If you are anything like me, you might often find yourself completely obsessing over a book, longing more than anything for the story to hit the big screen so that you can continue to hyperfixate. Whether or not you are a bookworm, telephile, or both, here are 8 TV series based on iconic books for your next binge-watching session:
This TV series is based on the classic book series, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Set in the 19th century, Anne with an E tells the story of an orphaned girl named Anne Shirley who was adopted accidentally by two siblings living in the fictional Prince Edward Island town of Avonlea. However, this iconic reinterpretation embeds contemporary social issues into the classic narrative, resonating with current audiences as a coming-of-age story of a girl with a vast imagination and complex inner world.
Named after the first book, Game of Thrones is based on the fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. The epic fantasy tale is about the fight to sit upon the Iron Throne and control the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. With dragons, dark magic, humanoid ice creatures, giant wolves, let us say “winter is coming” if you watch this show.
BBC adapts Jane Austen’s iconic book, Pride and Prejudice, into a six-episode miniseries that is extremely loyal to the original story. Centering around an OG enemies-to-lovers dynamic, the narrative explores the trials and tribulations of Elizabeth Bennet and her four sisters as they navigate love and marriage within English high society of the early 1800s.
4. The Other Bennet Sister (2026)
In 2020, Janice Hadlow published a novel, inspired by Austen’s original story, that followed the overlooked, quiet, and bookish Bennet sister, Mary. Recently, this was adapted into a TV series, following Mary’s journey through finding independence, self-confidence, and love after living in the shadows of her sisters for most of her life.
Did you know that this legendary TV series is based on eight books written by Julia Quinn? The story follows the powerful, upperclass Bridgerton family and the endeavors of the eight siblings to find love in Regency England. The show diverges slightly in plot, and incorporates some more contemporary themes as well as modern pop songs reimagined as orchestral ballroom symphony.
The riveting TV series is actually based on Walter Tevis’ 1983 novel of the same name. The storyline centers around a female chess-prodigy, Beth Harmon, fighting to make a name for herself in the male dominated chess scene of the 1960s-1970s. The show not only portrays real chess technique, but also explores the complexity of the character and her childhood spent in an orphanage.
Based on the book series by Diana Gabaldon, this historical fantasy tells the story of Claire Randall, a World War II nurse that accidentally travels back in time to 1743 by touching a stone from the Craigh na Dun circle. The story centers around the Jacobite rising in 1745 and blends history, romance, and fantasy to create the iconic series.
8. One Hundred Years of Solitude (2024)
Finally, this list of TV series based on books would not be complete without this epic story that narrates seven generations of the Buendía family in the fictional town of Macondo. The original novel of the same name was written by Colombian author, Gabriel García Márquez, who used magical realism to explore themes of family, love, and fate.
About the author
Kika Jiménez Singer is a writer and editor from New York City and Havana. She is currently entering her fourth and final year as an English student at Brandeis University, where she is crafting her thesis on literature about the ocean and its relation to the Caribbean quotidian. Beyond reading and writing, she is a fashion-lover and obsessor of all things Soul, R&B, and Post Punk; she hosted a show titled “Eclectic Feels” on her college radio station. Previously, she interned at a Contemporary art gallery in NYC and then at a mosaic studio, Studio Cassio, while studying abroad in Rome.
