TV Shows That Are Better Than The Books

5 TV Shows Better Than the Novels They Are Based On

It is not a rare occurrence to see best-selling novels turned into another medium. Sometimes it is a feature film, other times a TV movie or series. Unfortunately, not all of them translate to the screen as well as they are in the written word. Heck, just look at pretty much any Stephen King big-screen adaptation, right constant reader?

But there have been a number of times when the TV show was as good, if not better than the book it was based on. They may have stream-lined specific long-winded events from the book, added (or subtracted) a key character, or combined different narratives. There are a number of changes, subtle or in one’s face, that can turn a solid book into a riveting TV watch.

We have found five cases where that is true. So, here are five TV shows that are better than the books they are based on.

The Leftovers

Tom Perrotta wrote the novel, The Leftovers, a dozen years ago. Three years later, HBO adapted the TV show. Damon Lindelof (Lost) and Perrotta himself created the series which tells the story of 2% of the world’s population suddenly vanishing without a trace.

Admittedly, the first season of The Leftovers played out pretty much like the novel. It was a strong narrative piece (the series) but the episodes were often unfriendly and dark, which left viewers with a bad taste. It wasn’t until Lindelof and Perrotta were able to move away from the book that the series began to truly find its footing and take off.

The Leftovers

The second and third seasons of The Leftovers introduced new and compelling characters, buoyed by the presence of Regina King’s addition. And the cast was better able to balance themes surrounding faith, grief, and life better than they were during the first season.

It was a perfect example of the writer’s understanding of where the material should go and how to take advantage of a well-written novel.

Dexter

Who doesn’t love themselves a tasty helping of Dexter? The TV series ran for eight seasons and starred Michael C. Hall as our favorite serial killer, one who solves the trickiest of crimes during the day, then changes his clothes to become the notorious serial killer.

Did you know, though, that the TV show Dexter was actually based on a series of eight Jeff Lindsay novels that began with Darkly Dreaming Dexter? Both the TV series and the novels followed Dexter Morgan who, at the young age of three, was witness to his mother’s brutal murder by a chainsaw.

Dexter

As he grew into a young adult, his adoptive father could see Dexter’s trauma. Instead of getting him help, he decided to foster Dexter’s sociopath tendencies, teaching him to channel this bloodlust through vigilantism.

The books are nothing to scoff at, but the series truly showcased Dexter the way he was meant to be seen. Hall shined as the title character, displaying both sympathy for the dead and a relentless desire to seek revenge on any criminal slipping through the cracks.

Outlander

Here is another fantastic TV show you might not have known was a novel series. The novels, written by Diana Gabaldon, began in 1991 with Outlander and continued on for seven more books through 2014. After a seven-year break, Gabaldon returned with her ninth book in the Outlander series, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone.

We may be splitting hairs with this one because the book series is such a compelling read, which only goes to show you just how special the TV series has become.

The series is developed by Ronald Moore, he of Battlestar Galactica fame, and tells the story of Claire Randall, a World War II nurse who, while visiting Scotland with her husband, gets transported back in time while on the Craigh na Dun standing stones.

Outlander

What makes this series, especially its first season, so special is that female-centric romance novels can be had easily in novel form. But on television, it is much harder to find, especially given the time-travel, science-fiction aspect of the story. This is definitely great TV that will see season 7 premiere on June 16, 2023.

The Handmaid's Tale

When the Elizabeth Moss-led The Handmaid’s Tale hit the airwaves in 2017, the series was a faithful rendition of the 1985 Margaret Atwood novel. Both the TV show and the novel told the story of a dystopian America following the Second American Civil War.

Society is facing a declining birthrate, forcing fertile women (who are called handmaids) into bearing children for the wealthy men whose wives are barren.

One of the things that makes the TV show better than the novel is the simple fact that the book was written in the mid- ‘80s so the series has been updated to give it a more current feel for events and more modern technology.

The Handmaid's Tale

Another big difference between the novel and the series is that the series offers more suspense and mystery. Atwood left readers with a lot more ambiguity, leaving some things not as well spelled out also without giving many details. She also left readers on a cliffhanger, which some love, while others wanted the story wrapped up. The final season of The Handmaid’s Tale will arrive in early 2024 and fans are hoping it doesn’t come with a cliffhanger ending.

Game of Thrones

This one is probably the most talked-about TV series in the history of television. From its over-the-top gratuitous violence to its over-the-top sexual violence, The Game of Thrones series has done more for the sales of the George R. R. Martin novels than anything.

The series, based on Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice set of novels, took viewers by surprise and by storm and other than the series finale, did not disappoint.

Seeing is believing, and that could be the main difference between what Martin has on the written page versus what fans can actually see on the screen. Martin’s prose has a way of pulling the reader in, he is very engaging and inventive, and turning his words into pictures takes a major effort, one that the production team and ensemble cast have performed to perfection.

Reading about the gratuitous violence is one thing, but seeing it offers a whole new perspective, one that is oft-times gut-wrenching.

Game of Thrones

Now, we aren’t saying to not give Martin’s impressive prose a shot, he has five completed novels with the promise of two more – The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, each without a release date – so there is a lot to take in.

But it is the TV show, created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, that truly is one of the best books to TV series translations on the market. You may just have to forgive them for that terribly mishandled series finale.