Books

A 'Prep' TV Show Is In The Works After 11 Years!

by Emma Oulton

It's been more than a decade since the release of Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep , but fans of the bestselling novel are finally being rewarded for their patience: a Prep TV show is reportedly in development at HBO. The series is going to be a comedy, and it's in excellent hands: the show is being developed by former 30 Rock producer Colleen McGuiness and Game of Thrones executive producer Carolyn Strauss. I have no doubt these two women are going to turn Sittenfeld's beloved novel into something amazing.

In the 11 years since Prep was first published, the talented Curtis Sittenfeld has gone on to write four more novels, including Sisterland and the Pride and Prejudice-inspired Eligible — but fantastic as these were, some die-hard fans of her debut feel there's never been a book as good as Prep . Those fans have been left to re-read Prep on repeat — and wait. And at long last, the spectacular magic of Prep is coming back — to capture the hearts of a whole new audience.

The Prep HBO show is being described primarily as a comedy, but I hope they play up the romance element as well. Readers were annoyed when Curtis Sittenfeld criticized the romance genre as a whole — which was pretty insensitive considering she's profited from exploiting the genre herself — so it would be good to see the upcoming Prep TV show position itself firmly as a romance.

Sittenfeld herself seems thrilled by the news, tweeting her excitement as soon as the news broke. After all, it's about time Sittenfeld got the recognition she deserves: she's one seriously talented writer. There's no word yet on when the show will hit our screens, but whenever it finally arrives, I have a feeling Prep might even top our Gossip Girl obsession — and that's really saying something.