# Three-Body (三体) (2023 film)
**Three-Body** (三体) is a 2023 Chinese live-action television series adapted from the first novel of [Liu Cixin](https://www.edgepedia.org/liu-cixin)'s *Three-Body* trilogy, directed by Yang Lei and broadcast on CCTV-8 and [Tencent Video](https://www.edgepedia.org/tencent-video) from 15 January 2023[1](https://www.nrta.gov.cn/art/2023/2/12/art_3731_63394.html) • [2](http://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230116/c04bf1f0b9994ffa802c6a52930cd440/c.html). Although cataloged in some databases as a film, authoritative sources identify it as a 30-episode series: the European audiovisual observatory LUMIERE records no cinema admissions for the work, and Douban lists it as a 30-episode television drama[3](https://lumiere.obs.coe.int/movie/345535) • [4](https://web.archive.org/web/20230603163100/https:/movie.douban.com/subject/26647087/). It is distinct from Netflix's *3 Body Problem* (2024), and it reached screens before the Netflix version[5](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/arts/television/three-body-review.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | 30-episode live-action television series, not a theatrical film; LUMIERE records no cinema admissions[3](https://lumiere.obs.coe.int/movie/345535) |
| Premiere | 15 January 2023 on CCTV-8 and Tencent Video[2](http://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230116/c04bf1f0b9994ffa802c6a52930cd440/c.html) |
| Director and writer | Directed by Yang Lei; chief screenwriter Tian Liangliang[4](https://web.archive.org/web/20230603163100/https:/movie.douban.com/subject/26647087/) |
| Lead cast | Zhang Luyi as Wang Miao, Yu Hewei as Shi Qiang, Chen Jin as the older Ye Wenjie, Wang Ziwen as the young Ye Wenjie[6](https://asiall.jp/s/lineup/page/threebody) |
| Douban rating | 8.7/10 from 389,883 users[4](https://web.archive.org/web/20230603163100/https:/movie.douban.com/subject/26647087/) |
| Production scale | About four years of scripting and 126 days of shooting[6](https://asiall.jp/s/lineup/page/threebody) |
| Award | Magnolia (White Jade Orchid) Award for Best Art Direction, 2023 Shanghai TV Festival[6](https://asiall.jp/s/lineup/page/threebody) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The story is set in 2007, when an abnormal disturbance strikes the basic sciences and scientists begin dying by suicide[7](https://mubi.com/en/us/films/three-body). Nanomaterials scientist Wang Miao is brought by police officer Shi Qiang to the Joint Operations Center and infiltrates the "Frontiers of Science" organization to assist the investigation[2](http://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230116/c04bf1f0b9994ffa802c6a52930cd440/c.html). Wang Miao sees a mysterious countdown superimposed in his field of vision, enters the VR game "Three-Body" developed by the secret organization ETO, and uncovers the truth behind the scientists' deaths and a tragedy from the [Cultural Revolution](https://www.edgepedia.org/cultural-revolution) era[8](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/three-body/umc.cmc.4x3a6luwz2gcjqihww7jhfyv5).
The investigation leads to Ye Wenjie, an astrophysicist who, disillusioned by the persecution of her father and herself, sought to bring the Trisolaran civilization to reform humanity; Wang Miao discovers that the ETO's behind-the-scenes leader is Ye Wenjie, mother of the deceased scientist Yang Dong[9](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%89%E4%BD%93/18739806) • [4](https://web.archive.org/web/20230603163100/https:/movie.douban.com/subject/26647087/). The Trisolaran plan depicted is the conversion of a proton into the supercomputer Sophon (智子), sent to Earth to lock down human science[6](https://asiall.jp/s/lineup/page/threebody). The series covers the first novel only.
### Cast and characters
- **Zhang Luyi** as Wang Miao, a nanomaterials scientist[6](https://asiall.jp/s/lineup/page/threebody)
- **Yu Hewei** as Shi Qiang, a police officer and criminal-investigation technician[6](https://asiall.jp/s/lineup/page/threebody) • [9](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%89%E4%BD%93/18739806)
- **Chen Jin** as the elderly Ye Wenjie; **Wang Ziwen** as the young Ye Wenjie[6](https://asiall.jp/s/lineup/page/threebody)
- **Lin Yongjian** as Chang Weisi and **Li Xiaoran** as Shen Yufei[6](https://asiall.jp/s/lineup/page/threebody)
The wider cast includes He Dujuan, Wang Chuanjun, Zhao Jian, Johnny Zhang, Kou Zhenhai, Bai Ke, and Kong Lianshun[10](https://letterboxd.com/film/three-body/).
## Identity and background
The series adapts the first book of Liu Cixin's trilogy. The National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA), China's broadcast regulator, describes it as the first live-action series adaptation of a hard science-fiction IP in Chinese television, and praises its fidelity to the novel and its suspense structure[1](https://www.nrta.gov.cn/art/2023/2/12/art_3731_63394.html). The source novel has 29 million copies in circulation worldwide, 850,000 of them in Japan, and was the first Asian work to win the [Hugo Award](https://www.edgepedia.org/hugo-award)[6](https://asiall.jp/s/lineup/page/threebody).
The story was first serialized 17 years before the series reached international audiences, and the Chinese production beat Netflix's *3 Body Problem* to the screen[5](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/arts/television/three-body-review.html).
## Production
Director Yang Lei said the team aimed to preserve the novel's flavor, respect science, and tell *Three-Body* in cinematic language; during shooting the production consulted closely with scientific experts[2](http://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230116/c04bf1f0b9994ffa802c6a52930cd440/c.html). The production took about four years of scripting and 126 days of filming[6](https://asiall.jp/s/lineup/page/threebody).
Filming locations spanned Ningbo, Hengdian, Beijing, and Heihe, and the series was the first production allowed to shoot inside the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology[1](https://www.nrta.gov.cn/art/2023/2/12/art_3731_63394.html). The producing companies were CCTV, Tencent Video, Three-Body Universe, Migu Video, and Linghe Culture[9](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%89%E4%BD%93/18739806) • [10](https://letterboxd.com/film/three-body/).
## Release
The series premiered on 15 January 2023 on CCTV-8 and Tencent Video[2](http://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230116/c04bf1f0b9994ffa802c6a52930cd440/c.html). It ran for 30 episodes of about 45 minutes each, ending 3 February 2023 according to the aniSearch database[11](https://www.anisearch.jp/movie/35212,three-body). Internationally it streams on Rakuten Viki, Prime Video, and Apple TV under the title *The Three-Body Problem*, with market titles including 三体, *San ti*, and Задача трёх тел[3](https://lumiere.obs.coe.int/movie/345535) • [12](https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0M6XV53Y3VJE7I522KJI5L9GUL). Apple TV lists episodes at about 42 minutes, while Douban lists 45 minutes; the two figures have not been reconciled[8](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/three-body/umc.cmc.4x3a6luwz2gcjqihww7jhfyv5) • [4](https://web.archive.org/web/20230603163100/https:/movie.douban.com/subject/26647087/).
## By the numbers
On Tencent Video the series passed a popularity "heat index" of 20,000 on its first day, a record for the platform, reached 2.2 million raters, and topped the drama hot ranking for 30 consecutive days[6](https://asiall.jp/s/lineup/page/threebody). On Douban it scored 8.7/10 from 389,883 users[4](https://web.archive.org/web/20230603163100/https:/movie.douban.com/subject/26647087/). Letterboxd users average it at 3.7/5 from about 3,300 logged ratings[10](https://letterboxd.com/film/three-body/). No theatrical box office exists; LUMIERE records no cinema admissions[3](https://lumiere.obs.coe.int/movie/345535).
## Reception and critical response
The NRTA-published commentary praised the series for its fidelity to the novel, suspense narrative, and scientific imagination[1](https://www.nrta.gov.cn/art/2023/2/12/art_3731_63394.html). The series also won the Best Art Direction award at the 2023 Shanghai TV Festival's Magnolia awards[6](https://asiall.jp/s/lineup/page/threebody). The New York Times reviewed the international release, calling it an ambitious series that beat Netflix's adaptation to the screen[5](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/arts/television/three-body-review.html). User reviews on [Letterboxd](https://www.edgepedia.org/letterboxd) note slow pacing and mixed feelings about the VR-game CGI[10](https://letterboxd.com/film/three-body/).
## Comparison with other Three-Body adaptations
The series reached audiences ahead of Netflix's *3 Body Problem*, which was originally expected in 2023 and appeared in 2024[5](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/arts/television/three-body-review.html). The NYT situates the trilogy as generally understood to reflect historical Chinese anxieties about Western domination[5](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/arts/television/three-body-review.html). The NRTA frames the series as a model for cross-media transformation of Chinese science fiction and a step toward globalizing the Three-Body IP[1](https://www.nrta.gov.cn/art/2023/2/12/art_3731_63394.html).
A sequel, 《三体・黑暗森林 - 上》, completed filming registration according to an NRTA filing notice published in July 2025, and rights holders were reported to be developing spin-off dramas[9](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%89%E4%BD%93/18739806).
## References
1. [国家广播电视总局：电视剧《三体》的科学想象与现实观照 (NRTA)](https://www.nrta.gov.cn/art/2023/2/12/art_3731_63394.html)
2. [刘慈欣科幻小说《三体》搬上荧屏 (Xinhua)](http://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230116/c04bf1f0b9994ffa802c6a52930cd440/c.html)
3. [LUMIERE | San ti (2023)](https://lumiere.obs.coe.int/movie/345535)
4. [三体 (豆瓣), archived 3 June 2023](https://web.archive.org/web/20230603163100/https:/movie.douban.com/subject/26647087/)
5. ['Three-Body' Review: A Chinese Series Beats Netflix to the Screen (The New York Times)](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/arts/television/three-body-review.html)
6. [ドラマ「三体」公式サイト (Japanese distributor)](https://asiall.jp/s/lineup/page/threebody)
7. [Three-Body (2023) | MUBI](https://mubi.com/en/us/films/three-body)
8. [Three-Body - Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/three-body/umc.cmc.4x3a6luwz2gcjqihww7jhfyv5)
9. [三体（2023年杨磊执导的科幻剧）_百度百科](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%89%E4%BD%93/18739806)
10. [Three-Body (2023) directed by Yang Lei • Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/three-body/)
11. [San Ti – aniSearch.jp](https://www.anisearch.jp/movie/35212,three-body)
12. [Prime Video: Three-Body S1](https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0M6XV53Y3VJE7I522KJI5L9GUL)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works) › Science fiction and fantasy films of the 2020s › Science fiction films of the 2020s › Titles M to X*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license