It has brain-bending physics, mysterious visitors and futuristic technology. Yet viewers of the new Netflix sci-fi epic 3 Body Problem could be forgiven for some confusion as its opening scenes unfold. A drama about coming contact with aliens catapults us back to China in 1966, at the height of the Cultural Revolution: we see an eminent physicist viciously attacked by zealots before a howling crowd. As incongruous as it seems, this moment is central to understanding the book on which the show is based. Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem has…
Tag: Television&radio
‘Flat and shallow’: Netflix’s 3 Body Problem divides viewers in China
Netflix’s big-budget adaptation of Three-Body Problem, a series of novels by the Chinese author Liu Cixin, has divided opinion on Chinese social media. The eight-episode series, 3 Body Problem, was released in full on Netflix on Thursday. It is based on the first book in Liu’s trilogy, an ambitious sci-fi series spanning civilisation from the 1960s to the end of humanity. The TV series was co-created for Netflix by the Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss, and the True Blood writer Alexander Woo, working with the director…
Amazon’s Expats series not available in Hong Kong, where it is set
Amazon’s big-ticket series Expats, set and filmed in Hong Kong, is not available for viewing in the city despite being billed as a worldwide release. The first two episodes of the drama, starring Nicole Kidman and directed by The Farewell’s Lulu Wang, were released on Friday but listed as “currently unavailable” for viewers in Hong Kong. The series, based on a 2014 novel, The Expatriates, focuses on the lives of three American women in Hong Kong. The production of Expats had been largely welcomed by authorities. In 2021 Kidman was…
Apple under fire over cancellation of Jon Stewart show amid China concerns
US lawmakers asked Apple Inc to explain the abrupt end of the political comedian Jon Stewart’s television show on its streaming service, according to a letter made public on Wednesday, citing concerns that content related to China was behind the cancellation. The New York Times reported last month that Stewart’s show on Apple’s streaming service was ending, the result of creative differences. The newspaper said Stewart told members of his staff that potential show topics related to China and artificial intelligence were causing concern to Apple executives. Apple declined comment…
TV tonight: Taiwan’s battle with China to hold on to independence
Inside Taiwan: Standing Up to China 9pm, BBC Two Jane Corbin’s densely packed documentary investigates the precarious situation in Taiwan. President Xi Jinping’s government is accused of misinformation in its campaign to reunify the island with China, while Taiwan’s first female head of state, Tsai Ing-wen – overwhelmingly voted for by young people – faces a big battle to retain independence. Interviewees include a pro-Beijing campaigner and former gang leader, who shares footage of his party members battling pro-independence students. Hollie Richardson Dragons’ Den 8pm, BBC One How do you…
Chinese fans claim censorship as gay storylines removed from Friends
Friends has been stripped of its lesbian storyline for the Chinese re-release of the sitcom, prompting censorship concerns. On Friday a number of entertainment platforms including Tencent – which made headlines earlier this month for carrying a version of Fight Club with a totally different ending – began airing the first season of Friends, which was originally broadcast in 1994. Fans who had seen the programme before were quick to notice the absence of several scenes, including those relating to the character Ross explaining that his ex-wife, Carol, is gay.…
The week in audio: Book of the Week; Start the Week; Promenade and more
Book of the Week: 1,000 Years of Joys and Sorrows (BBC Radio 4) | BBC Sounds Start the Week (BBC Radio 4) | BBC SoundsPromenade The Shift Podcast NetworkPreviously on… Succession AcastFirecrotch & Normcore Acast In 2013, Benedict Wong played the Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei at the Hampstead theatre, London. The play was about the 81 days that he spent in isolated detention in 2011, having been arrested by government officials at Beijing airport. He was kept in a small, brightly lit room (the lights never went off)…