3 Body Problem Seasons 2 & 3 Return Gets Disappointing Update From Original Netflix Actor

3 Body Problem seasons 2 and 3 may not feature one actor from season 1.

Based on the novel by Liu Cixin, the sci-fi Netflix series from creators David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo released on the streamer in 2024. Netflix subsequently confirmed that 3 Body Problem season 2 was on the way, in addition to a third season that would serve as the show’s conclusion.

In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Grant Hermanns for The Terror: The Devil in Silver, CCH Pounder, who plays Secretary General Lillian Joseph in season 1, casts doubt on her return in the remaining two seasons of 3 Body Problem. According to the actor, it’s a matter of the show’s writers not totally knowing how to incorporate the character into what comes next, which is complicated by the series’ expanded timeline. Check out Pounder’s comment below:

I don’t think they know what to do with her, to be honest. I don’t think they know what to do with her. We shall see. I feel that the length of time that it’s taken will be the time that there is a new person there. If you look at the timeline of how it’s going, no one lives that long. It’d be like my great, great, great, great grandself will be playing the role.

Secretary General Joseph plays a fairly minor role in 3 Body Problem season 1, which focuses on a group of scientists as they attempt to deal with an impending alien invasion centuries in the future. Pounder’s comment suggests audiences won’t be seeing the character again, and this tracks with the show’s production timeline.

Credit: MediaPunch/INSTARimages

3 Body Problem season 2 filming began in July 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. Then, an Instagram post from cinematographer Catherine Goldschmidt suggested that production on the sophomore outing had wrapped in March. Unless Pounder is playing coy, she wasn’t involved in the filming of season 2.

There’s still a chance Secretary General Joseph is incorporated into season 3 somehow. Filming on the final season is expected to start in June, but it wouldn’t be unusual for all the scripts to not be finalized quite yet. If filming goes for nine months, as season 2’s did, it’s possible Pounder could reprise her role.

That being said, Cixin’s books suggest it may not make sense narratively to return to this character. Not only is Joseph not a character who exists in Cixin’s original work, but the books’ timeline spans hundreds of years, obviously far beyond the realm of a human lifetime.

Though the books do incorporate cryogenic freezing into the story to allow select characters to “jump” forward in time, new characters still become the focus as the story progresses. Depending on how Benioff, Weiss, and Woo adapt the story, the 3 Body Problem season 1 cast may end up being quite different from the season 3 cast.

3 Body Problem season 2 is expected to release on Netflix in the second half of this year, but there’s no expected window for season 3 just yet. While many questions remain about exactly how the story will play out in the show’s final two seasons, viewers evidently shouldn’t hold their breath for more of Pounder’s General Secretary.