8 Books That Became TV Shows This Year
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There are tons of exciting new TV shows 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, 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.
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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
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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) after the tragic deaths of their parents. Season one covers the first four books 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
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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, Nicole Kidman) 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
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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
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The Handmaid's Tale
- What it's about: The Handmaid's Tale 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
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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
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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
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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 as Skloot herself.
- When it premiered: April 22 on HBO