By Neia Balao
5:00pm PDT, Apr 25, 2024
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We're looking back at some of the all-time greatest TV shows based on books…
Netflix debuted "Bridgerton," the historical drama series executive produced by Shonda Rhimes and Chris Van Dusen, on Dec. 25, 2020, and it was an instant hit — Netflix's most streamed show ever at the time, in fact.
The project is based on author Julia Quinn's popular romance novel series that follows the exploits of the aristocratic Bridgerton family as they navigate love, gossip and scandal on the marriage market in Regency-era London. While season 1, based on "The Duke and I," chronicled eldest Bridgerton daughter Daphne's hunt for a husband, season 2 — which is based on "The Viscount Who Loved Me" and debuted in 2022 — followed eldest brother Anthony's attempts to find a wife worthy of being his viscountess. Season 3, which airs in 2024, follows brother Colin Bridgerton (pictured) and his friendship-turned-more with neighbor Penelope Featherington. A fourth season is also in the works.
Keep reading for more book-turned-television show adaptations…
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The 2023 Apple TV+ series "The Buccaneers" is based on Edith Wharton's unfinished novel of the same name, which was published posthumously in 1938. The historical drama centers around a group of American débutantes — played by Alisha Boe, Josie Totah, Kristine Frøseth, Aubri Ibrag and Imogen Waterhouse — looking for love in London, where their modern sensibilities are at odds with the traditions of English high society in the 1870s.
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The 2024 Apple TV+ period comedy-drama series "Palm Royale" is very loosely based on the 2018 novel "Mr. & Mrs. American Pie" by Juliet McDaniel. Major details and plot points have been reinvented for the gorgeous and fun TV version, which features "Saturday Night Live" icon Kristen Wiig as Maxine Simmons, a former pageant queen who's an ambitious new resident of Palm Beach, Florida, desperate to break into high society with her handsome husband Douglas, an airline pilot. The show, which is set in 1969, also stars some incredible talents — from Carol Burnett, Allison Janney and Leslie Bibb as society snobs to Ricky Martin as a connected country club server to Laura Dern as a smart, savvy feminist with a surprise connection to those in power.
MORE: The best period costumes of all time
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Say it together: Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose! Critically acclaimed sports drama series "Friday Night Lights" debuted in 2006, two years after the 1990 H. G. Bissinger nonfiction novel of the same name was adapted into a film. While the book delves into the 1988 season of the Permian Panthers high school football team in Odessa, Texas, the series centers on the small football town of Dillon, Texas, home of the Dillon Panthers. The show's five seasons explore the lives of the young athletes and the adults in their orbit with particular emphasis on coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) and wife Tammy (Connie Britton) plus players brought to life by Zach Gilford, Taylor Kitsch, Gaius Charles and more as well as their closest companions, who are played by Jesse Plemons, Minka Kelly and Adrianne Palicki.
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Following its debut at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, Hulu's "Normal People" was a hit among streaming audiences.
Based on Sally Rooney's 2018 novel of the same name, the drama chronicles the fraught romantic relationship between Marianne Sheridan (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell Waldron (Paul Mescal) from adolescence into adulthood. "Normal People" garnered widespread critical acclaim: Paul earned an Emmy nomination for best lead actor in 2020, and Daisy and the show both earned Golden Globe nominations in 2021.
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The epic fantasy series "Game of Thrones," which was adapted from George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, kept fans hooked over its eight seasons thanks to the wild storylines and an incredible ensemble cast that included Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams. While the HBO series might have stuck to its source material in earlier seasons, writers eventually took more creative liberties as they ran out of books to adapt. "GoT" hit a major milestone in 2018 — it became the winningest drama series in Primetime Emmy history.
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Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall star in the 2024 Netflix series "One Day," which is based on David Nicholls' 2009 novel of the same name, as well as the 2011 movie of the same name starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. The show chronicles the events in Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew's lives that take place every July 15 — from the day they first met in 1988 — as they grow up, grow close, move apart and experience both joy and heartbreak.
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The series "The Queen's Gambit," which debuted on Netflix in 2020 and later won 11 Emmys, is a period drama based on the 1983 Walter Tevis novel of the same name. The seven-episode show stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Elizabeth Harmon, an orphaned chess prodigy who desires to become the world's best competitor. On her quest for success, however, we learn of Elizabeth's emotional struggles and issues with drugs and alcohol. Anya won a best actress Golden Globe and a SAG Award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a miniseries or television movie for her performance on the show.
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The 2024 Max series "The Girls on the Bus" is inspired by the 2018 book "Chasing Hillary" by political reporter Amy Chozick, who co-created and executive produced the comedy-drama series after years of covering politicians including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
It centers on four female journalists, both liberal and conservative — beautifully played by Melissa Benoist, Carla Gugino, Christina Elmore and Natasha Behnam — who work for different outlets. It chronicles their different approaches to their jobs as they compete for scoops and struggle to balance their personal lives with their professional ambitions as they follow presidential candidates on the campaign trail.
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Inspired by Nelson Johnson's nonfiction book "Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times and Corruption of Atlantic City," the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire" — which won 20 Emmys including two for best drama over its five season run between 2010 and 2014 — follows the life of mobster-politician Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (Steve Buscemi), who runs Atlantic City during the Prohibition era of the '20s. According to the author, the writers behind the HBO series were "doing their best to do historically accurate fiction." While it hits the mark in terms of atmosphere, there are aspects of the show that are more fiction than fact.
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The 2024 Peacock series "Apples Never Fall" is based on Liane Moriarty's 2021 New York Times bestselling novel of the same name.
It focuses on the picture-perfect Delaney family, which is led by former coaches Stan (Sam Neill) and Joy (Annette Bening), who are looking forward to retirement after selling their successful tennis academy in Florida. But when Joy suddenly disappears, her four adult children (played by Alison Brie, Jake Lacy, Conor Merrigan-Turner and Essie Randles) find themselves questioning their parents' marriage as dark family secrets start surfacing.
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"Conversations with Friends," which is based on Sally Rooney's novel of the same name, debuted on Hulu in 2022. It follows Frances (Alison Oliver), a cerebral college student and writer who performs spoken-word pieces with her confident and popular ex-girlfriend, Bobbie (Sasha Lane), in Dublin, Ireland. Their friendship is tested when they start spending time with Melissa (Jemima Kirke), an older writer who's married to handsome but quietly tortured actor Nick (Joe Alwyn). As Frances and Nick embark on an unexpected affair, Bobbi and Melissa explore a flirtation, leading to thrilling, heartbreaking and complicated emotional consequences.
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"The Lincoln Lawyer" is a legal drama series created by Emmy-winning writer-producer David E. Kelley that's based on author Michael Connelly's 2008 novel "The Brass Verdict." The show stars Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller (who was portrayed by Matthew McConaughey in the 2011 movie of the same name), a Los Angeles-based defense attorney who works out of his Lincoln. The Netflix series debuted in 2022 and season 2 dropped in 2023.
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Inspired by Liane Moriarty's 2014 novel of the same name, HBO's "Big Little Lies" follows the complicated lives of the Monterey Five (played by Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Zoe Kravitz), who become involved in a murder investigation. The show, which explores themes of toxic masculinity and female relationships, was met with critical acclaim and won eight Primetime Emmy Awards over two seasons, which aired from 2017 to 2019.
While its writers added depth to the world, the storyline, characters and dialogue were derived directly from Liane's novel. There have also been significant changes, one of them being the show's setting — it was switched from a fictional Australian beach town to Monterey, California. "I thought the Californian setting was beautiful and very similar to the Australian setting I'd imagined. In a way, I think changing the setting helped me 'let go,' which I think every author has to do when their work is adapted," Liane told ELLE in 2017. "If it had been set in Australia, I might have resisted changes to the book, which I've always known and understood were necessary in an adaptation."
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Based on the Sherryl Woods book series of the same name, Netflix's "Sweet Magnolias" follows the personal and professional lives of childhood friends in the charming Southern town of Serenity, South Carolina. The series, which debuted in 2020, stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher as Maddie Townsend, a mom of three navigating divorce, learning to love again and starting a new business with her besties. Season 3 premiered in 2023 and a fourth season is in the works.
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When "Outlander" debuted on Starz in 2014, fans of the Diana Gabaldon-penned book series on which it's based watched in droves. The historical series follows nurse-turned-surgeon Claire Beauchamp Randall (Caitriona Balfe), who inadvertently time travels from post-World War II Scotland to 1743, where she finds herself married to respected Highlands warrior Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), with whom she soon falls in love. After enduring war, violence and trauma, they're forced to split when it becomes imperative that Claire return to her own time period. Decades later, they find their way back to one another across space and time — and to a new land where war once again threatens their union and those they love most. The TV show will conclude with an eighth and final season likely in 2025.
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Who knew Dan Humphrey could be so creepy? The first season of "You," which is based on the 2014 novel written by Caroline Kepnes, focuses on the life of Joe Goldberg ("Gossip Girl" star Penn Badgley), a New York City bookstore manager who falls deeply (and terrifyingly) in love with Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail), a woman who randomly walks into his shop. What unfolds is a dangerous, obsessive pursuit to keep Guinevere all to himself — even if that means killing the people closest to her. A fifth and final season is set to debut in 2024.
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Based on the dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood, "The Handmaid's Tale" focuses on the totalitarian state of Gilead, where fertile women are viewed as property. The series, which stars Elisabeth Moss, premiered in 2017. While the critically acclaimed book might have been the show's source material earlier on, the writers have since made the decision to keep the series going well past its original narrative. A sixth and final season is expected to air in 2025.
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"The Witcher," which is based on the Andrzej Sapkowski book series of the same name, debuted on Netflix in 2019 with Henry Cavill in the title role as reclusive monster hunter Geralt of Rivia. The fantasy epic series chronicles his experience navigating the world and the wicked — and wonderful — people around him. Henry starred on the first three seasons. Liam Hemsworth takes over the role of Geralt for season 4.
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It's not often that a series comes along and changes the TV landscape, but that's exactly what "Orange Is the New Black" did. Based on Piper Kerman's memoir "Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison," the show — which in 2013 became Netflix's first hit television series — explores Piper's experiences at a minimum-security federal correctional facility. In an effort to juxtapose the privileged experience of the main character (Piper is played by Taylor Schilling), the show incorporates dynamic characters who have been mistreated by the justice system.
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Interested in all things true crime? Consider adding "Mindhunter" to your watchlist. Based on John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker's 1995 true crime novel "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit," the Netflix psychological crime series chronicles FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) as well as psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv) as they work to gain a better understanding of what it means to be a serial killer. The first season of the show takes place between 1977 to 1980, while the second season is set between 1980 and 1981.
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Based on Stephanie Land's 2019 memoir "Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive," Netflix's "Maid" made its debut on the streamer in 2021. Margaret Qualley portrays Alex, a single mom who, after escaping an abusive relationship, gets a job as a cleaner to make ends meet. The series earned critical acclaim and a 93% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Loosely based on Thomas Maier's biography of of the same name, "Masters of Sex" explores the dynamic between Dr. William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan), two human sexuality researchers who sparked a sexual revolution in the United States. The four-season series, which is set during the '50s, received widespread acclaim — "Masters of Sex" was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for best drama series in 2013.
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Adapted from Luke Jennings' "Codename Villanelle" novella, "Killing Eve" tells the story of desk-ridden M15 security officer Eve (Sandra Oh), who's tasked with tracking down assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer). What ensues is a head-to-head battle between two women who become mutually obsessed with one another. The fourth and final season of the black comedy spy series premiered in 2022.
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Stelena and Delena fans unite! Following its debut on The CW in 2009, "The Vampire Diaries" quickly became a fan favorite among teens. The drama based on L.J. Smith's book series of the same name chronicles the life of Mystic Falls teenager Elena Gilbert (played by Nina Dobrev) as she navigates the supernatural horrors of her small town and finds herself caught in an enthralling love triangle with two disparate vampire brothers — selfless and brooding Stefan Salvatore (played by Paul Wesley) and rule-breaking bad boy Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder). The series wrapped in 2017 after eight seasons.
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Based on the Celeste Ng novel of the same name, "Little Fires Everywhere" follows the interwoven lives of two mothers from disparate socioeconomic backgrounds. The series, which is set in Shaker Heights, Ohio, in the late '90s, revolves around Elena Richardson (Reese Witherspoon), a wealthy white mother and reporter, and Mia Warren (Kerry Washington), a black single mother and struggling artist. While the series delves into racial politics, its source material was less forthright. "The book really does delve into class and sociopolitical differences and cultural differences, so I think adding the level of race to that really enriches the storytelling," said Reese at the Television Critics Association panel in 2020. "We are stepping away from this binary idea we have of race in this country — of black and white — because we're also dealing with Asian American identity and immigrant identity."
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2021's "Nine Perfect Strangers," which is based on the New York Times bestselling book of the same name by Liane Moriarty, stars Nicole Kidman as a mysterious wellness retreat director who's on a mission to get nine strangers on a path to better living, but things take a darker turn.
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Based on the Gillian Flynn novel of the same name, 2018's "Sharp Objects" tells the story of Camille Preaker (Amy Adams), a troubled reporter who's forced to return to her hometown to investigate the grisly murders of two young girls. As more details surrounding their deaths come to light, Camille finds that she has more in common with the victims than she realized.
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Following its debut in 2017, Netflix's "13 Reasons Why" sparked controversy. Based on Jay Asher's 2007 novel of the same name, the drama executive produced by Selena Gomez follows teenager Clay Jensen as he copes with the tragic death of his friend, Hannah Baker. Clay comes to realize that prior to her death, Hannah left a series of cassette tapes that detail the reasons why she decided to end her life. On them, she also addresses the people she holds responsible for her decision. The series led by stars Dylan Minnette and Katherine Langford went on for four seasons until 2020.
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Over the course of its five-year run, "The Magicians" amassed a loyal fan base. Based on the 2009 Lev Grossman novel of the same name, the Syfy fantasy series follows a graduate student at Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph), who comes to realize that the mythical world he read about in books as a child is real and poses a serious threat to the rest of mankind. The show ran from 2015 to 2020.
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The delightfully addictive teen show "Gossip Girl" was adapted from the Cecily von Ziegesar book series of the same name. The series focuses on the luxurious lives of privileged teens living on Manhattan's Upper East Side. When former party girl Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) returns home following a mysterious absence, she's reunited with best frenemy Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) and their mutual object of affection, Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford). Narrated by a mischievous blogger known as "Gossip Girl" (Kristen Bell), the series packs a juicy, dramatic punch. The show was such a hit that a revival series based on the original, which concluded in 2012, debuted on HBO Max in 2021.
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"Clarice," which is based on Thomas Harris's "The Silence of the Lambs" book and stars Rebecca Breeds in the title role, is set in 1993 and picks up a year after the events in the film. The series — which ran for one season on CBS in 2021 — chronicles Clarice Starling's professional and personal life as she continues her harrowing investigation into serial killers and predators.
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While Candace Bushnell is best known for her "Sex and the City" series, she also penned "The Carrie Diaries," the prequel to the famed HBO show that was the inspiration for the 2012 coming-of-age series. Set in the early '80s, "The Carrie Diaries" follows a teenage Carrie Bradshaw (AnnaSophia Robb) as she works tirelessly to bring her dreams of becoming a writer to fruition, all while dealing with family, friendships, high school and romance. The show — a delight to watch from the big hair and shoulder pads to mentions of Andy Warhol and Interview Magazine — serves as both an effective origin story and a love letter to a cherished time of the past. In 2013, Candace gushed about AnnaSophia's portrayal of Carrie. "Sometimes I'm just taken aback. Like, wow, that is in a sense a young Sarah Jessica Parker," she told CBS News, referencing the actress who brought adult Carrie to life first. "I know we think of a young Sarah Jessica Parker as very different, because she was in Square Pegs. But if Sarah Jessica Parker had played a 16-year-old Carrie Bradshaw, I see the connection."
It also starred future Oscar nominee Austin Butler as Carrie's love interest, bad boy Sebastian Kydd.
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Based on the William Landay novel of the same name, "Defending Jacob" follows the lives of the Barber family as they deal with an accusation that their 14-year-old son has committed murder. The eight-part miniseries, which debuted on Apple TV+ in 2020, stars Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery and Jaeden Martell.
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The charmingly dark children's novels from author Daniel Handler, who wrote under the pen name Lemony Snicket, were given the Hollywood treatment on the big screen in 2004 and on the small screen in 2017. Netflix's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" series follows the three Baudelaire orphans (played by Malina Weissman, Louis Hynes and Presley Smith), whose lives are upended when they're forced to live with malicious guardian Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris). As with many adaptations, the show includes both major and minor deviations from the source material, like Lemony's increased involvement, Sunny's punny baby gibberish and the addition of musical numbers.
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By the show's conclusion, it was hard to believe that it was actually a book adaptation. "Pretty Little Liars," which ran from 2010 to 2017, is based on the young adult book series by Sara Shepard and follows the lives of Spencer Hastings (Troian Bellisario), Emily Fields (Shay Mitchell), Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale) and Hanna Marin (Ashley Benson) — members of a clique led by queen bee Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse). After Alison mysteriously disappears, the girls begin receiving anonymous text messages from "A" threatening to expose secrets only she would know. It goes without saying, but the ABC Family series, which ran for seven seasons, frequently deviated from its source material.
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The HBO sci-fi series "Westworld," which is based on the 1973 novel by Michael Crichton, is set at an elite theme park where visitors who can afford to enter are allowed to indulge their deepest fantasies without suffering any consequences. Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Anthony Hopkins and James Marsden are among the show's star-studded cast. It debuted in 2016 and wrapped in 2022.
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Lindy West's endearing 2016 memoir "Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman" was the inspiration behind this beloved Hulu series of the same name. Starring Aidy Bryant as Annie Easton, "Shrill" follows an overweight 20-something who wants to make changes in her life — excluding her body. While the world views her as inadequate because of her weight, she begins to realize that she's good enough just the way she is. Its third and final season debuted in 2021.
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"Shadow and Bone" is a Netflix Original Series based on the Grisha Trilogy written by Leigh Bardugo. This fantasy series, which was released in 2021, follows Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), a young mapmaker who is conspired against by evil forces after she unlocks a mystical power that could revolutionize life as she knows it.
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"The Wheel of Time," which is based on the Robert Jordan novel series of the same name and premiered on Amazon Prime Video in 2021, stars Golden Globe-winning actress Rosamund Pike as Moiraine, a member of an influential organization of women who can wield magic. She embarks on a globe-trotting journey with five others in hopes of uncovering which one of them may be the reincarnation of the Dragon, an individual who has the ability to either save or end the world.
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2020's "The Outsider" is an HBO crime-drama miniseries based on the 2018 Stephen King novel of the same name. The series delves into the grisly murder of an 11-year-old boy — a homicide committed by an experienced cop. When a dangerous supernatural entity becomes involved in the investigation, more questions are brought to light. Showrunner Richard Price wasn't afraid to stray away from the source material — the pilot episode alone covers about a third of the book.
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2005's "Looking for Alaska" was the first novel written by John Green, and it became a Hulu TV show in 2019. The limited series, which is set in 2005, explores the complexities of coming of age through the perspective of Miles "Pudge" Halter (Charlie Plummer). As a new student at Culver Creek Boarding School, Pudge pursues a "Great Perhaps," develops a core group of friends and falls in love with Alaska Young (Kristine Froseth). The show differs from the book in that it candidly explores issues faced by teens in this generation — mental health, consent, sexuality and race — making for a sharper, more emotional story.
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"The Baby-Sitters Club," which is based on the Ann M. Martin book series of the same name, debuted on Netflix in 2020. The show, which ran for two seasons, chronicles the everyday lives and shenanigans of a group of middle school babysitters in the fictional town of Stoneybrook, Connecticut. Sophie Grace, Momona Tamada, Shay Rudolph and Malia Baker star in this youthful adaptation.
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Peacock's "One of Us Is Lying," based on Karen M. McManus's 2017 novel of the same name, follows the investigation surrounding the suspicious death of a student on school premises. When five students go into detention and only four walk out alive, the survivors are individually looked at as prime suspects in the developing murder case. The series debuted on the streamer in 2021 and concluded in 2022 after its second season.
