7 TV Shows Based On Books You Should Watch Now
From “Station Eleven” to “All The Light We Cannot See”
By Katie Song
With the constant stream of content, it’s no surprise that production companies are turning to written work to inspire their own televised series. But hey, we aren’t complaining. Book-to-television adaptations have become the darlings of TV. Consider the commercial success of stories like Bridgerton and The Queen’s Gambit, both book adaptations that took the quarantined world by storm with a whopping 82 and 62 million streams on Netflix.
Ranging from the Emmy-nominated middle-age drama series Fleishman Is In Trouble to the British Academy-nominated drama television series Pachinko, this list embodies contemporary adaptive storytelling at its finest.
Here are seven new shows you should watch or are worth putting back on your radar, as well as the corresponding books you should read too. If you’re a fan of one, you’ll likely love the other.
1. All The Light We Cannot See (2023), available to stream on Netflix November 2, 2023
Based on All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (2014)
Image credits YouTube
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, this drama series follows the story of a blind French girl and a young German soldier whose paths collide in the final days of WWII. The winding story tackles themes of loyalty, technology, and able-bodiedness in its exploration of the lengths people are willing to go to in order to protect the ones they love. Both touching and heartbreaking, this series navigates the timeliness and complexity of war, violence, and hate through the hopeful lens of a younger generation.
2. Black Cake (2023), available to stream on Hulu November 1, 2023
Based on Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson (2022)
Image credits YouTube
Highly anticipated, this family drama meets murder mystery follows siblings Byron and Benny who are left to deal with the fallout of their mother’s death and their unusual inheritance: a traditional Caribbean black cake and a voice recording. In the message, their mother shares secrets from her past, a potential case of murder, and the story of a long-lost child. The series and novel explore heritage and identity, asking audiences and readers if knowing where we really come from––or lack thereof––has an impact on who we are.
3. Fleishman Is In Trouble (2022), streaming on Hulu
Based on Fleishman Is In Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (2019)
Image credits YouTube
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Claire Danes, Lizzy Caplan, and Adam Brody, this dramatic miniseries follows Toby Fleishman, a recently divorced hepatologist who is navigating singledom for the first time since college. As he juggles his surprisingly successful dating life, two children, and rekindling his college friendships, his ex-wife mysteriously disappears, leaving Toby to deal with the fallout of her absence as well as their marriage. The show and novel deal with themes of midlife crises, class anxiety, gender roles, and online dating––making it the perfect story for the modern man and woman.
4. Heartstopper (2022), streaming on Netflix
Based on Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (2016)
Image credits YouTube
Written and created by Oseman’s webcomic and novel of the same name, this British romantic comedy tells the story of Charlie Spring, a schoolboy who falls in love with his classmate Nick Nelson. Celebrated for its tone, pacing, and portrayal of the young queer community, Heartstopper incorporates the themes of a classic coming-of-age tale such as friendship, bullying, and mental health along with the special effects and artistic whimsy of the webcomic on which the show was based.
5. Pachinko (2022), streaming on Apple TV+
Based on Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (2017)
Image credits YouTube
Directed by Kogonada and Justin Chon and based on the National Book Award Finalist of the same name, Pachinko follows four generations of a Korean family from 1915 to 1989. The series spans the main character Sunja who leaves her family living in Korea under Japanese rule to fight for a better life. Both critically acclaimed, the series and novel grapple with themes of imperialism, motherhood, survival, and hope, bringing the horrors of the historical Japanese occupation of Korea to a wider audience.
6. Station Eleven (2021), streaming on Max
Based on Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (2014)
Image credits YouTube
Directed by acclaimed visionary Hiro Murai and nominated for seven Emmy Awards, Station Eleven takes place 20 years after a flu pandemic causes the collapse of civilization. The series, which discusses grief, loss, found family, and the power of art, follows a famous Hollywood actor and a traveling theater troupe back and forth in time. Spoiler alert: this series may hit quite close to home.
7. Tiny Beautiful Things (2023), streaming on Hulu
Based on Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed (2012)
Image credits YouTube
Starring Kathryn Hahn, who was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress, this series follows struggling writer Clare who reluctantly accepts the role as an advice columnist known as Dear Sugar despite her own life being in shambles. Her marriage is on its last leg, her daughter will barely talk to her, and her own writing career is practically non-existent. Through a closer look at her own life, Clare is able to pull out the beauty and humor that laces each of ours, reminding readers and audiences the virtue of tackling questions that seem to have no answers.
Posted October 17, 2023
