114: Book vs. Big Screen: 3 Body Problem on Netflix

"But if science tells you that something’s impossible, and it happens anyway, it means one of two things. Either the science is wrong, or it’s a scam.”

Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! Today, we're exploring the 3 Body Problem TV series on Netflix, inspired by Cixin Liu's acclaimed novel. Listen in as we discuss Season 1's adaptation from book to screen, analyzing character shifts, narrative changes, and the portrayal of scientific concepts. If you enjoyed The Three-Body Problem book series or consider yourself a sci-fi fanatic, this one is for you!

We cover a wide range of topics including:

• What narrative changes and expansions were made for the TV adaptation
• The show's production costs compared to Game of Thrones
• How the creators translated the scientific aspects from the book series
• Our main praises and critiques of the show
• Book or series - is there a clear winner?

And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode.

Links from the Episode:

Mentioned in the Show:

• 3 Body Problem on Netflix (0:39)
• Costs of 3 Body Problem (1:08)
• Dune (14:28)
• Game of Thrones (15:50)
• Breaking Bad (40:35)
• Primer (41:15)

Books Mentioned:

• The Three-Body Problem (0:39) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes)
• Dune (14:28)
• The Road (28:40)
• Blood Meridian (28:46)
• No Country for Old Men (30:06)

People Mentioned:

• Cixin Liu
• John Bradley (26:09)
• Cormac McCarthy (28:35)
• Martin Gilbert (30:40)
• Shane Carruth (42:01)

Show Topics:

(0:31) Welcome to our first TV show episode! Today, we’re covering the TV series based on one of our previous reads, The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu. Go check out the episode on the book if you haven't already! We dive into our overall thoughts on Season 1 and how it measured up to the book.

(4:09) *Spoiler alert!* If you haven’t watched the show or read the book series, we suggest you do that first before continuing this episode. We talk a bit about the depth, or lack of depth, of the characters in the book and TV series.

(6:55) Neil talks about the pivotal scene in Episode 5 that changed his mind about the show, and how the shows portrayal of something can be completely different than what you had pictured in y