Everything to Know About 3 Body Problem Season 2

Based on Cixin Liu's novel of the same name, the Netflix science-fiction drama 3 Body Problem premiered on March 21 and garnered 11 million views in its first four days. The series initially tells the story of one woman's (Zine Tseng) decision to contact extraterrestrial life in 1960s China. The aftermath of that choice unfolds in the present day, and we follow a group of scientists known as the Oxford Five as they realize the impending approach of the aliens known as San-Ti. 

If you finished the first season of 3 Body Problem, which comes from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and True Blood's Alexander Woo, you'd know that almost everything that could've gone wrong for the Oxford Five did. The San-Ti are on their way to planet Earth, and unless Wade (Liam Cunningham), Clarence (Benedict Wong), and our remaining physicists come up with another plan, humans may very well be doomed. 

Like the alien menace in the series, 3 Body Problem Season 2 is coming. But unlike the San-Ti, hopefully it won't take 400 years. In the meantime, here is everything we know so far about the next chapter and what it'll be about.

More on 3 Body Problem:

• 3 Body Problem review: This ambitious sci-fi drama doesn't always make sense — but it's undeniably good TV
• Shows like 3 Body Problem to watch right now

Will there be a 3 Body Problem Season 2?

It took a while, but Netflix renewed 3 Body Problem for Season 2 in May 2024. It wasn't a guarantee that the show would get more episodes due to the high cost of the series, but its performance ultimately forced Netflix to reward it with more episodes. And "more episodes" seems to be how Netflix is handling it. In its announcement of the renewal, Netflix was careful not to say it was Season 2, but instead said 3 Body Problem "will return with all-new episodes on Netflix." For our purposes, we'll just call that Season 2.

And it appears that Benioff, Weiss, and Woo will be able to finish the story. The trio released a statement following the announcement: "We're thrilled that we get to tell this story through to its epic conclusion. Ever since we read the last page of Cixin Liu's magnificent trilogy, we hoped we'd be able to bring the audience to the end of the universe with us. Here we go!" 

What will 3 Body Problem Season 2 be about?

Season 2 will continue to cover parts of The Dark Forest, Cixin Liu's second book in the Remembrance of Earth's Past series (parts of Season 1 included storylines from The Dark Forest), and Benioff, Weiss, and Woo are already mapping it out and excited for specific moments. 

"At our first Comic-Con [for Game of Thrones] someone asked if we're going to get a second season," Benioff told The Hollywood Reporter. "I remember saying there's a scene that would happen in Season 3 — I didn't even want to name it, but 'RW, for people who know — if we can get there, I think we're going to be OK. And there's a scene in the second season [of 3 Body Problem] that I feel is — it's not the Judgment Day scene [in Season 1] — it's one that happens in the second season … things wildly escape and there's one scene, if we get to it, we're golden — like when we got to the Red Wedding on Thrones."

What happened in 3 Body Problem Season 1? 

The first thing to remember about 3 Body Problem Season 1 is that The Staircase Project failed and the alien invasion is still 400 years away, with no solid plan in place to stop them. The Staircase Project launch, devised by Jin (Jess Hong), was intended to intercept the San-Ti's fleet and learn more about their technology and society, but all that resulted from it was our beloved Will's (Alex Sharp) brain being lost in space. When this happened, Wade whispered something to Jin in mission control. What exactly did he say? We're not sure, but we asked actor Liam Cunningham, who plays Wade, if he knew. "[Wade's] a very driven individual, and he sees what happened to that particular plan as a blip," Cunningham told TV Guide. "That battle may have been lost, but the war continues. So it may have had some reference to that."

Another major event in the finale was that Sophon — who's been the spokesperson for the San-Ti this season — appeared to Wade on his plane. Sophon told Wade that they've been watching him, and that he has a place with the San-Ti once they arrive. "She appears on his personal mode of transport and imparts this knowledge to him that he's maybe of use — which is an interesting thing that I'm sure he wasn't expecting," Cunningham said. 

And of course, there's the mystery behind what happened to Ye Wenjie (portrayed by Rosalind Chao as an adult). Clarence told Saul (Jovan Adepo) she was murdered in China, but we find that hard to believe. Besides, the so-called joke she told Saul before leaving the U.S. needs to be unpacked. Ye shared a story about Einstein "playing with God" in heaven, and Saul did not understand it. "I think Saul 100 percent, even in the scene as she delivers this joke, I feel like he can tell that it's clearly a loaded statement," Adepo told TV Guide. "It means something else, he just doesn't know quite what it is." And while the meaning of the joke is unclear, what is clear is that it likely has something to do with why Saul was chosen to be a Wallfacer, one of the leading scientists who will help devise a plan to protect Earth from the alien invasion but — in order to prevent the all-seeing San-Ti from knowing what we're up to — will formulate the plan entirely in their minds.

More on 3 Body Problem:

• What did Wade tell Jin? 3 Body Problem stars answer our biggest questions about the finale
• 3 Body Problem's John Bradley on Game of Thrones' Ned Stark and the significance behind 'shock deaths'

3 Body Problem Season 2 release date prediction

It's going to be a while until Season 2 arrives. With all the special effects required, we expect it will be a few years before the second installment is released.

3 Body Problem Season 2 cast and characters

Here's the main cast of 3 Body Problem Season 1, most of whom we think will return.

• Jovan Adepo as Saul Durand 
• Jess Hong as Jin Cheng
• Saamer Usmani as Raj Varma
• Zine Tseng/Rosalind Chao as Ye Wenjie
• Sea Shimooka as Sophon
• Eiza González as Auggie Salazar
• Benedict Wong as Clarence
• Liam Cunningham as Thomas Wade
• Marlo Kelly as Tatiana

More shows like 3 Body Problem

If you enjoyed 3 Body Problem, here are more sci-fi series like it for you to watch as we wait for Season 2.

Where can I watch 3 Body Problem?

3 Body Problem Season 1 is available to stream on Netflix.