In recent years, Netflix has undoubtedly become the definitive media company of the 21stcentury, and the streaming giant has achieved great success in transforming words to screen, with more than a dozen of its original productions being inspired by books or graphic novels.
With this in mind, is television the perfect medium to bring a book to screen? With a longer running time than a film, a Netflix series can convey a novel's rich details without sacrificing plot line, as well as having more time to strongly develop character identity and backstories. I’ve definitely enjoyed many shows that have drawn inspiration from books I’d already read, and not all of these have come from just Netflix. For example, in 2017 Maraget Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale was adapted for the small screen by another streaming service named Hulu. In the UK, Channel 4 (a British public-service television channel) picked up the series and aired the episodes weekly. We’ve just finished season 3 over here and it’s for sure my favourite show on television right now. Season 4 is expected to drop sometime around summer 2020.
With this in mind, is television the perfect medium to bring a book to screen? With a longer running time than a film, a Netflix series can convey a novel's rich details without sacrificing plot line, as well as having more time to strongly develop character identity and backstories. I’ve definitely enjoyed many shows that have drawn inspiration from books I’d already read, and not all of these have come from just Netflix. For example, in 2017 Maraget Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale was adapted for the small screen by another streaming service named Hulu. In the UK, Channel 4 (a British public-service television channel) picked up the series and aired the episodes weekly. We’ve just finished season 3 over here and it’s for sure my favourite show on television right now. Season 4 is expected to drop sometime around summer 2020.
In late 2018 the BBC created a new epic mini series of Les Miserables, the latest adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic story of love, injustice and redemption. This was a fantastic series, and it was wonderful to see the BBC really rising up to hold their own alongside other big budget productions from Netflix, Amazon and other award-winning TV shows, movies, documentaries, and more. Another great example is Killing Eve, a drama television series produced by BBC America which draws inspiration from Luke Jennings’ Killing Eve novels.
Whether it's on the big or small screen, what's your favourite adaptation inspired by a book? Let me know your recommended viewing.
Whether it's on the big or small screen, what's your favourite adaptation inspired by a book? Let me know your recommended viewing.