I really loved the Chinese version of this show!
I've never read the books, but despite the Tencent-produced
Three-Body being 30 episodes long compared to Netflix's
3 Body Problem being only 8 episodes, I wanted to start with the adaption which was supposedly closest to the author's characters...even if it meant having to read 'subtitles' all the way through.
And I'm so glad that I did. While there was a slower-burn pace at times to the
Three-Body storyline, I found it's mystery and philosophical musings engrossing throughout, and really liked the main cast of actors and actresses involved. In comparison, the casually sweary tone and condensed nature of Netflix's
3 Body Problem was much less appealing to me.
The awesome 'Judgment Day' tanker sequence was built-up to and executed far more satisfyingly in the Chinese version too, as far as I'm concerned, and I enjoyed the hell out of it.
Despite certain limitations at times, I found the
Three-Body show to be riveting viewing due to the fact that I didn't know what to expect from the storyline, and it can be seen here for free (without ads) for anyone that's interested -
https://www.viki.com/tv/39255c-three-bodyIt seems that the director recently re-edited the show down to 26 episodes for an 'Anniversary Edition' release, which removes certain added material that wasn't in the first book, and streamlines the pacing of the show overall. Either way,
Three-Body is the definitive adaption of the story for me if I ever decide to have a re-watch of it one day.
As far as I know, Tencent has already given the go-ahead for the second season which will cover the 'The Dark Forest' book, and if the Netflix show ever gets a follow-up too, I'll certainly check it out as well. Either way, I now intend to actually read the books as I can't wait that long to see what happens next!
Lastly, here's a short, spoiler-free video which gives a quick rundown of the differences and similarities to the original books -
