Books
I usually say that the book is always better, but that doesn’t stop me from getting excited about every big or little screen adaptation of my favorite novels. Even though I know that my expectations will probably be too high, and I’ll end up comparing the movie or TV show to the book despite the fact that it’s a different thing, I still love the excitement of seeing your favorite characters come to life.
The great thing about television adaptations of books, as opposed to film adaptations, is that there’s more time to actually tell the whole story. Whereas films often leave out huge pieces of the story (and understandably so, since there just aren’t enough minutes in a movie to cover everything), television shows have the space to really develop all the characters. There are more episodes and availability for staying true to the original storylines, and there are more moments that will end up as gifs, which also makes me happy.
This year, there are great book-to-movie adaptations to look forward to, and 2017 will be a great year for book-lovers, but I’m especially marking my calendar for these upcoming book-to-television adaptations. Here are some of the series coming out this year that all television and book-lovers will adore.
'A Series Of Unfortunate Events'
Air Date: January 13th
Channel: Netflix
Based on: A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Relive your favorite gothic YA series about the Baudelaire orphans and the scheming Count Olaf, starring Neil Patrick Harris and streaming on Netflix.
'Riverdale'
Air Date: January 26th
Channel: The CW
Based on: Archie Comics
Archie Comics get the teen drama treatment in this new CW series. As a huge fan of Archie and of creepy teen dramas, I can't wait for this to air.
'Big Little Lies'
Air Date: February 19th
Channel: HBO
Based On: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Madeline, Celeste, and Jane are three women all facing different obstacles in this series, airing on HBO in February.
'Famous In Love'
Air Date: April 18, 2017
Channel: Freeform
Based On: Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle
College student Paige gets her first big break in Hollywood in this upcoming show starring Bella Thorne.
'The Handmaid's Tale'
Air Date: April 26th
Channel: Hulu
Based On: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood's chilling dystopian novel about Offred, a woman forced to work as a "handmaid" in the Republic of Gilead, comes to Hulu this April.
'American Gods'
Air Date: April 2017
Channel: Starz
Based On: American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Shadow Moon is released from prison and begins working for the mysterious Wednesday in this Neil Gaiman adaptation starring Ricky Whittle and Ian McShane.
'Cormoran Strike'
Air Date: 2017
Channel: HBO
Based On: The Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
This series will comprise of seven episodes — three for The Cuckoo's Calling, two for The Silkworm, and two for Career of Evil — adapting Rowling's Cormoran Strike series about a war vet turned private detective and his bold assistant Robin.
'Sharp Objects'
Air Date: 2017
Channel: HBO
Based On: Sharp Objects By Gillian Flynn
Starring Amy Adams, this eight-episode series is about a newspaper journalist returning home to cover a series of murders.
'Thirteen Reasons Why'
Air Date: 2017
Channel: Netflix
Based On: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
In this YA series adaptation, high school student Hannah explains the thirteen reasons why she committed suicide through a series of cassette tapes passed amongst a group of students.
'Anne'
Air Date: 2017
Channel: Netflix
Based On: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Anne Shirley returns in an eight-episode series written by Breaking Bad writer Moira Walley-Beckett.
