5 shows adapted from books

11/07/2022

Some TV shows exist thanks to a novel that was written way before them. Either faithful or loose adaptations, focus on 6 really appreciated TV series that are based on a book.

YOU
YOU

Did you know? The Netflix show led by Penn Badgley is actually based on a novel of the same name written by Caroline Kepnes. Published in 2014, the story of Joe Goldberg, a very creepy stalker, had the chance to be brought to the small screen. If YOU, the novel, has two sequels, Hidden Bodies and You Love Me, the show is currently working on a fourth season.

13 Reasons Why
13 Reasons Why

Yes, the emotional show produced by Netflix, 13 Reasons Why, is first and foremost, a novel. Big hit when it first came out, Jay Asher’s story left its mark on the beginning of the 00s. The book is about the suicide of the young Hannah Baker who left behind her tapes for the ones who prompted her death. 13 Reasons Why is the powerful cry of a suffering youth against bullying, the novel is a must read as much as the show produced by Selena Gomez is a must-see.

Big Little Lies
Big Little Lies

The show led by Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Shailene Woodley is, before becoming a TV success, a best seller, written by Liane Moriarty. Published in 2014, the book quickly joined the New York Times best-sellers book list. Three years later, the captivating story following women living in the wealthy suburbs of Monterey and their link to a mysterious death is adapted for TV.

Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl is originally a book series! Cecily von Ziegesar gave life to the characters of Blair Waldorf, Serena van der Woodsen and a lot more that appeared on the eponymous TV show, Gossip Girl. With 14 volumes, the writer depicted the life of Manhattan’s golden youth. Several big differences exist between the novels and the series as, for example, Chuck Bass’ sexual orientation.

The Handmaid’s Tale
The Handmaid’s Tale

We couldn’t make this article without mentioning Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. This dystopian novel really left its mark on literature, this is why there were already several adaptations that existed before the one led by Elisabeth Moss and produced by Hulu came out. An opera, a ballet and a movie were made to tell the atrocious story of a world where women have been deposed of their rights and ranked according to their “functions”.

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