at 11:24 AM<\/p>

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Twenty years ago, 3 Body Problem<\/a> would have been the biggest TV show on the planet.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an expensive and ambitious sci-fi series with existential stakes, crafted by the showrunners behind one of the most acclaimed TV shows in modern history \u2013 Game of Thrones<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And yet, it will vanish from view entirely in about a week\u2019s time. Such is the fate of a Netflix<\/a> Original Series.<\/p>\n

When the streamer pioneered its box set model for House of Cards in 2013, it disrupted the television landscape. Suddenly, viewers had access to 13 hours of prestige drama in one go, with a cast led by movie stars and a big-name director to boot. This sort of thing just didn\u2019t happen before.<\/p>\n

A decade on, binge-watching has become the norm. Other streaming platforms have embraced the model to the extent that even the BBC is on board, dropping the reboot of classroom-based drama Waterloo Road<\/a> in seven-episode chunks since its return in 2023.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just glossy American drama of the \u201cpeak TV\u201d variety; sometimes it\u2019s the rowdy school kids and dysfunctional teachers of Greater Manchester.<\/p>\n

But this model often has the unintended side effect of giving shows an ephemeral quality. Unless it\u2019s a behemoth like Stranger Things<\/a>, it\u2019s very difficult for anything to get a foothold in the cultural conversation.<\/p>\n

And this makes sense. If you\u2019ve got a massive moment in your seventh episode of 10, it can\u2019t become a water cooler topic because half of the people around that water cooler have already watched the next three episodes. But they can\u2019t talk about anything they\u2019ve seen for the sake of the other half, who are all at different points.<\/p>\n

\"John\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
John Bradley as Jack Rooney and Jess Hong as Jin Cheng in 3 Body Problem.<\/span><\/figcaption> Ed Miller\/Netflix<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

This is true of the virtual water cooler, too. When everyone watches at different speeds, social media fills with a pitched battle between those carelessly dishing out spoilers and those who take it upon themselves to police the first group.<\/p>\n

Often, it\u2019s better to avoid the water cooler completely until the credits roll on the final episode, whether that\u2019s on release day or months later when you get around to it. That\u2019s not conducive to discussion and buzz.<\/p>\n

3 Body Problem is a prime example of this \u2013 a show that could\u2019ve benefited hugely from a weekly schedule. It\u2019s a hefty, knotty sci-fi tale based on Liu Cixin\u2019s 2008 novel<\/a> \u2013 the first in a trilogy \u2013 about a conspiracy discovered after the mysterious suicides of prominent scientists.<\/p>\n

There are flashbacks to the Chinese Cultural Revolution and journeys into the frequently cataclysmic world of an ultra-immersive virtual reality game built around the head-scrambling physics problem that gives the show its title. It\u2019s fair to say there\u2019s a lot going on.<\/p>\n

The best binges are light, pacey shows that end on cliffhangers just begging you to watch one more. 3 Body Problem isn\u2019t that. It\u2019s methodical and thoughtful, with a large percentage of the first few episodes focused on complex maths and theoretical science.<\/p>\n

Something like that should definitely be consumed in a different way to the corsets and canoodling of Bridgerton<\/a>. Both shows are good, but we can all agree that they\u2019re different.<\/p>\n

\"Benedict\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Benedict Wong as Da Shi in 3 Body Problem.<\/span><\/figcaption> d Miller\/Netflix<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Even once 3 Body Problem does show its hand and cranks up the spectacle, it thrives on ethical questions. The shocking bloodshed of its fifth episode, for example, is lessened in impact when the credits roll and the countdown to the next episode immediately starts running.<\/p>\n

Instead of taking in the moral ramifications of what you just saw, you have to fumble in a panic for the remote control.<\/p>\n

The other side effect is that it makes it very hard for a show to build an audience. If something disappears from the discourse after a week or two, that\u2019s not conducive to gaining viewers for a show with a budget big enough to buy a football club.<\/p>\n

To take a similarly mega-budget example, Disney<\/a> got plenty of joy out of weekly release schedules for the likes of WandaVision and the cameo-packed second season of The Mandalorian in the early days of its streaming platform.<\/p>\n

Those shows were able to \u201cown\u201d the nerdy corner of social media for a whole week, with every release day leading to an outpouring of discussion, speculation and, most importantly, hype for what would come next.<\/p>\n