There are tons of exciting new TV shows [1] this year. There's plenty of entertainment to keep us on the couch in sweatpants for months on end, and it should come as no surprise that a good handful are actually just adaptations of beloved books. Much like the movie industry likes to cull literary hits for the big screen [2], it seems TV networks have started to take a page from the same book . . . literally. Check out all the 2017 TV shows that started out as chapters and words.
Emerald City
- What it's about: Based on L. Frank Baum's classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, this is a dark interpretation of the whimsical land's central metropolis. Yep, that's Glinda (Joely Richardson) up there.
- When it premiered: Jan. 6 on NBC
A Series of Unfortunate Events
- What it's about: The tragic string of circumstances that befall the Baudelaire orphans, who are at the mercy of the evil Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris [6]) after the tragic deaths of their parents. Season one covers the first four books [7] of the ASOUE book series by Lemony Snicket: The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, The Wide Window, and The Miserable Mill.
- When it premiered: Jan. 13 on Netflix
Big Little Lies
- What it's about: This adaptation comes from the novel of the same name, written by Liane Moriarty. It focuses on a trio of mothers (Laura Dern, Reese Witherspoon [8], Nicole Kidman [9]) in Monterey, CA, who try to keep it together as a grisly murder threatens to dismantle their perfect lives.
- When it premiered: Feb. 19 on HBO
13 Reasons Why
- What it's about: A teenager named Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) who receives a series of cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford), a classmate who recently committed suicide. The YA novel by Jay Asher garnered critical acclaim when it was published in 2007.
- When it premiered: March 31 on Netflix
The Handmaid's Tale
- What it's about: The Handmaid's Tale [12] is a classic literary masterpiece by Margaret Atwood. It focuses on a dystopian society where women must give up their names and men treat them more like objects than actual human beings.
- When it premiered: April 26 on Hulu
American Gods
- What it's about: Neil Gaiman's sweeping high fantasy novel quickly developed a cult following when it was published in 2001. It follows an ex-convict named Shadow (Ricky Whittle) who finds himself smack dab at the center of an epic war between the Old Gods and the New Gods.
- When it premiered: April 30 on Starz
Girlboss
- What it's about: Girlboss is actually the biography of Sophia Amoruso, the founder, CEO, and creative director of the brand Nasty Gal. It's the story of Amoruso as a troubled young girl (Britt Robertson) who spends her teens and 20s hitchhiking, committing petty theft, and scrounging dumpsters . . . until she gets an idea that changes her life.
- When it premiered: April 21 on Netflix
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
- What it's about: The HeLa cell line is one of the most important medical discoveries of the modern age . . . and it came from Henrietta Lacks. Rebecca Skloot, a young journalist who befriended Lacks, penned the book as an attempt to shine a spotlight on such a remarkable woman. Rose Byrne will star [15] as Skloot herself.
- When it premiered: April 22 on HBO