Netflix viewers fume as it axes fan favourite and announces second season will be its last

Netflix certainly likes to keep subscribers on their toes with regular purges, series renewals and shocking cancellations, but its 'give and take' approach to a fan favourite series hasn't gone down well at all.

Then again, it may have also been a stroke of genius for the streaming platform to simultaneously announce that its hit sci-fi show is being renewed for a second season... while subtly adding that this will be its last.

I imagine that Netflix might hope that by ambushing viewers with this two-pronged update on the project, it could combat a lot of complaints they may receive about the sad conclusion of it - although one look on social media tells another story.

Most people's timelines will probably be pretty clogged up with posts discussing the fact that the show will be coming to an end after season two.

3 Body Problem stacked up a whopping 81,000,000 viewing hours in just one week when the first instalment dropped on Netflix back in March, as well as storming it's way up the Top 10 list, but it seems the streamer is ready to wrap up the series.

In a statement, creators David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo told fans: "We’re thrilled that we get to tell this story through to its epic conclusion.

"Ever since we read the last page of Cixin Liu’s magnificent trilogy, we hoped we’d be able to bring the audience to the end of the universe with us. Here we go!"

The news came as quite of a shock to viewers, who were expecting at least three seasons to mirror the trio of Chinese novels written by Liu Cixin which the series is loosely based on.

One disappointed fan said: "Take it to the end of the universe. Need another two seasons at least!"

Another wrote: "Wait what? Only two seasons? How many episodes? Tencent is better but I still hope Netflix does the trilogy justice."

3 Body Problems will be returning for a second season, but it will be its last. (Netflix)

A third added: "Thought to its conclusion? So just one more season? Even though the books are trilogy?"

While a fourth chimed in: "To its conclusion? That means you'll combine the last two books on one season?"

The blokes behind Game of Thrones (Benioff and Weiss) and True Blood's Woo had even previously implied they might get four seasons out of the sci-fi story, so the news that there will only be one more isn't sitting well with fans..

3 Body Problems explores how a woman’s 'fateful decision' back in the 1960s in China 'reverberates across space and time into the present day'.

It kicks off during China’s Cultural Revolution in the ’60s, but goes on to explore various continents and decades as 'five brilliant friends make earth-shattering discoveries as the laws of science unravel and an existential threat emerges'.

New episodes have been green lit by Netflix that will wrap up the complex plot, though it's not yet clear how many there will be.

Netflix's Vice President of Scripted Series, Peter Friedlander, added: "The extraordinary 3 Body Problem, brought to life with the deft hands of Benioff, Weiss and Woo, will soar to never-before-seen heights as they tackle the rest of the mind-blowing journey through Death’s End."

Fans aren't happy that the sci-fi series is coming to an end. (Netflix)

He continued: "Their brilliant vision as storytellers is matched by their amazing partnership - and, just like the fans, we can’t wait to see what they have in store."

Benioff previously told The Hollywood Reporter that the series would continue to get better and better.

He explained: "Liu Cixin’s created this indelible trilogy and the books just get better for me.

"The second book is far better than the first, and the third book just completely blew my mind. The story just gets more and more ambitious as it goes, and it takes a huge leap in book two.

"So I feel like if we survive to the second season, we’re going to be in a good place."

It seems that fans who feared Benioff and Weiss might break their hearts all over again - like they did with the ending of Game of Thrones - were right after all, eh?

The pair have also got a new drama series, Death by Lightning, in the pipeline with Netflix.