The recent news that Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall will be adapted into a television show doesn’t surprise us too much. We can only add it to the growing list of book-to-small-screen adaptations that we are anxiously awaiting, joining the planned HBO series based on A Visit From the Goon Squad, and the one on Eugenides’s Middlesex, which HBO seems to have optioned and then forgotten about. However, there are no promises that any book to TV adaptation, even those with great books as starting points, will be any good, and there are hundreds of shows created in this way that aren’t — but in our minds, that just makes the great ones even greater. To get ourselves pumped for the adaptation of Wolf Hall, we’ve collected a list of the ten all-time best (according to us, that is) TV shows adapted from books. Click through to see our picks, and be sure to let us know your own favorites in the comments!
M*A*S*H
Frequently counted on lists of the best TV shows of all time, everyone knows that M*A*S*H was adapted from the 1970 film of the same name, but perhaps not as many people are aware that that feature film was itself based on the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, by Richard Hooker. This classic show about a team of doctors and staff stationed in a surgical hospital in South Korea during the Korean War lasted for 11 seasons and spanned 251 episodes, with the finale breaking records as the most watched episode in history (125 million viewers) at that time.
Comments (11)
Wow, no Homicide Life on the Streets? Not only is the series pretty groundbreaking and engaging in its own right but it pushed a lot of the same buttons as Simon’s later work on the Wire but without the benefit of cable. NBC may have handicapped the last couple of seasons but Luther Mahoney paved the way for Avon Barksdale an Stringer Bell. Its definitely my number one and a good book to boot.
I would also include Jewel in the Crown. Excellent adaption of the books by Paul Scott.
An adaptation of Christos Tslolkas’ The Slap is currently screening in Australia. It’s brilliant – more subtle than the book.
Thank you for including Roswell! I loved it in middle school. Both the show and the original novels were great.
For purely sentimental reasons, I feel the need to nominate The Thorn Birds
Leaving out Lonesome Dove is amazing. Pulitzer prize novel and incredible adaptation for TV with excellent acting. Almost a sad joke to leave it out.
What about Bones? This show (up until this season, which I am reserving judgement on) did a fine balance of keeping Kathy Reichs’ characters while giving the story from her Temperance Brennan series new life in the TV version.
I always thought the Jeeves and Wooster series was pretty good. Mind, I haven’t read any of the PG Wodehouse Jeeves titles but the show in itself was entertaining, madcap and I loved the production design-and who doesn’t love Fry and Laurie?
You’re forgiven for not including this one, as I doubt too many of you have seen or even heard of the delightful ‘Malgudi Days’ – an Indian TV serial based on the works of RK Narayan (You had better have heard of him, though). You can watch them here http://www.malgudidays.net/ There are English versions, although they’re a little stilted and not half as charming as the Hindi ones
Have to agree with John Campbell: the omission of “Lonesome Dove” – one of the best things on television, ever – is a crime. C’mon – a heartbreaking epic with Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Anjelica Huston, Diane Lane, Danny Glover, Robert Urich, et al., not mention a gorgeous score – how could you leave this off the list in favor of “Roswell”?
Also seconding Vicky’s vote for ‘Jewel in the Crown’ – fantastic series!
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