34 Must-Read Books Becoming TV Shows in 2021

Updated on 3/12/2021 at 4:25 PM

Prepare yourselves, readers, because a whole lot of your favorite books are becoming TV shows in 2021. Thanks to the launch of new streaming services like HBO Max, the number of book-based TV shows appears to be on the rise, which is good news for adaptation fans. The coming year is set to bring books by the likes of Liane Moriarty, Stephen King, and Jessica Goodman to the small screen — in addition to the shows that have already come out. And there's a bevy of YA and graphic-novel-inspired shows coming your way as well, including the highly anticipated Gossip Girl reboot. If you love reading books before you see Hollywood's interpretation, dive into the titles on this list right now — because trust us, there are a whole lot of books about to be added to your 2021 TBR list.

— Additional reporting by Maggie Panos

The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett

What it's about: The Watch is a loose adaptation of Terry Pratchett's beloved (and expansive) Discworld novels. The series will follow the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, which is essentially the fantasy equivalent of a police squad.
Who's starring: Richard Dormer, Matt Berry, Lara Rossi, and Anna Chancellor
Watch the trailer for The Watch.
Read The Discworld Series.
Release date: Jan. 3 on BBC America

Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Thief by Maurice LeBlanc

What it's about: Gentleman thief Arsène Lupin gets the live-action treatment in Netflix's modern adaptation of the classic novel. The series follows a man who discovers a mysterious books that grants him wealth, and potentially multiple lives.
Who's starring: Omar Sy and Vincent Londez
Watch the trailer for Lupin.
Read Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Thief.
Release date: Jan. 8 on Netflix

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

What it's about: A young veterinarian moves to Yorkshire, England, to treat the community's animals, but he ends up offering plenty of advice to their owners as well in this period drama.
Who's starring: Nicholas Ralph, Anna Madeley, Diana Rigg, and Matthew Lewis
Watch the trailer for All Creatures Great and Small.
Read All Creatures Great and Small.
Release date: Jan. 10 on PBS

Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson

What it's about: Facing a content drought, The CW imported Canadian series Trickster, which focuses on an indigenous teen whose world is rocked by a mysterious stranger who reveals he has a magical heritage.
Who's starring: Joel Oulette, Crystle Lightning, and Kalani Queypo
Watch the trailer for Trickster.
Read The Son of a Trickster.
Release date: Jan. 12 on The CW

Resident Alien by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse

What it's about: After an alien crash lands on Earth, he passes himself off as a doctor in a small town in this series based on the comics by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse.
Who's starring: Alan Tudyk, Sara Tomko, and Corey Reynolds
Watch the trailer for Resident Alien.
Read Resident Alien.
Release date: Jan. 27 on SyFy

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

What it's about: Kristin Hannah's beloved novel (one of two in the series) follows the lifelong friendship of two 40-year-old women, Tully and Kate, who have been friends since they were 14.
Who's starring: Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke
Watch the trailer for Firefly Lane.
Read Firefly Lane.
Release date: Feb. 3 on Netflix

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

What it's about: CBS hasn't directly adapted The Silence of the Lambs, but Clarice puts the focus on Clarice Starling's return to work six months after the events of the movie and book.
Who's starring: Rebecca Breeds, Kal Penn, and Michael Cudlitz
Watch the trailer for Clarice.
Read The Silence of the Lambs.
Release date: Feb. 11 on CBS

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

What it's about: A single mother finds herself embroiled in a dangerous game when she becomes torn between the affair she's having with her psychiatrist boss and her bond with his wife in this thriller series.
Who's starring: Eve Hewson, Simona Brown, and Tom Bateman
Watch the trailer for Behind Her Eyes.
Read Behind Her Eyes.
Release date: Feb. 17 on Netflix

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

What it's about: A small town held together by a collective love for hockey is divided when a grisly crime occurs.
Who's starring: Ulf Stenberg, Miriam Ingrid, and Aliette Opheim
Watch the trailer for Beartown.
Read Beartown.
Release date: Feb. 22 on HBO

The One by John Marrs

What it's about: Set in the near-future, The One explores several London residents who have met their matches — literally. A revolutionary test pairs you with your "perfect" match, but not everyone feels sparks.
Who's starring: Hannah Ware, Zoë Tapper, and Eric Kofi-Abrefa
Watch the trailer for The One.
Read The One.
Release date: March 12 on Netflix

Yes Day! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld

What it's about: What happens to a family when the parents have to say "yes" to everything the kids what to do for an entire day? Chaos, of course.
Who's starring: Jennifer Garner, Jenna Ortega, and Edgar Ramírez
Watch the trailer for Yes Day.
Read Yes Day!.
Release date: March 12 on Netflix

Made For Love by Alissa Nutting

What it's about: This dark comedy is an unconventional story of a crumbling marriage. After 10 years spent trapped in a terrible marriage, a woman named Hazel goes on the run from her tech billionaire husband — the only trouble is he planted a high-tech tracking device in her brain.
Who's starring: Cristin Milioti and Ray Romano
Watch the trailer for Made For Love.
Read Made For Love.
Release date: April 1 on HBO Max

Worn Stories by Emily Spivack

What it's about: Netflix has adapted Emily Spivack's beloved collection of vignettes about clothes that are more than, well, clothes.
Who's starring: Real people!
Watch the trailer for Worn Stories.
Read Worn Stories.
Release date: April 1 on Netflix

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

What it's about: Netflix is combining Leigh Bardugo's two Grishaverse series Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows into one epic fantasy show about a young soldier named Alina, who discovers she possesses a power that could unite her country.
Who's starring: Jessie Mei, Ben Barnes, Freddy Carter, and Amita Suman
Watch the trailer for Shadow and Bone.
Read Shadow and Bone.
Release date: April 23 on Netflix

Jupiter's Legacy by Mark Millar and Wilfredo Torres

What it's about: What happens when the world's superheroes need to retire? Their kids have to step up to save the planet. Think of this like Descendants meets Spy Kids.
Who's starring: Josh Duhamel, Leslie Bibb, and Elena Kampouris
Watch the trailer for Jupiter's Legacy.
Read Jupiter's Legacy.
Release date: May 7 on Netflix

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

What it's about: Adapted by Barry Jenkins for Amazon, The Underground Railroad is the story of Cora Randall, a widow who flees the Antebellum South through an intricate train system running beneath the Southern states.
Who's starring: Thuso Mbedu, Chase W. Dillon, and Joel Edgerton
Watch the trailer for The Underground Railroad.
Read The Underground Railroad.
Release date: May 14 on Amazon Prime Video

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

What it's about: Four brilliant orphans are placed undercover in an elite and mysterious boarding school by a wealthy benefactor in Hulu's upcoming series.
Who's starring: Tony Hale, Kristen Schaal, MaameYaa Boafo, and Ryan Hurst
Read The Mysterious Benedict Society.
Release date: June 25 on Disney+

Lisey's Story by Stephen King

What it's about: Apple TV+ is bringing King's eerie Lisey's Story to life with a star-studded cast. The miniseries will follow a widow who becomes the target of a stalker who is obsessed with her late husband's work.
Who's starring: Julianne Moore, Clive Owen, and Joan Allen
Read Lisey's Story.
Release Date: Summer on Apple TV+

Chasing Hillary by Amy Chozick

What it's about: Netflix and The Vampire Diaries showrunner Julie Plec are adapting Chasing Hillary into Girls on the Bus for Netflix. The series focuses on four women journalists who follow Hillary Clinton during her failed presidential campaigns.
Who's starring: TBA
Read Chasing Hillary.
Release date: TBA on Netflix

Dopesick by Beth Macy

What it's about: Written by Danny Strong, Hulu's Dopesick miniseries will take on the opioid crisis in America from multiple viewpoints, including the small towns it poisons, the DEA officers who work the cases, and the big pharmaceutical companies that feed people's addictions.
Who's starring: Michael Keaton, Kaitlyn Dever, and Will Poulter
Read Dopesick.
Release date: TBA on Hulu

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

What it's about: Amazon is adapting Robert Jordan's sprawling The Wheel of Time series into an intricate fantasy show in the vein of Game of Thrones. The first season is set to focus on a magic user named Moiraine, who is searching for the reincarnation of a great hero.
Who's starring: Rosamund Pike, Josha Stradowski, Marcus Rutherford, Zoë Robins, and Barney Harris
Read The Eye of the World.
Release date: TBA on Amazon Prime Video

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

What it's about: Apple TV+'s epic sci-fi series follows a group of exiles called The Foundation, who are fighting to save the Galactic Empire from total destruction.
Who's starring: Jared Harris, Lee Pace, and Laura Birn
Watch the trailer for Foundation.
Read Foundation.
Release date: TBA on Apple TV+

Gone For Good by Harlan Coben

What it's about: Ten years after the death of his first love and his brother, Guillaume Lucchesi's current partner, Judith, goes missing, forcing him to revisit his family's darkest secrets in the latest adaptation of a Harlan Coben novel.
Who's starring: Finnegan Oldfield, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Guillaume Gouix, and Garance Marillier
Read Gone For Good.
Release date: TBA on Netflix

Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar

What it's about: HBO Max is bringing Gossip Girl back for a brand-new generation of Upper East Siders with plenty of secrets they don't want the world to know about. The new series is set eight years after the original series finale, but it will feature a new cast of characters.
Who's starring: Emily Alyn Lind, Whitney Peak, Eli Brown, and Kristen Bell is returning as the voice of Gossip Girl.
Read Gossip Girl.
Release date: TBA on HBO Max

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

What it's about: Everyone's favorite child spy Harriet is getting her very own animated series on Apple TV+.
Who's starring: Beanie Feldstein, Jane Lynch, and Lacey Chabert
Read Harriet the Spy.
Release date: TBA on Apple TV+

Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

What it's about: David E. Kelley is teaming up with Netflix for this drama about a British politician who is accused of rape, and his wife, who is convinced that he's innocent.
Who's starring: Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery, and Rupert Friend
Read Anatomy of a Scandal.
Release date: TBA on Netflix

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

What it's about: Big Little Lies showrunner David E. Kelley is reteaming with Nicole Kidman for the upcoming miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers. The series is set at a wellness spa where nine city dwellers take part in an intensive treatment they never expected.
Who's starring: Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans, Regina Hall, and Bobby Cannavale
Read Nine Perfect Strangers.
Release date: TBA on Hulu

The Old Man by Thomas Perry

What it's about: A retired CIA agent is living off the grid when he gets pulled back into his old life by an assassin sent to kill him in Hulu and FX's The Old Man.
Who's starring: Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, Amy Brenneman, and Alia Shawkat
Read The Old Man.
Release date: TBA on Hulu

Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter

What it's about: A young woman's world is rocked when an afternoon of violence changes her perception of her mother for good in Netflix's adaptation of Karin Slaughter's intense novel.
Who's starring: Toni Collette, Bella Heathcote, and David Wenham
Read Pieces of Her.
Release date: TBA on Netflix

The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford

What it's about: The BBC and Amazon are teaming up for The Pursuit of Love, a romantic period drama set between the two World Wars.
Who's starring: Lily James, Andrew Scott, and Dominic West
Read Pursuit of Love.
Release date: TBA on Amazon Prime Video

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

What it's about: Set across multiple timelines, HBO Max's Station Eleven is a postapocalyptic series set after a flu-like virus has swept through the world. The series will focus on the survivors who try to hold onto the things that make life worth living, including the arts.
Who's starring: Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, David Wilmot, and Matilda Lawler
Read Station Eleven.
Release date: TBA on HBO Max

They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman

What it's about: Renamed The Players Table for TV, the series follows a young woman at a Long Island prep school who is trying to solve the mystery surrounding her best friend's death from within the school's secret society. The Player's Table hasn't found a streaming home just yet, but with singer Halsey set to star, there should be news on that front soon.
Who's starring: Sydney Sweeney and Halsey
Read They Wish They Were Us.
Release date: TBA on HBO Max

Tokyo Vice by Jake Adelstein

What it's about: HBO Max's crime drama will follow the life of an American reporter who works the police beat in Japan.
Who's starring: Ansel Elgort, Ken Watanabe, and Rachel Keller
Read Tokyo Vice.
Release date: TBA on HBO Max

Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan

What it's about: After many delays, FX and Hulu's adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan's Y: The Last Man comic-book series is finally on track for a 2021 release. Set after an apocalypse wipes out Earth's entire male population, the series follows the world's last man and his monkey.
Who's starring: Ben Schnetzer, Ashley Romans, and Olivia Thirlby
Read Y: The Last Man.
Release date: TBA on Hulu