Books provide stories that have already proven they are either beloved or hated by readers. Because of this particular element, it’s easy to see why book-to-TV adaptations have become so popular in today’s streaming landscape. Series that use novels as their source material usually fall into two categories: hit TV shows people talk about for years, or those that everyone forgets as soon as they watch them.
However, there are book-to-TV adaptations that don’t really fall into any of these categories. These are the series that were nearly perfect, but sadly faded into obscurity for various reasons, including being overshadowed by more famous shows. These series may not currently be dominating pop culture discourse, but they still deserve recognition.
Whenever a book is brought to the small screen, it’s not set in stone that audiences will fall in love with it simply because the novel was great. What works in literary form doesn’t always translate to TV. Thankfully, these near-perfect and forgotten book-to-TV adaptations excelled because they balanced what made their source material gripping with fresh storylines that advanced their narrative.
Sharp Objects (2018)
Based On The Novel By Gillian Flynn
Long before the release of Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn penned a novel that captured the author’s understanding of human nature. Starring Amy Adams as Camille Preaker, Sharp Objects is a dark yet thrilling TV adaptation of Flynn’s novel. With a Southern Gothic backdrop, the HBO series centers on Adam’s character, a troubled reporter who returns home to investigate the brutal murder of two young girls.
Flynn’s Sharp Objects excels in making readers uncomfortable, and the series understood that from the get-go. It’s not just the foreboding atmosphere of the show that gives audiences a sense of unease, but it’s how Amy Adams brings Camille to life. In the novel, Camille is deeply unreliable and self-destructive, and Adams bridges the gap between page and screen, making the character just as intimate and disturbing as she is in the book.
Station Eleven (2021)
Based On The Novel By Emily St. John Mandel
Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven is a complex, yet emotionally endearing series that focuses on the aftermath of human lives following a pandemic that wipes out most of the population. The novel has a lot of moving parts, with the story centering on different characters and more than one timeline.
Station Eleven is guilty of making some changes to its source material, such as deepening Kirsten and Jeevan’s bond as well as making it a story about home as opposed to despair. While some fans of the novel might have wanted the series to be an exact replica of the source material, the alteration ended up working well for the TV show, which ultimately made it a great adaptation.
Poldark (2015-2019)
Based On The Book Series By Winston Graham
Outlander may now be all the rage in the historical drama adaptation landscape, but Poldark was also once viewed as one of the best shows in the genre. Poldark was adapted from Winston Graham’s 12 novels, which he wrote between 1945 and 2002. The series, which only ran for five seasons, did not bring all of Graham’s novels to life, but used the first seven in the sprawling saga for inspiration.
What the series does so well is that it doesn’t lean too heavily on historical details but focuses on the novel’s core principles. Poldark is, after all, a story about love, loss, and new beginnings, something which the incredible actors in the series fully embrace. One of the biggest strengths of the TV series is its stunning visuals. The novels describe Cornwall in vivid detail, and the series turns it into a living presence.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979)
Based On The Novel By John le Carré
Over the years, several of John le Carré’s works have been used as inspiration for movies and TV shows. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, though forgotten, remains one of the best adaptations of the author’s work. Spy thrillers tend to lean on spectacle, fancy gadgets, and jaw-dropping action. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, however, is as much an intellectual series as it is about espionage.
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The British miniseries doesn’t try to change the author’s message by adding its own interpretation. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy embodies the novel in all of its glory by keeping the structure, tone, and intellectual density of John le Carré’s book intact, while using performance and atmosphere to make its slow-burning paranoia feel immediate and real.
The Outsider (2020)
Based On The Novel By Stephen King
Stephen King is called “the master of horror” for a reason. With over 60 titles to his name, it’s no surprise that some of his works have been adapted for myriad TV shows and movies. HBO’s The Outsider succeeds as an adaptation because it balances the core elements that made King’s work remarkable: gritty crime and supernatural horror.
The series has an eerie atmosphere that could give anyone nightmares and a cast that understood the source material. Like King’s novel, The Outsider uses a slow-burn approach perfectly before ending in an explosive climax. The rewatchable horror series extends the novel in a meaningful way by giving more characters a chance to shine, as opposed to leaving out meaningful plot points for the sake of cramming everything from the book into the show.
The Shannara Chronicles (2016-2017)
Based On The Book Series By Terry Brooks
Despite hailing from the famous Shannara Chronicles book series by Terry Brooks, many fans of the novels didn’t enjoy the series, as they felt it leaned too heavily into teen drama tropes. However, the TV version of The Shannara Chronicles shines because it takes the dense mythology of The Elfstones of Shannara and reshapes it into a visually driven fantasy series without completely losing the essence of Brooks’ story.
Most fantasy TV shows based on novels fall flat when it comes to accurately representing their setting on the small screen. The Shannara Chronicles series, however, tries its best to ensure that the heavily detailed post-apocalyptic fantasy universe doesn’t become overwhelming.
Normal People (2020)
Based On The Novel By Sally Rooney
Sally Rooney is famous for her deeply emotional stories that focus on love, mental health, and the complexity of human relationships. Normal People has been widely praised as one of the most faithful and emotionally resonant literary adaptations of recent years, because it successfully translates the quiet intensity and emotional resonance of Rooney’s novel.
Normal People is a novel that doesn’t have a lot of action or a fast-moving plot; it’s a human-centered story that is driven by relationships. The series, thankfully, managed to understand that and didn’t include unnecessary storylines that did nothing for the story. Marianne and Cornell’s arguments and miscommunications were just as frustrating in the small-screen adaptation as they were in the novel.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2015)
Based On The Novel By Sausanna Clarke
Fantasy stories are often too complex to take to the small or big screen. Magic, supernatural creatures, and sprawling worlds don’t always translate well in page-to-screen adaptations. The 2015 series, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, is a perfect adaptation of the novel because it didn’t try to include everything. The novel is incredibly dense and is filled with notes, fake histories, and long digressions about English magic.
Fortunately, the show smartly streamlines the narrative by focusing on the central rivalry between Norrell and Strange, while trimming some of the book’s more sprawling academic detours. Instead of trying to replicate every detail, the series preserved the core essence of Clarke’s prose.