5 Television Series You May Not Have Realized Were Based On Books
They say there are no original ideas, anymore, and they're mostly right. But that doesn't mean that introducing characters and stories from the literary world to a whole new, wider audience is a bad thing. Below are a few examples of some great books (and some not-so great ones) that have been adapted for the small screen, with mixed results. If you have any you'd like to add, please feel free!
1. Dexter (2006-2013)
The hit Showtime series Dexter was based on the series written by Jeff Lindsay, beginning with Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004) and followed by Dearly Devoted Dexter (2005), Dexter in the Dark (2007), Dexter by Design (2009), Dexter is Delicious (2010), Double Dexter (2011) and finally Dexter's Final Cut (2013).
The series follows Dexter Morgan, a forensic blood spatter pattern analyst working for the Miami-Dade Police Department who harbours a deep, dark secret: he's a serial killer. He's no ordinary serial killer, though (because OF COURSE) - not quite vigilante, not quite hero; our protagonist's sinister urges were recognized very early on by his adoptive father (also a police officer), who helped hone his son's murderous needs for the purpose of hunting and killing the offenders of brutal crimes, who had unfortunately slipped through the cracks of the justice system. Aided by his sister Deborah (again, also a police officer, because PLOT), Dexter uses his unique set of skills to [mostly] quietly dispatch the baddies and protect the innocent. And oh yeah - he's got an internal alter-ego - his Dark Passenger, who prods him on and leads him in the right direction.
The television adaptation begins by following the books quite closely (the pilot episode itself being quite different than the rest of the series in several subtleties and representing a little less than half of the first novel); Dexter's Dark Passenger in the adaptation is quite cleverly represented in the form of an almost Obi-Wan Kenobi-esque version of his dead father who offers advice and direction. His sister Deborah and several other key players from the books also appear, greatly unchanged but with largely expanded roles and interconnected storylines.
If you loved and miss the television series (except for the terrible ending - I don't know ANYONE who actually liked the ending), I highly suggest you consider reading the novels; they're just different enough to help fill the void and add a little more depth to the characters you know and love.
2. Orange is the New Black (2013- )
The Netflix Original Series, Orange is the New Black, was loosely based on Piper Kerman's Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Woman's Prison, a Memoir (2011). Fans of the series may be a little surprised to discover (as I was) how different the book actually is to the television adaptation.
The web-streaming series is actually a complex, delicious salsa layered dip of interpersonal relationships, internal politics, character development, emotional struggle and the intricacies of Piper Chapman's life inside the Litchfield Correctional Facility for Women. There's crime, drama, sex, intrigue and more sass than you can shake a filed-down toothbrush at.
Piper Kerman's version of events at the Danbury Women's Correctional Facility as described in the book is actually more "Girl gets sentenced to minimum-security prison, girl actually has a pretty good time, girl gets released". Most of the characters from the book do not appear in the series (and vice versa), and those who do are either mentioned in passing or are an amalgamation of a few other minor characters. Red is clearly based on "Pop", Pensatucky appears quite prominently, and well-rounded characters from the series such as Sophia (Vanessa in the book) and Suzanne Crazy-Eyes Warren (masterfully played by Uzo Aduba) barely get a passing mention.
That being said, I really enjoyed both the book and the series, for different reasons. The book was a very earnest and well-written account of a fish out of water, and I honestly couldn't put the damn thing down.
3. The Walking Dead (2010- )
OK, let's just jump right in. Based on Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead comic series which began in 2003 and is still going strong, I think this one has drummed up the most controversy amongst fans of both platforms. In fact, I have some friends who won't even talk about the AMC series, because REASONS.
Sure, there are some characters which don't appear in the live-action series and vice-versa, and some of the storylines are either vastly different or don't happen at all - but at its core it the SAME story.
I'm a big fan of both and really prefer that they're different entities - having stayed up reading the comics until my eyes bled, I personally was relieved that the AMC series didn't follow the comics to the letter. That way, there were still tons of twists, turns and surprises that I could look forward to each episode or season, without spoiling my love of the books.
The books themselves are raw, gory and taught with emotion and exploration of the human condition and survival in its most primal form. There's suicide, violence, gang-rape, cannibalism, starvation, cruelty... but also love, friendship, compassion, trust (or lack thereof), generosity and hope. Beautifully written and illustrated, they kept me up at night and stirred my imagination - making me question the "what ifs" in my life.
The television series is clearly produced for this generation's hunger for witnessing strife and drama from an almost voyeuristic perspective, however its themes stay true to the comics' cannonistic heart and soul.
These clearly aren't the Archie comics of your youth, y'all. Not since LOST has a television series sparked such conversation and intelligent debate, at least amongst my peers.
4. Pretty Little Liars (2010- )
Pretty Little Liars was based on the young-adult series by author Sara Shepard's 2006 novel of the same name, which then led to a slew of literary sequels.
The books could almost be considered tame in comparison to the television series, which contains so many twists, turns, drama and backstabbing (read: bullying) that as a viewer I'm totally convinced that they're making it all up as they go along and that even the writers have no idea what's actually going down. Seriously, I'd hate to be the continuity person on this show - and I live for continuity.
I read the first novel after binge-watching several seasons of the ABC series and was actually pretty disappointed. Sure, the books are intended for a group way under my age demographic, but I'm a sucker for reading source material. The tiniest hints of scandal from the books was blown so far out of proportion in the television adaptation that I was literally rolling my eyes during some of the parts that actually mirrored the content of the novel.
I honestly gave up on the show sometime during its fourth season, because I was frustrated by the fact that it was all stick and no carrot. Who is "A"? Who CARES, anymore?
Still - the show has a devoted fanbase of both drama-hungry teens and adults, so it must be doing something right.
5. True Blood (2008-2014)
True Blood is based on the series of Fantasy/Mystery/Gothic Romance Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris, beginning with 2001's Dead Until Dark. They follow the adventures of Southern telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse in her very-real world of vampires, fairies, werewolves (starting to sound familiar?) based in the back swamps of Bon Temps, Louisiana.
The television series' title is derived from a brand of synthetic blood called Tru Blood, which was developed so that the world's vampires would quit munching on people. The show itself is dark, sexy, mysterious and very, very tongue-in-cheek; enough to rival any ridiculous soap opera you could ever imagine. But it has boatloads of sex, violence, nudity and strong language (all good things) - so of course it has a massive following.
I honestly haven't read any of the books, so I won't even try to compare them to the HBO series - however I was genuinely entertained for several seasons until things got a little too far out there for me to wrap my head around, and I lost interest.
If any of you have read the books, please feel free to comment below and express your thoughts on the subject.
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