Stephen King reveals whether or not Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’ is, in fact, a problem

At this point, we’ll turn to Stephen King for all of our TV show recommendations. The author called Baby Reindeer one of the “best things” he’d ever seen and recommended the French horror film Infested. Now, King has weighed in on another Netflix series, 3 Body Problem.

The show, which premiered on Netflix in March 2024, is a series adapted from the Hugo Award-winning Chinese sci-fi novel of the same name, and, spanning several generations, it’s about the first human contact with an alien species (among other things). The series was created by Games of Thrones’ David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and stars Thrones alumni like Liam Cunningham and John Bradley. It has all the gravitas that Thrones fans loved about that show while also tackling big ideas about the nature of existence and the future of humanity. But what did King think of it?

Stephen King reveals his feels about Netflix’s 3 Body Problem

3 Body Problem earned a decent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but as one review noted, “Great story but this series does not do it justice. I love sci-fi and really wanted to like this show but it was pretty mediocre and utterly boring at times. Expected a lot more from the producers of Game of Thrones.” According to a recent X post from King, however, it’s “extraordinary science fiction.” As King’s post read in full:

THE 3 BODY PROBLEM (Netflix): Extraordinary science fiction series–sprawling, thought-provoking, immersive. The scenes of “first contact” are chilling and awe-inspiring.”

via Stephen King/X

King was right about Baby Reindeer and Infested, so we gave 3 Body Problem a shot. Despite strong aspects, we found ourselves agreeing with this Maggieview comment on King’s post: “Confusing, superfluous. I wouldn’t suggest it. It bored me so I did not watch it till the end.” We wouldn’t, however, go so far as to say what Tarana wrote in response to King’s post: “[O]ne of the worst series of the last decade… but go off I guess lol.” But hey, to each their own.

3 Body Problem is currently available to stream on Netflix.