More than ever, television producers are turning to books for their source material. Often, the shows that result get it all wrong and mangle the tomes they’re based on.
But occasionally, they strike gold — like with “Big Little Lies” by Australian author Liane Moriarty. The first season of the murder-mystery, starring Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and company, was so successful that HBO ordered another season with Meryl Streep joining the fun.
Here are some examples — in addition to “Big Little Lies — where the marriage between books and TV succeeded. To curb the list, we’ve stuck to fictional page-turners, so a memoir such as “Orange Is the New Black” doesn’t qualify.
“Game of Thrones (HBO)
George R.R. Martin once believed that his fantastical tale — stuffed with countless characters, epic battles, castles and dragons — was too expensive and expansive to film. But executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, bolstered by TV’s biggest budget, not only proved him wrong, but zoomed past the events of his novels. Along the way, they shattered our notions of what TV could be.
“Killing Eve” (BBC America)
British author Luke Jennings wanted to have some fun and turn the espionage thriller genre on its head with his “Codename Villanelle” novella series about two mutually obsessed women — one a brainy MI-6 agent and the other a sociopathic assassin. Adapted for TV by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”), it quickly became a fast-paced, sexy, suspenseful and hilarious hit.
“Outlander” (Starz)
On-screen characters aren’t always what the author envisioned. But from the start, Diana Gabaldon loved the casting of Caitriona Balfe (Claire) and Sam Heughan (Jamie) in TV’s version of her time-traveling historical novels. “They are much, much better than I thought they would be,” she said. “I didn’t believe this was actually possible.”
“The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu)
Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel about a dystopian era in which women are treated as property of the state has a chilling resonance in the #MeToo era. Elisabeth Moss earned an Emmy Award for her blistering portrayal of Offred, a “handmaid” who strikes out against the restrictions imposed on her.
“A Series of Unfortunate Events” (Netflix)
The 2004 feature film starring Jim Carrey was an unfortunate misfire. Luckily, this spellbinding adaptation of Daniel Handler’s Lemony Snicket stories is superior in nearly every way. The production values are eye-boggling, and Neil Patrick Harris shines as the dastardly Count Olaf, who schemes to separate the Baudelaire siblings from their inheritance.
