Best TV Show Based on Book
by Kirk-Picard | created - 03 Jan 2017 | updated - 17 Feb 2017 | PublicA TV show has the benefit of being much more long form, and therefore a great place to showcase something based on a book or a series of books. With television adaptations of books writers have the ability to develop character properly and the audience have the ability to learn love and live with characters for the long haul, just like in a novel or series of novels.
Which is your favorite TV show based on a book?
Discuss here
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Game of Thrones (2011–2019)
18A | 57 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
Stars: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey
Votes: 1,690,241
Book/Novel Source -
George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series
2. Outlander (2014– )
13+ | 64 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
An English combat nurse from 1945 is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743.
Stars: Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Duncan Lacroix, Sophie Skelton
Votes: 113,695
Book/Novel Source -
1991 Diana Gabaldon novel of the same name.
3. M*A*S*H (1972–1983)
25 min | Comedy, Drama, War
The staff of an Army hospital in the Korean War find that laughter is the best way to deal with their situation.
Stars: Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swit, Jamie Farr
Votes: 48,975
Book/Novel Source -
1968 Richard Hooker & W.C. Heinz novel of the same name
4. Dexter (2006–2013)
18A | 53 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
By day, mild-mannered Dexter is a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami police. But at night, he is a serial killer who only targets other murderers.
Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, James Remar
Votes: 626,238
Book/Novel Source -
2004 Jeff Lindsay novel, Darkly Dreaming Dexter
5. Hannibal (2013–2015)
18A | 44 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
Explores the early relationship between renowned psychiatrist, Hannibal Lecter, and his patient, a young FBI criminal profiler, who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers.
Stars: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Laurence Fishburne
Votes: 218,238
Book/Novel Source -
1999 Thomas Harris novel of the same name.
6. Sherlock (2010–2017)
14A | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London.
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs, Rupert Graves
Votes: 770,400
Book/Novel Source -
Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes book series
7. Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019)
13+ | 59 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Convicted of a decade old crime of transporting drug money to an ex-girlfriend, normally law-abiding Piper Chapman is sentenced to a year and a half behind bars to face the reality of how life-changing prison can really be.
Stars: Taylor Schilling, Danielle Brooks, Taryn Manning, Emma Myles
Votes: 272,999
Book/Novel Source -
2010 Piper Kerman book, Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison
8. Bones (2005–2017)
PG | 40 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan and cocky F.B.I. Special Agent Seeley Booth build a team to investigate murders. Quite often, there isn't more to examine than rotten flesh or mere bones.
Stars: Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz, Michaela Conlin, T.J. Thyne
Votes: 135,068
Book/Novel Source -
Kathy Reichs's Temperance Brennan book series
9. House of Cards (2013–2018)
14A | 51 min | Drama
A Congressman works with his equally conniving wife to exact revenge on the people who betrayed him.
Stars: Kevin Spacey, Michel Gill, Robin Wright, Kate Mara
Votes: 453,823
Book/Novel Source -
1989 Michael Dobbs novel of the same name
10. The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017)
14+ | 43 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
The lives, loves, dangers and disasters in the town, Mystic Falls, Virginia. Creatures of unspeakable horror lurk beneath this town as a teenage girl is suddenly torn between two vampire brothers.
Stars: Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham
Votes: 272,986
Book/Novel Source -
L.J. Smith's book series of the same name
11. Friday Night Lights (2006–2011)
44 min | Drama, Sport
A drama that follows the lives of the Dillon Panthers, one of the nation's best high school football teams, and their head coach Eric Taylor.
Stars: Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Zach Gilford, Aimee Teegarden
Votes: 54,241
Book/Novel Source -
1990 Buzz Bissinger book, Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream
12. The 100 (2014– )
PG | 43 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Set ninety-seven years after a nuclear war has destroyed civilization, when a spaceship housing humanity's lone survivors sends one hundred juvenile delinquents back to Earth, in hopes of possibly re-populating the planet.
Stars: Eliza Taylor, Bob Morley, Marie Avgeropoulos, Isaiah Washington
Votes: 198,215
Book/Novel Source -
Kass Morgan's book series of the same name
13. Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014)
18A | 55 min | Crime, Drama, History
An Atlantic City politician plays both sides of the law by conspiring with gangsters during the Prohibition era.
Stars: Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham
Votes: 167,683
Book/Novel Source -
2002 Nelson Johnson book, Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City
14. Sex and the City (1998–2004)
14A | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Four female New Yorkers gossip about their sex lives (or lack thereof) and find new ways to deal with being a woman in the late 1990s.
Stars: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon
Votes: 102,354
Book/Novel Source -
1997 Candace Bushnell book of the same name
15. Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017)
14A | 44 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Four friends band together against an anonymous foe who threatens to reveal their darkest secrets, while also investigating the disappearance of their best friend.
Stars: Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell
Votes: 148,386
Book/Novel Source -
Sara Shepard's book series of the same name
16. Justified (2010–2015)
14A | 44 min | Action, Crime, Drama
U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens's reassigned from Miami to his childhood home in the poor, rural coal mining towns in eastern Kentucky.
Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy, Joelle Carter, Jacob Pitts
Votes: 82,843
Book/Novel Source -
Elmore Leonard novels Pronto and Riding the Rap
17. Gossip Girl (2007–2012)
14A | 42 min | Drama, Romance
Privileged teens living on the Upper East Side of New York can hide no secret from the ruthless blogger who is always watching.
Stars: Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Ed Westwick
Votes: 147,906
Book/Novel Source -
Cecily von Ziegesar's book series of the same name
18. Suburgatory (2011–2014)
PG | 22 min | Comedy
Tessa Altman is used to the big city but when her dad moves her away, she has to adapt to her new suburban life in Chatswin.
Stars: Jeremy Sisto, Jane Levy, Carly Chaikin, Allie Grant
Votes: 30,111
Book/Novel Source -
2011 Linda erin Keenan book, Suburgatory: Twisted Tales from Darkest Suburbia
19. Roswell (1999–2002)
42 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
The lives of three young alien/human hybrids with extraordinary gifts in Roswell.
Stars: Shiri Appleby, Jason Behr, Katherine Heigl, Majandra Delfino
Votes: 26,518
Book/Novel Source -
Melinda Metz's High book series
20. Fresh Off the Boat (2015– )
PG | 22 min | Comedy
A Taiwanese family makes their way in America during the 1990s.
Stars: Randall Park, Constance Wu, Hudson Yang, Forrest Wheeler
Votes: 21,414
Book/Novel Source -
2013 Eddie Huang book, Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir
21. Black Sails (2014–2017)
18A | 56 min | Adventure, Drama
Follows Captain Flint and his pirates twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel "Treasure Island."
Stars: Jessica Parker Kennedy, Toby Stephens, Hannah New, Zach McGowan
Votes: 89,219
Book/Novel Source -
1883 Robert Louis Stevenson Stevenson novel, Treasure Island
22. The Leftovers (2014–2017)
14A | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Three years after the disappearance of two percent of the global population, a group of people in a small New York community try to continue their lives while coping with the tragedy of the unexplained nature of the event.
Stars: Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler
Votes: 74,373
Book/Novel Source -
2011 Tom Perrotta novel of the same name
23. Masters of Sex (2013–2016)
18A | 60 min | Drama, Romance
Drama about the pioneers of the science of human sexuality whose research touched off the sexual revolution.
Stars: Michael Sheen, Lizzy Caplan, Caitlin FitzGerald, Teddy Sears
Votes: 34,049
Book/Novel Source -
2009 Thomas Maier book of the same name
24. TURN (2014–2017)
60 min | Drama, History, War
A Long Island farmer bands together a group of childhood friends to form an unlikely group of spies who turn the tide in America's fight for independence.
Stars: Jamie Bell, Heather Lind, Samuel Roukin, Daniel Henshall
Votes: 18,792
Book/Novel Source -
2007 Alexander Rose book, Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring
25. The Man in the High Castle (2015–2019)
60 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
In a dystopian America dominated by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, a young woman discovers a mysterious film that may hold the key to toppling the totalitarian regimes.
Stars: Alexa Davalos, Luke Kleintank, Rufus Sewell, Rupert Evans
Votes: 80,992
Book/Novel Source -
1962 Philip K. Dick novel of the same name
26. Under the Dome (2013–2015)
43 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
An invisible and mysterious force field descends upon a small actual town of Chester's Mill, Maine, USA, trapping residents inside, cut off from the rest of civilization. The trapped townspeople must discover the secrets and purpose of the "dome" or "sphere" and its origins, while coming to learn more than they ever knew about each other and animals too.
Stars: Mike Vogel, Rachelle Lefevre, Alexander Koch, Colin Ford
Votes: 99,658
Book/Novel Source -
2009 Stephen King novel of the same name
27. Poldark (2015–2019)
60 min | Drama, History, Romance
Ross Poldark returns home after American Revolutionary War and rebuilds his life with a new business venture, making new enemies and finding a new love where he least expects it.
Stars: Aidan Turner, Eleanor Tomlinson, Jack Farthing, Beatie Edney
Votes: 24,185
Book/Novel Source -
Winston Graham's book series of the same name
28. Mahabharat (1988–1990)
45 min | Adventure, Drama, History
A dynastic struggle occurs for the throne of Hastinapur, the kingdom ruled by the Kuru clan, between the Kauravas and Pandavas, collateral branches of the clan, which causes the Kurukshetra War.
Stars: Harish Bhimani, Nitish Bharadwaj, Mukesh Khanna, Gajendra Chouhan
Votes: 11,028
Book/Novel Source -
Sanskrit epic of ancient India Mahabharata written by Vedavyas
29. Ramayan (1987–1988)
30 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
An adaptation of the ancient epic, in which the exiled Prince Rama and his brother Laxman set out to save Rama's wife, Sita, who has been kidnapped by the demon king of Lanka Ravana.
Stars: Arun Govil, Deepika Chikhalia, Sunil Lahri, Arvind Trivedi
Votes: 11,044
Book/Novel Source -
Sanskrit epic of ancient India Ramayana written by Valmiki
30. The Waltons (1971–1981)
G | 60 min | Drama, Family, Romance
The life and trials of a 1930s and 1940s Virginia mountain family through financial depression and World War II.
Stars: Jon Walmsley, Mary Beth McDonough, Eric Scott, Judy Norton
Votes: 5,406
Book/Novel Source -
1961 Earl Hamner Jr. Novel Spencer's Mountain
31. Longmire (2012–2017)
14A | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Walt Longmire is the dedicated and unflappable sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming. Widowed only a year, he is a man in psychic repair but buries his pain behind his brave face, unassuming grin and dry wit.
Stars: Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips, Cassidy Freeman
Votes: 27,770
Book/Novel Source -
Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire Mysteries Novel series
32. The Paper Chase (1978–1986)
60 min | Drama
The trials of a group of law students under the tutelage of a strict professor.
Stars: John Houseman, James Stephens, Tom Fitzsimmons, James Keane
Votes: 749
Book/Novel Source -
1970 John Jay Osborn Jr. Novel of the same name
33. Mr. Belvedere (1985–1990)
30 min | Comedy, Family
The humourous adventures of an English housekeeper working for an American family.
Stars: Christopher Hewett, Bob Uecker, Ilene Graff, Rob Stone
Votes: 3,770
Book/Novel Source -
1947 Gwen Davenport novel Belvedere
34. In the Heat of the Night (1988–1995)
60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The cases and adventures of the police forces in and around Sparta, Mississippi.
Stars: Carroll O'Connor, Alan Autry, David Hart, Hugh O'Connor
Votes: 3,313
Book/Novel Source -
1965 John Ball Novel of the same name
35. Spenser: For Hire (1985–1988)
60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Mystery and suspense series based on Robert Parker's "Spenser" novels. Spenser, a private investigator living in Boston, gets involved in a new murder mystery each episode.
Stars: Robert Urich, Avery Brooks, Ron McLarty, Richard Jaeckel
Votes: 2,105
Book/Novel Source -
Robert B. Parker's Spenser Novel series
Tell Your Friends