19 TV Shows Based on Books That You Won't be Able to Shut Up About
These days, it can feel like there are more TV shows based on books than there are TV shows not based on books. And maybe there's a good reason for that. Based on recent history, at least, novels tend to translate into excellent television series. In fact, they're so effective that books that have already been adapted into movies are now being readapted into TV series.
Some adaptations, such as Normal People, based on the novel by Sally Rooney, are single-season entities that don't stray too far from the source material, while others take far more liberties. Then there are those like The Handmaid's Tale, which stayed faithful to Margaret Atwood's original text in the first season, but was so successful that it decided to continue the story in additional seasons, which went well beyond the scope of the novel. Atwood herself wrote a follow-up to the book published in 2019, The Testaments, which is now also being developed into a series.
Even shows like Game of Thrones, Outlander, and Bridgerton, which are based on book series that supply multiple seasons's worth of storylines, have expanded into full-on cinematic universes through spin-off shows. Hopefully, the same will eventually be said for Heated Rivalry, a queer hockey romance adaptation that has already been picked up for a second season by HBO Max. After all, actor François Arnaud told Glamour he heard talks of a Scott Hunter-centric spinoff…
In the meantime, here are just 19 TV shows based on books that we think are definitely worth a stream.
HBO Max1/19Heated Rivalry (2025—Present)
The show on everyone's minds (and FYPs) right now is Heated Rivalry, a Crave Original of the second book in the Game Changers series by romance writer Rachel Reid. Set in the world of professional hockey, Heated Rivalry spans a years-long covert romance between rival players Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) and Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams).
Not only is the series considered a remarkably faithful adaptation to the Heated Rivalry book, but creator Jacob Tierny also found a way to weave in the plot of the first novel, Game Changer, which tells the love story between New York Admirals captain Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) and the cute guy behind the smoothie counter, Kip Grady (Robbie G.K.).
The series has already been renewed for a second season by HBO Max, who picked up the show for US distribution.
Stream on HBO Max. The season finale airs on December 26 at 12am ET
Nick Briggs2/19Outlander (2014—2026)
What happens when a British Army nurse named Claire (Caitriona Balfe) accidentally travels from 1945 to 1743 Scotland? She falls in love with a young Highlander named Jamie (Sam Heughan). Each season of Outlander coincides with a novel from the bestselling book series by Diana Gabaldon, and the Starz program has been lauded for remaining faithful to the books—though even the changes have been pretty well-received by fans.
Stream the first seven seasons on Netflix. The final season begins airing on Starz on March 6, 2026.
Courtesy of Netflix.3/19Bridgerton (2020—Present)
From the iconic score to it's diverse casting choices, Bridgerton feels bigger and brighter than your typical regency-era drama, launching many of its cast to super-stardom. So, while the Netflix series is based on popular romance novels by Julia Quinn, its fair to say Bridgerton has taken on a life of its own under creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes. That being said, Bridgerton has kept the main pairings from the original books but has no problem swapping the order and taking major swings with the plot.
Stream the first three seasons on Netflix. The first four episodes of season four drops on January 29, 2026, while the second four hit Netflix on February 26, 2026.
©FX Networks/Courtesy Everett Collection4/19Shōgun (2024—Present)
Based on the historical fiction novel by James Clavell, this FX/Hulu series set in late 16th century Japan weaves together the stories of Japanese warrior Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), mysterious British sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), and interpreter Lady Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), who is torn between two worlds. While the series covers the events of book, it largely centers the “Japanese point of view” instead of focusing as much on Blackthorne's perspective.
Stream season one on Hulu
©Amazon/Courtesy Everett Collection5/19We Were Liars (2025—Present)
As soon as you hear that a book series is being adapted for television by Julie Plec and Carina Adly Mackenzie of The Vampire Diaries universe fame, you know you're in for a wild ride. And We Were Liars did not disappoint.
It's a multi-generational family melodrama mystery that unfolds over two timelines simultaneously, with a new plot twist in every episode. The show is adapted from the book by E. Lockhart, who also wrote the final episode. “I wrote a television version, and even though the same basic thing happens, it's paced differently. The action is built out, the drama is heightened, the reveals are done in a different way,” Lockhart told TVLine. “And there are some additional reveals that aren't in the book.”
Stream on Amazon
©Hulu/Courtesy Everett Collection6/19Tell Me Lies (2022—Present)
Hulu's adaptation of Tell Me Lies expands the world of the best-selling novel by Carola Lovering. While the book mainly focuses on the toxic romance between Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White)—jumping between present day and their early days at Baird College eight years earlier—the Hulu series fleshes out the book's supporting characters and adds new ones to create more of an ensemble drama.
These added storylines help extend the main plot of the book past one single season, as opposed to a more strict adaptation like One Day or Normal People.
Stream the first two seasons on Hulu. Season three premieres on January 13, 2026.
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©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection7/19Survival of the Thickest (2023—Present)
Basted on her memoir of the same name, comedian Michelle Buteau stars as Mavis Beaumont, a heartbroken woman looking to rebuild her life as a plus-size fashion stylist after a breakup. Unlike many of the shows on this list, Survival of the Thickest is not really a direct adaptation of the source material.
Instead, Buteau and co-creator Danielle Sanchez-Witzel take inspiration from the collection of essays about Buteau's life to inform the heart of their story.
Stream the first two seasons on Netflix
ERIKA DOSS8/19The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022—2025)
Isabel “Belly” Conklin may spend her summers at Cousins beach, but she's got a choice to make between two brothers—and it takes three seasons for her to figure it out.
Even if you haven't watched The Summer I Turned Pretty (or read the trilogy by Jenny Han), you probably know whether you're Team Jeremiah, Team Canorad, or Team Neither. While the series tends to divert from the source material, all of the changes are author-approved, considering the Amazon Prime series is helmed by Han as well.
Stream all three seasons on Amazon Prime—and read all about the upcoming movie here
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Netflix9/19You (2018—2025)
This entertaining Netflix thriller reveals the creepy undertones of our culture's favorite romance tropes. While You season one—which originally premiered on Lifetime—stuck pretty close to the 2014 novel by Caroline Kepnes, the storyline completely diverted from the book series by season three, when showrunner Sera Gamble decided to explore Joe Goldberg's (Penn Badgley) attempt at suburban fatherhood…until he found his next obsession, of course.
Stream all four seasons on Netflix
©Hulu / Courtesy: Everett Collection10/19The Handmaid's Tale (2017—2025)
It's hard to believe Margaret Atwood's 311-page dystopian novel published in 1985 spawned a six-season Hulu series that still feels so eerily relevant, but here we are. Of course, the Emmy-winning series was able to expand upon the subject matter, giving viewers a deeper understanding of Gilead, its prisoners, and how the events of the book came to pass. And if you can handle witnessing the abuse the handmaids suffer each season, it's one of the best Hulu shows created to date.
Stream all six seasons on Hulu
Samuel Dore/Netflix11/19Heartstopper (2022—2024)
Based on the romantic graphic novels by Alice Oseman, Heartstopper is a charming series follows Charlie Spring, a bullied gay teen with a sweet disposition, as he falls for his classmate Nick Nelson, a bisexual rugby-jock-with-a-heart-of-gold. Given that Oseman serves as a writer and executive producer on the series, the Heartstopper remains so true to the series that some moments are shot-by-shot recreations of her original comics.
Honestly, "massive heart" is the crux of this series, as it will make you extremely invested in the lives of these two boys, as well as their entire friend group. Though there is very important representation of mental health struggles and other serious themes, it's not often we get this much soft and joyful LGBTQ+ representation—and fans have been eating it up for three seasons.
Stream the first three seasons on Netflix. Though Heartstopper began as a television series, Netflix announced that it will wrap up with a feature film in lieu of a fourth season.
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Netflix12/19One Day (2024)
In the mood for romance but only have time for one season? Might I suggest One Day, the gut-wrenching Netflix adaptation of the best-selling novel by David Nicholls?
Just like the movie starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, Netflix's One Day checks back in with working-class writer Emma Morley (Ambika Mod) and Dexter Mayhew (Leo Woodall) on the same day every year for two decades, starting from the first time they met at university in 1988.
With 14 episodes, however, Netflix was able to flesh out the story even more than the film, which is sure to delight fans of the book…and make them cry that much harder.
Stream on Netflix
©BBCAmerica / Courtesy Everett Collection13/19Killing Eve (2018-2022)
We came for the incredible fashion, and stayed for the psychosexual tension between MI5 agent Eve (Sandra Oh) and the psychopathic contract killer she's alternately hunting and being hunted by, Villanelle (Jodie Comer).
Killing Eve was created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge from a series of novellas by Luke Jennings. “From the moment I read Luke’s novellas I was captivated by these two characters who were such polar opposites, their worlds were polar opposites, and yet they fixated on each other,” Waller-Bridge told BBC.
Stream on Netflix
©Hulu/Courtesy Everett Collection14/19Shrill (2019-2021)
Shrill wasn't adapted from a novel. Like Survival of the Thickest, it is actually a fictionalized version of a memoir by Lindy West called Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman. Starring SNL's Aidy Bryant, Shrill follows Annie (again, fictional) as she simply tries to exist in the world as a fat woman minding her own business.
Stream on Hulu
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©Hulu/Courtesy Everett Collection15/19Normal People (2020)
The Hulu mini-series remained as true to Sally Rooney's Normal People as it could possibly be without portraying Marianne and Connell's inner dialogues, though some argued Daisy Edgar-Jones was too “conventionally pretty” to play the high school version of Marianne that's bullied by her peers and ignored by Connell before her college glow-up. However, there's no denying Edgar-Jones's on-screen chemistry with Paul Mescal in the angsty romance that quickly propelled them both into Hollywood's upper echelons.
Stream on Hulu
©HBO/Courtesy Everett Collection16/19Lovecraft Country (2020)
HBO's gritty horror-fantasy series was never supposed to be a faithful adaptation of the 2016 novel by Matt Ruff. Instead, showrunner Misha Green described the book as "a beautiful jumping-off point" for her take on a Black family's search for a missing member across Jim Crow America in the 1950s.
“My strategy was to take all of its dope, cool stuff and write new dope, cool stuff,” she said in a Q&A with HBO. "The goal was to deepen the characters and the stories…At its core the show is a family drama. We had to dig into stuff that made us uncomfortable.”
It's fair to say the 10-episode series delivered emotional gut-punches that were just as hard, if not harder than the frights.
Stream on HBO Max
CHARLIE GRAY/NETFLIX17/19The Queen's Gambit (2020)
Set in the Cold War era, The Queen's Gambit follows Beth Harmon, an orphan and chess prodigy, whose skill at the game fuels her rise to fame and fortune. But addiction threatens to undo all of her success.
The Netflix miniseries, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, was adapted from the 1983 novel by William Tevis. The show was instantly a massive hit upon its 2020 release, and became Netflix's most-watched scripted limited series to date, per Variety.
Stream on Netflix
Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo18/19Game of Thrones (2011—2019)
Based on the fantasy world by George R.R. Martin, HBO's take on Game of Thrones was forced to find its own ending as the 77-year old author has yet to finish writing the book series. Though Martin told Forbes he gave GOT creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss the “major points” of his plans for the end of the series, he promised to make some “changes,” which should give some hope to fans that were let down by the show's grand finale.
Still, Game of Thrones took plenty of liberties with the story (such as aging up the Starks) that were definitely the right move, leading to one of the best TV adaptations of all time.
Stream all eight seasons on HBO Max, as well as its prequel, House of the Dragon
Steve Dietl/ Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection19/19The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
First published in 1959, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is a classic horror novel. When adapting it for Netflix, creator Mike Flanagan made several changes expanding on Jackson's story—including by making her protagonists into a family.
“We wanted to approach it carefully, and knew we’d have to substantially expand the characters in order to adapt it for television. I’ve always been drawn to familial horror, and this seemed like an excellent way to recontextualize a lot of what I loved about the book,” Flanagan told Vulture.
Stream on Netflix
