Netflix’s One Piece is still sailing strong. Season 2 hit No. 1 after its March debut with 16.8 million views, while the manga recently crossed a wild 600 million copies in print.

So naturally, the casting discourse is already somewhere deep in Wano.

Susann Alicia, the German content creator known online as LienSue, has turned handmade anime costumes into a seven-figure career and amassed more than 6 million followers across her platforms. Now she’d like to add one more credit: playing Yamato if Netflix’s live-action adventure ever reaches that part of the Grand Line.

“I’ve read the manga, watched the anime and defended Yamato in more comment sections than I can count,” Sue said in a statement. “At this point, I basically am Yamato. Learning the lines would be the easy part.”

For anyone who needs the quick pirate briefing, the role is a big one. Yamato is Kaido’s horned child — a Wano arc powerhouse who idolizes the legendary samurai Kozuki Oden. Fans adore the character, who ranked No. 17 out of more than 1,500 contenders in the midterm results of this year’s global One Piece popularity poll.

Sue isn’t coming to the role cold, either. Her cosplay work has gone viral multiple times across Reddit, Instagram and Twitch since 2022 and even earned coverage from gaming publications.

In 2024, she entered streamer Emiru’s fourth annual cosplay contest as Yamato and placed second in the fan-voted Chat Favorite category, winning $2,500. The contest awarded more than $50,000 to cosplayers overall, with Sue standing out in a field packed with Diablo, Elden Ring, Destiny 2 and Final Fantasy XIV builds.

Still, the OnlyFans model knows winning over the internet in horns and a wig isn’t the same thing as stepping onto a set. “You can’t fake loving Yamato,” she explained. “This fandom would see right through it, which is exactly why I think a cosplayer should at least be in the conversation.”

That idea isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. Viral cosplayer Jessica Nigri built her name on the convention circuit before landing voice roles in RWBY and Super Sonico. Even the current cast makes Sue’s pitch sound a little less wild. Emily Rudd grew up watching anime, fell hard for One Piece and said she wanted “one shot” at playing Nami. She landed the part from a single audition tape.

The good news for Sue is that she has plenty of time to make her case. Season 3 wrapped production in June and is headed to Alabasta, with Xolo Maridueña joining as Ace and Cole Escola as Bon Clay. In other words, Wano is still a long way down the map. “One Piece fans know how to wait,” she teased. “I’m just making sure Netflix knows where to find me when the story finally reaches Yamato.” 

Frankie Grande wants Kamu Kirk to be removed from the Big Brother house after he made comments about not wanting to do drag.

“Um. What the f*** is this horses***?! Get these homophobic bigots out of the f***ing house IMMEDIATELY. Both of them,” Frankie, 43, wrote via X alongside a clip from the live feeds of a conversation between Kamu, 32, and Rick Devens over the weekend. “Ew this conversation makes me sick to my stomach. I’m disgusted. This better be the biggest thing ever when I wake up tomorrow or I’m flipping a table… f***. Ew. Gross.”

In the clip, which has circulated on social media, Kamu and Devens, 42, were reacting to alliance member Drew Campbell who was wearing a set of unicorn-themed pajamas. Devens, who is the current Head of Household, asked Kamu if “those dudes dressed in women’s clothes.” Kamu confirmed they were which replied he revealed he was asked to participate as well.

“I’m not doing that bro,” Kamu told Devens who laughed and shared he wouldn’t consider participating until Jason De Puy won an HoH competition. (Jason is a professional drag queen who is known outside the house as Salina EsTitties.)

Related: ‘Big Brother 28’ Cast Shows Some Skin in Annual Backyard Group Photos

The Big Brother 28 cast is continuing to bring the heat this season. In Us’ exclusive first look at the season 28’s annual backyard group photo shoot, the cast gathered around the pool in their swimwear — and left little to the imagination. Big Brother 26 alum Angela Murray channeled former costar Makensy Manbeck when […]

Kamu doubled down on his stance stating that as a professional MMA fighter he can’t see himself doing drag.

“I said, ‘Bro, miss me with the drag stuff.’ Miss me. I’m still an MMA guy, and I have an image to uphold,” he told Devens who replied, “That’s tough.”

Kamu’s remarks were not directed at Jason, 35. While Jason told his fellow houseguests that he is a professional drag queen, he omitted the fact that he previously competed on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Frankie came to Jason’s defense online not only because they are members of the LGBTQIA+ community but because they are friends in real-life. While Frankie initially expressed outrage at both Kamu and Devens, he later walked back his criticism of the Survivor alum.

“Ok. I concede there is not enough info in the clip to understand [Devens’] motivations. Hopefully he was just taping [sic] into Kamu’s energy for game reasons,” he wrote in a subsequent tweet. “Regardless, men behaving in a repulsed or shocked way when a man dresses feminine or in women’s clothing is homophobic. Period.”

After Frankie’s tweets went viral, the social media guru took to X to explain he made a “mistake” with his initial criticism.

“After leaving the show and getting sober, I’ve been nothing but an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. So seeing things like that and seeing people in the house that are definitely homophobic is just hard for me,” he said in a clip shared via X. “It always is. And I should not engage on X.”

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Advertisement

Us has reached out to CBS for comment.

Jason is currently facing eviction from the Big Brother household as Devens put him up alongside Melody Morris and Lyric Medeiros. After Devens won the Power of Veto, he took Lyric off the block and named her showmance Rome Seymour as the replacement nominee. Jason, Rome and Melody will face off in the BB Block Buster competition on Thursday, July 23, where one person will earn safety ahead of the house’s live vote.

Big Brother airs on CBS Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.

Roommates, its double congratulations for Brooke Valentine and Marcus Black. The couple has fans flooding social media with heart-eye emojis after revealing they’re expecting twins.

RELATED: Congrats! Paige Hurd & Royce O’Neale Tie The Knot With Special Tribute To DMX (VIDEOS) 

Brooke Valentine & Marcus Black Open Up About Their Growing Family

Marcus Black and Brooke Valentine confirmed the exciting news to The Shade Room, sharing that they’re getting ready to welcome not one, but two bundles of joy. The couple says they’re overjoyed to enter this new chapter after enduring two miscarriages in 2024. Brooke and Marcus also shared that they are bringing fans along for the journey in their upcoming series, ‘The Blackprint.’

“Our family is beyond grateful and excited to share that we’re expecting twins! After enduring two heartbreaking miscarriages back-to-back in 2024, this blessing means more than words can express. God’s timing is perfect and our hearts are full. Here comes double the love, double the joy, and double the blessings.”

More About Brooke & Marcus

Brooke and Marcus have reportedly been together for nearly nine years. The couple quietly tied the knot in February 2019 before welcoming their daughter, Chi Summer Black, just a few months later in May. Fans first watched their love story unfold during seasons four and five of ‘Love & Hip Hop: Hollyowood.’ Brooke and Marcus previously surprised social media when they announced they were expecting by sharing a sweet Instagram video that debuted Brooke’s baby bump. Although the couple is gearing up to welcome twins, Brooke also has a son from a previous relationship, and Marcus has a daughter from a prior relationship.

Fans Celebrate Brooke & Marcus’ Growing Family

After The Shade Room shared the exciting news, the Roomies filled the comment section with love and congratulations. Plenty of fans looked back on Brooke and Marcus’ journey, with many saying the real ones know Brooke has never played about Marcus.

Instagram user @bombshell.s_ wrote, “Double Blessing ❤️” 

Instagram user @nottinaboebina wrote, “she got them both back omgggg 😍 congratulations!!!” 

While Instagram user @the_fab_foodie18 wrote, “Same thing happened to me in 2024. My twins just turned 2 last week! 🌈 ❤️” 

Instagram user @chauntaevisualsv wrote, “One of my favorite couples 😍😍❤️❤️ so happy for her.” 

Then Instagram user @dajshashanice wrote, “She never played abt Marcus iykyk 😂” 

Another Instagram user @ky_baby_514 wrote, “Let me keep applying the same pressure on my man that she did wit hers 😂😂” 

Instagram user @kajae_speaks wrote, “The same thing Brooke did to get him imma start doing lol 🫣👏🏾👏🏾” 

Then another Instagram user @miamahasinn wrote, “She never played about her man, I love them together, congrats to them❤️” 

While another Instagram user @bree.lenyae wrote, “Lmao since day 1 she said she was gone be his wife and have his kids and look 💍 👶🏾 periooddd 😍” 

Finally, Instagram user @nellie.nellz_ wrote, “The real ‘Angela and Marcus’ ❤️” 

RELATED: Congrats! Fetty Wap Is Now Engaged (PHOTOS + VIDEOS) 

By Jonathan Klotz
| Updated 13 minutes ago

Jason Statham has been in a lot of great B-tier action movies in his career. Most of the time, he’s a retired special forces operative pulled back into duty to roundhouse kick villains one last time. That’s…not going to change with his latest movie, Mutiny. He’s a former cop and a former marine out to board a cargo ship to save his daughter. It’s Die Hard on a boat, and for once, we have an action movie that’s admitting exactly what it is:

For reference, here’s the original post for Die Hard:

Die Hard On A Boat

There’s been too many Die Hard knock-offs to count. Mutiny’s latest poster is a loving homage to the Bruce Willis classic that redefined action movies forever. It’s harder to find a movie that hasn’t been influenced by Die Hard. For example, there was also the Steven Seagal classic, Under Siege where he was a cook on a submarine, that was basically Die Hard on a boat, but this time, Mutiny really is giving us Die Hard on a boat. And let’s be honest, Jason Statham is far more entertaining than Seagal ever was. 

Does the plot of Mutiny really matter? Jason Statham plays Cole Reed, his daughter is on a ship, it’s hijacked, he’s the only one that can save the day, and he does. Haven’t seen the movie, that’s the movie. It’s going to be amazing. 

It’s Okay To Admit You Love Jason Statham Movies

For all of the good-natured ribbing Jason Statham gets over his roles all being basically the same, there’s no denying his success. He turned The Meg into a blockbuster, The Transporter is an action classic, and The Beekeeper was one of the best action movies of the last few years. He’s the king of reliable box office success. Sometimes, he’ll throw a curveball and make a movie like Homefront that’s slower and more character-driven than you’d expect, but nine times out of ten, he’s kicking bad guys in the face. 

The obvious similarities can be forgiven if the movie is fun. Too often movies are being judged by box office, cultural impact, or memes, and what’s being lost is that it’s okay to make a dumb action movie that doesn’t require you to think. There’s no worldbuilding, no connected universe…but how awesome would the Stathamverse be? Simply being entertained is enough. 

Mutiny hits theaters on August 21st. You already know what the whole movie is going to be like, you already know if you’re the right audience for this particular type of entertainment or not. Speaking of connected universes, Jason Statham will be competing with Insidious: Out of the Further, the sixth entry in Jason Blum’s other horror franchise, and The Magic Faraway Tree starring Andrew Garfield.

If you like seeing one man take down a battalion of mercenaries with nothing but his wits, bulging muscles, and a jawline that can cut glass, there’s only one choice for the weekend, even if it’s nothing more than Die Hard on a boat, Die Hard’s awesome, let’s keep making more Die Hards.

Whether you consider it an actual neo-Western or just a Western-inspired crime drama, there isn’t another show out there like Justified. The FX series was a fabulous take on an Old West-style lawman settled in modern times that followed Timothy Olyphant‘s U.S. Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens after he’s transferred from Miami back to his home state of Kentucky. While Graham Yost developed the series, he did so based on “Fire in the Hole” by novelist Elmore Leonard — and you may be surprised to learn just how close to the original material the pilot lands. That said, it was only after Justified moved beyond that initial tale that it grew into something truly spectacular.

‘Justified’ Begins by Directly Adapting Elmore Leonard’s “Fire in the Hole”

Justified begins as a one-to-one adaptation of Leonard’s “Fire in the Hole,” with the first episode lifting every scene (and many lines of dialogue) straight from the source material. Raylan Givens, Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins), and Ava Crowder (Joelle Carter) are all instantly recognizable from their page counterparts, as is Chief Deputy Art Mullen (Nick Searcy). From Boyd’s killing of Oklahoma skinhead Jared (Ryan O’Nan) to his final shootout with Raylan at Ava’s dining room table, it’s all there beat-for-beat. The pilot does embellish elements that Leonard could only reference (such as that opening shootout with Tommy Bucks), and de-ages the main characters by about a decade or so to account for its cast — Boyd, who is a Desert Storm vet on the show, was a Vietnam vet originally, for instance.

A clear respect for Leonard’s original material is certainly one of Justified‘s initial strengths, and the show set a high standard for how page-to-screen adaptations ought to be. Though the FX drama reinterprets the material quite respectfully, Justified elevates it further with high-quality writing and unparalleled performances that add some flesh to already strong bones. In many respects, it’s a rare example of a series that takes such dynamic source material and enhances it by pressing forward. Like all great adaptations, Justified makes Raylan, Boyd, and the rest its own — in fact, in Leonard’s tale, Boyd is shot dead by Raylan, a choice that Graham Yost and the writers rightly reversed to ensure Goggins’ longtime role in the series.

Justified later adapted the author’s other Raylan-centric novels in various capacities. Season 1’s “Fixer” is based in part on the novel Riding the Rap, while Season 3’s “Thick as Mud” pulls directly from the author’s final work, Raylan. The entire Season 1 Miami mafia plotline comes from Raylan’s first appearance in the 1993 novel Pronto, which had previously been adapted as a lesser-known made-for-TV movie. Later, Leonard’s City Primeval (which doesn’t actually feature Raylan Givens) was also the basis for the Justified: City Primeval revival series. But Justified only got better the further it strayed from the author’s work.

‘Justified’ Grew Into Its Own Masterpiece Over Six Impressive Seasons

While the show began as a literal adaptation of Leonard’s text, Justified found its own voice beyond the page. The Western-inspired drama expands quite significantly over the course of its six seasons, with each new overarching plot, character arc, and antagonist only heightening the drama. Olyphant and Goggins deliver standout performances as some of the most visceral and layered characters to be pulled from page to screen in recent years, offering audiences the very best of their respective careers. Due to the limited nature of “Fire in the Hole,” the author didn’t have the time to sufficiently expand the characters, but what’s left unanswered by Leonard is eventually filled in by the series, such as everything involving Winona (Natalie Zea).

Although Justified evolves from a direct adaptation up front to an “inspired by” type of show, it eventually comes back around to pay tribute to Leonard himself. The final moments between Boyd and Raylan in the series finale, “The Promise,” echo their concluding exchange in the author’s original “Fire in the Hole” story. “We dug coal together,” Boyd notes, words that resemble Raylan’s ending remarks about the outlaw on the page. Justified is a fast-paced and perfect neo-Western crime drama that pulls no punches, but it thrived because it was willing to build on Leonard’s original masterpiece rather than be completely defined by it.

We live in particularly exciting times, where Internet trends can become so expansive that they eventually breed entire literary genres. Surfacing on the social media site Tumblr somewhere around the mid-2010s, the dark academia aesthetic blew up in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to teenage bookworms stuck at home yearning for academic escapism. Inspired by elements of Gothic art, classic literature, and social culture at Oxbridge and Ivy League schools, dark academia has evolved from a simple aesthetic into a proper genre with tropes, conventions, and iconography all of its own. Later this month, anyone intrigued by dark academia will be treated to a deliciously twisted new entry into the genre.

The Mortons is not only the first adult novel by My Sister Rosa author Justine Larbalestier, but also her first time co-writing a book with her husband, Scott Westerfeld, of Uglies series and Leviathan trilogy fame. Together, they’ve crafted a morally ambiguous and wickedly dark mystery thriller with all the elements anyone could possibly want to see in a dark academia novel, and then some. It’s the sort of novel that would make for an amazing movie one day. But far from being all aesthetic, no substance, this delectably original and fast-paced story packs more than enough narrative meat on its bones. Twists, surprises, and moments of purely diabolical entertainment make this the sort of book that begs to be read with a bold, sophisticated cocktail at hand.

What Is ‘The Mortons’ About?

Image via Viking

The Mortons centers on the eponymous family, an old-money dynasty that raises all of their children to be ruthless killers. “Homicide is heritage,” reads the book’s chilling tagline, and very early on, one realizes that there’s no better encapsulation of the family’s history than that. The most important foundation of any dark academia novel worth its salt is the actual academic setting of its narrative, and The Mortons‘ is as instantly absorbing as they get. At Helshire College, “legacy” students from historied crime dynasties like the Mortons take off-the-catalog classes where they learn skills essential to their dark practices.

A student at Helshire is Jessica Morton, through whose perspective we discover that the family holds secrets even bleaker than their murderous, manipulative façade suggests. Like the best Mortons, she lacks any semblance of empathy in her heart. At age seven, she completed her mors curae, a Morton tradition where the family’s kids have to raise and protect a rabbit for a whole year and then slaughter it themselves. Whereas many kids give their rabbits silly names, like Mister Fluffernutter, Jessica named hers Rabbit. She has no need for creativity, warmth, or love in her life. Her journey of discovery (both of her family’s secrets and of her own self-identity) then becomes a question of whether someone who has been nurtured into cruelty can find compassion and redemption, or whether some brainwashings are effectively permanent.

‘The Mortons’ Wears Its Influences On Its Sleeve

The Mortons is exquisitely original and deliciously unique in how it depicts violence and cruelty with a razor-sharp sense of humor, but it’s also quite transparent about the giants on whose shoulders it stands. Influences from Donna Tartt‘s The Secret History, one of the best books of the ’90s and the biggest precursor of the dark academia literary genre, are abundantly evident. You also get plenty of the eccentric, deadpan humor that makes Wes Anderson special; the charmingly dark tone of The Addams Family and Wednesday; and the cutthroat, power-hungry family dynamics of The Sopranos. There are also plenty of elements here that leave no room for doubt that Larbalestier and Westerfeld are veterans of the YA genre, from the story’s lightning-fast pacing to Jessica’s coming-of-age story.

But though you can tell The Mortons was penned by two YA masters, it also demonstrates that they were more than ready to make their big splash in the adult novel space. The Mortons‘ Gothic tone and ice-cold depictions of violence aren’t just quirky gimmicks, but the very skeleton of a story that explores genuinely mature themes with a level of depth, grit, and even sexiness not often found in YA dark academia. Its protagonist may be young, but this novel earns its “adult” label through and through. At no point do Larbalestier and Westerfeld force any interpretation of Jessica’s arc or posit any judgment on whether she deserves to be redeemed or not. The charm of The Mortons lies not only in the constant shock of the many deadly, bloody twists thrown our protagonist’s way, but also in wondering just as much as she does if the things she’s done are too much to forgive.

In any other book, the answer would be an immediate yes. After all, the Mortons—Jessica most definitely included—are all cold-blooded killers whose currency is death, betrayal, money, and power for power’s sake. But Larbalestier and Westerfeld wear their influences on their sleeves with such effortless confidence that, from the very first chapter, where Jessica commits an act of murder that would make her instantly detestable in any other kind of story, it’s surprisingly easy to immerse oneself so deeply in her world that such a crime (though shocking) isn’t off-putting. There have been many great thriller books throughout the last 10 years, and The Mortons is one of the boldest in its worldbuilding.

There May Be Mortons for Days

Image via Viking

The Mortons is a real page-turner, blending the breakneck pacing of its authors’ YA instincts with a mystery thriller narrative as twisty as a rabbit’s innards. That makes it all the more delightful that the Mortons world may greatly expand in the future. Larbalestier and Westerfeld are reportedly already working on a companion novel set in the same engrossing world, and they even promise to write nothing but Mortons books for the rest of their careers if possible. The book certainly does end on a note that makes a sequel not only perfectly plausible, but also irresistibly tempting.

In these dark days when empathy is in such short supply, and loyalty is weaponized in favor of power and money, The Mortons feels like a far timelier novel than its wild premise may make it seem at first glance. It strikes the perfect balance between providing enough entertaining escapism to make it a worthy before-bedtime read, and a potent enough reflection of the real world to make its messaging hit even closer to home. It’s elegant, funny, sophisticated, and always goes in a darker direction whenever you think it’s gone as far as it could. As far as crime family sagas and dark academia stories go, it doesn’t get much more worthwhile than The Mortons.

Meghan Markle is soaking up the summer fun with her family.

The Duchess of Sussex, 44, took to Instagram on Thursday, July 23, to share several photos from her summer with husband Prince Harry and their kids, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lillibet, 5. In one snap, Meghan stood on a beach and faced the ocean while wearing a dark one-piece swimsuit with a low-back cut back, sneakers and her hair pulled into a ponytail underneath a white hat. She rested her hands on her hips as she watched a shirtless Harry, 41, play with their kids in the water.

The carousel also included black-and-white snaps of Harry and Meghan laughing together while enjoying a meal and the prince tossing their daughter into the air in a pool. In another photo, Meghan and Lilibet took a walk together, while a fourth snap showed Archie enjoying a sunset stroll.

In another photo, Meghan rested on her stomach on an outdoor lounge chair as she snuggled up with their dog.

“Summer Holiday ☀️,” she captioned the post.

Meghan and Harry tied the knot on May 19, 2018, at Windsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel in England. They welcomed Archie the following year. In 2020, the couple announced their decision to step back as senior members of the royal family before relocating to the U.S., where they welcomed Lilibet in 2021.

Meghan and Harry celebrated their daughter’s 5th birthday in June.

“Our dream girl,” Meghan captioned Instagram photos. “Happy 5th birthday, Lili 🤍.”

Meghan’s latest family photos come weeks after she and her family reunited with Harry’s estranged father, King Charles III, and stepmother, Queen Camilla, at the monarch’s Highgrove House for the first time in years.

Related: Meghan Markle Shares Rare Glimpses of Home Life With Prince Harry and Kids

Meghan Markle is celebrating the arrival of a new season with a rare look into her home life with Prince Harry and their children. Markle, 44, took to Instagram on Tuesday, June 9, to post a carousel of candid photos snapped throughout the couple’s idyllic home in Montecito, California. “Springing into summer 🌼,” the Duchess […]

Advertisement

“The staff [at Highgrove] was dismissed before Harry and Meghan and the kids arrived,” a source exclusively told Us after the July 10 meeting. “Details were kept under wraps. They didn’t want anything to get out.”

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

The insider added, “The king and queen wanted personal time with their grandchildren, and they wanted it to be lighthearted and positive. The point of the meeting was to spend time with them, and that was the only thing on the agenda.”

After the success of the visit, the insider said there is a chance Harry and Meghan could score an invitation to the royal family’s holiday celebrations.

“That idea has been floated as a possibility, so that [Prince] William and Kate [Middleton] and their kids could see them at the next visit,” the source shared. “There’s still a lot of hurt, and it’s going to take time to heal. Meetings can be reassuring, but they won’t change things too dramatically. The relationship between Harry and William will never be what it used to be.”

There are a number of streaming shows that require massive financial gambles, but 3 Body Problem is one of the most ambitious television productions of all-time. The novel of the same name by Chinese author Liu Cixin was inspired by his own experiences as an engineer and mathematician, and included a degree of complex theoretical physics that seemed to be “unadaptable.” While there is always a danger in an English-language adaptation of an international novel, especially one that is so tied to cultural history, 3 Body Problem was a brilliant series from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who proved that they can do pretty much anything on television if given a complete story to work from. 3 Body Problem has the potential to rank among the greatest shows ever made by Netflix, but recent reports suggest there are some concerns about the performance of its next two seasons.

It’s no secret that Netflix has faced a decline in viewership for many of its returning shows, and the extended gaps between seasons has only exacerbated the churning of subscribers. 3 Body Problem was not greenlit for multiple seasons at once, and thus only began production on Season 2 after the initial batch of episodes was well-received; although Seasons 2 and 3 were shot simultaneously, the series isn’t expected to return until later this year at the earliest. Retaining audience attention is challenging no matter what, but it’s an even more difficult endeavor for a series like 3 Body Problem that requires viewers to pay close attention at all times; in an age of social clip farming and passive viewing, 3 Body Problem could run into a declining audience if Netflix doesn’t play its cards right.

‘3 Body Problem’ Requires Audience Commitment

Although Benioff and Weiss have had targets placed on their backs ever since the ending of Game of Thrones, it would be unfair to say that their task of adaptation has ever been simple. 3 Body Problem required a significant amount of new and expanded material to work in the television medium, with the most significant difference being the protagonist. The novels feature a central scientist named Wang whose interior monologue is expressed in intimate detail, but the series chose to split its focus between five lead characters, nicknamed “The Oxford Five,” who represent different aspects of his personality.

It was a brilliant choice that expanded the international cast, created more interesting social dynamics, and balanced the ensemble with unique and compelling actors. However, the density of the material means that the members of the “Oxford Five” have very complex backstories and emotional arcs that can’t be quickly summarized in a “Previously On.” Given that there has been a wait of over two years between seasons, Netflix needs to trust that viewers will either read recaps or rewatch Season 1 before the show returns, as they could otherwise be lost.

3 Body Problem is one of the rare shows that requires a binge drop, as it’s simply too complex to not be watched all at once to make sense of the multiple timelines and virtual realities. While the binge model has served Netflix well for several years, the streamer has attempted experimentation with different distribution methods to sustain the hype over an extended period of time, such as splitting a season into two halves. But, not only would this put up a barrier to the storytelling for 3 Body Problem, but interest might wane entirely because the show doesn’t have a fanbase on the level of Netflix’s other shows.

‘3 Body Problem’ Needs To Nail Its Ending

3 Body Problem can’t be turned around at this point, as the show is already gearing towards a finale and has set up what will be in its next two seasons. The “Wallfacer” project, which isn’t introduced until the second novel of the series, was included at the end of Season 1, which was otherwise based on the first book. While this means that Netflix can’t prematurely cancel the show that already has its ending in sight, it does put even more importance on the finale being satisfying. Many shows that end on a disappointing note end up with a tainted reputation, and new viewers are less likely to start a show if they have heard it does not have a satisfying ending. It’s just as important for Benioff and Weiss, who have the potential to be redeemed in the eyes of the public if 3 Body Problem is a successful adaptation that ends well.

Viewership isn’t a metric of critical success, as there are many great shows that didn’t get the audience they deserved. With that being said, the commercial success of 3 Body Problem is important because it may determine whether Netflix chooses to fund similarly ambitious genre content in the future. If 3 Body Problem proves that Netflix can adapt a nuanced novel in an intelligent way, drawing in both existing and new fans, it could lead to a new renaissance on the platform. However, that all hinges on how Season 2 and 3 turn out.