'3 Body Problem' Tops Netflix Chart, Knocking 'The Gentlemen' Down To Third Place

3 Body Problem' Now Netflix's Most-Watched English Show

Netflix's science fiction hit "3 Body Problem" moved its way up to become the streamer's most-watched show last week, knocking "The Gentlemen" into third place among five new shows that made their debut on the top 10 chart.

The show, based on the novel of the same name by Chinese author Liu Cixin, became Netflix's most-watched English TV show from March 25 to March 31, 2024, after falling in its debut week behind "The Gentlemen," according to Variety. Viewers watched "3 Body Problem" for 115 million hours over seven days, a single-week draw beaten this year only by "The Gentlemen," "Avatar: The Last Airbender," and "Fool Me Once."

The show has generated buzz for its budget (it's reportedly Netflix's most expensive first season ever made at $20 million per episode); a media stunt that involved the in-show phrase "You Are Bugs" being slapped across the Sphere in Las Vegas, two dozen billboards on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles and and on digital screens across the world; and the recent death sentence handed down to a man convicted of fatally poisoning Chinese billionaire Lin Qi, a "3 Body" producer.

Last week's number of debuts on the top 10 chart tied for the most-watched shows to make their debut in a single week this year. The weeks of Jan. 1, Jan. 8, Jan. 15, and March 4 also had five shows make their top 10 list for the first time.

Season 2 of "3 Body Problem" has not been renewed by Netflix, though its creators have said the next installment in the series would be stronger than the first, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

"The story takes a huge leap in book two," creator David Benioff said. "I feel like if we survive to the second season, we're going to be in a good place."