Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. toptentuesday

This Week’s Topic :  TV Shows!

This week’s TTT is a celebration of television and all of the shows returning to our screens this fall and winter.

So many shows that we watch are based on novels, comics, or short stories, and this week I’ll be sharing just a few of my more recent favorites with you. To compile this list I used only shows and books that I have both read and watched, which excludes several more obvious titles (The Expanse, Dexter, The Hundred, The White Queen.) So if you’re wondering why something isn’t listed… there is my rationale.

Anyway, some of these shows are ongoing and some are now finished as either a series or miniseries. Check them out and let me know what your favorites are!

  1. Game of Thrones – based on George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and FireSong of Ice and Fire
    • Because what list would be complete without this show? Though it has diverged from the source material, the HBO series still interprets Martin’s fantastical world with all its grit, drama, and wonder.
  2. Wolf Hall – based on Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies
    • This BBC miniseries skillfully adapted Mantel’s novels about the life of Thomas Cromwell and deeds he accomplished in the court of Henry VIII.
  3. War and Peace – based on Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace
    • Another BBC period piece that tackles the 1,200 page epic without sacrificing too much of its message.
  4. The Last Kingdom – based on Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom and The Pale Horseman
    • This ongoing series chronicles the life of Saxon raised by Danes in 9th century. The first season covered the first two books in the series, and there are still eight more books to cover.
  5. The Magicians – based on Lev Grossman’s The Magicians
    • It is quite different from the book, but the SyFy channel series keeps up with the same characters and major plot points in a story about modern magic.
  6. The Strain – based on Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s Strain Trilogy
    • This show is my guilty pleasure. It’s campy, gory, and never takes itself too seriously. How else do you tell the story about zombie vampires invading North America?
  7. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell – based on Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
    • Another period-esque miniseries by the BBC. Napoleonic Wars? Old magic? Faeries? So much fun.
  8. 11/22/63 – based on Stephen King’s 11/22/63
    • This miniseries based on King’s novel of the same name covers history, time travel, and the choices that one man makes to save a life. It’s one of the best King adaptations I’ve seen.
  9. Bosch – based on Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch series
    • This Amazon series adapts the life and cases of a cop who isn’t always by the book. I know we’re swimming in police shows, but this one, with its longer-form cases, provides something that is fascinatingly different.
  10. World Without End – based on Ken Follett’s World Without End
    • While I enjoyed Pillars of the Earth more in novel form, the second attempt at adapting one of Follett’s Kingsbridge novels fared far better. Though it diverges from the source in a few strange ways, it made for a miniseries that I greatly enjoyed. And now I want to re-read the book… again.