The 18 Best TV Shows Adapted From Books

Some were faithful to the last comma, others left the novel behind after one season. Readers and viewers rarely agree on which approach worked.

1

Game of Thrones

HBO's adaptation of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, which ran past its source material in 2016 and never got it back.

2

The Handmaid's Tale

Hulu's adaptation of Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel, which outran the book by four seasons.

3

Sharp Objects

HBO's eight-episode version of Gillian Flynn's debut novel, directed entirely by Jean-Marc Vallée.

4

Big Little Lies

HBO's adaptation of Liane Moriarty's novel, relocated from Sydney to Monterey.

5

The Expanse

The screen version of James S. A. Corey's space-opera novels, rescued from cancellation by its own fans.

6

Normal People

The BBC and Hulu adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel, told across twelve half-hour episodes.

7

The Queen's Gambit

Netflix's version of Walter Tevis's 1983 chess novel, which sold out chess sets worldwide.

8

Shogun

FX's 2024 adaptation of James Clavell's 1975 novel, told largely in Japanese.

9

Band of Brothers

HBO's 2001 miniseries from Stephen E. Ambrose's account of Easy Company.

10

The Witcher

Netflix's adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's short stories and novels, arriving after the games made the name famous.

11

Outlander

Starz's long-running adaptation of Diana Gabaldon's time-travel romances.

12

True Blood

HBO's version of Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries.

13

Dexter

Showtime's series from Jeff Lindsay's Darkly Dreaming Dexter, which quickly diverged from the books.

14

His Dark Materials

The BBC and HBO adaptation of Philip Pullman's trilogy, made after the film version stalled.

15

The Man in the High Castle

Amazon's adaptation of Philip K. Dick's alternate-history novel.

16

Bridgerton

Shondaland's Netflix hit from Julia Quinn's Regency romance novels.

17

Anne with an E

The CBC and Netflix take on L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables.

18

The Leftovers

HBO's adaptation of Tom Perrotta's novel, which used up the book in season one and improved after.