Books haven’t only been adapted into classic movies like The Great Gatsby or exciting upcoming ones like Fifty Shades of Grey, but they’ve been taken to the small screen too! Here are some of our favourite TV shows that are based on books – you might be surprised!
For more page-to-screen adaptations, have a look at our favourite films adapted from novels and book heroines played by the biggest stars.
Sex and the City
One of the most iconic TV shows of all time, which ran from 1998 to 2004, was based on the book of the same name by Candace Bushnell. Published in 1997, the book was a collection of essays by Bushnell based on her and friends’ lives as cosmopolitan career women living in New York. The character of Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, was based on Bushnell.
Gossip Girl
You know you love her! Gossip Girl was based on the 13 novels written by Cecily von Ziegesar. Although it was set in the Upper East Side’s Constance Billard School for Girls, the books were inspired by the author’s experiences at her own school. She made a cameo appearance in the show’s season 4 finale.
House of Cards
The original House of Cards TV show, set in the UK, was based on political thrillers written by Michael Dobbs, a British Conservative politician, between 1989 and 1994. He wrote a trilogy of books ( To Play the King and The Final Cut) and each of these were also turned into miniseries by BBC. Netflix adapted the first novel for the American version, which stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright.
Orange is the New Black
The Netflix dramedy is based on Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison by Piper Kerman. Piper was sentenced to time in jail after being found guilty of money laundering and drug trafficking. Most of the details in the book were changed for the small screen – for one, the main character, Piper and her Alex Vause, the ex-girlfriend who got her involved with the drug ring, weren’t in the same prison, but in the show they are. The third season is currently being filmed and is set for release around June next year.
Hannibal
The psychological thriller (or horror to some) is based on the characters in the Hannibal book series by Thomas Harris, including the title character, Dr Hannibal Lecter, a psychologist and also, a cannibal. The books were set in the ‘70s and ’80s, but the TV show is set in today’s time and acts as an imagined prequel to Harris’ first book, Red Dragon. The Silence of the Lambs, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster, is its sequel.
Masters of Sex
Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, the Couple Who Taught America How to Love, is a 2009 book by Thomas Maier that chronicles the lives and work of Masters and Johnson, two American sexologists who studied human sexuality from the ’50s to the ‘90s. The book was adapted to a TV show which stars Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan. From the complex characters, to the accurate representations of gender and taboo around discussions of sex, the series has received huge amounts of acclaim.
Game of Thrones
The most pirated TV show is based the A Song of Fire and Ice series of novels by George R. R. Martin, and named after the first book. The show premiered on HBO in April 2011 and has consistently been a record-breaking hit and obtained a wide and active international fan base. Martin is currently working on the sixth book in the series titled The Winds of Winter and has already announced plans for another instalment after it, titled A Dream of Spring.
Dexter
The gory crime show is based on Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. The title character is a forensic blood spatter pattern analyst who’s also a serial killer, hunting down murderers, rapists and other criminals who have gone unpunished for their crimes. The TV show aired from 2006 to 2013 and received widespread acclaim, including four consecutive four Primetime Emmy nominations for Best Drama.
The Vampire Diaries
The hit show is based on the series of novels at the same time by L. J. Smith. The story is about Elena Gilbert (played by Nina Dobrev) and how she eventually becomes torn between Stefan and Damon Salvatore (played by Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder), two vampire brothers. The show began airing on The CW in the United States in 2009, and is currently in its sixth season. The Vampire Diaries also has a spin-off show, The Originals, which premiered last year.
