7 Best Netflix Shows Based on Books, Ranked

As one of the most successful streaming platforms in the world, Netflix boasts a massive amount of content that is readily available to its global audience. It has also cultivated a reputation for quality original content, with the streaming giant creating many movies and TV shows that have contributed to its continued popularity. Many of the best Netflix shows have come to achieve widespread success, earning themselves a place within our pop culture lexicon. The basis for Netflix’s original content is often just that — entirely original — but sometimes, it leans on established source material, adapting the stories of successful books for its small-screen endeavors.

Many of these have become essential Netflix shows, well-known for their quality. Others have come to be considered underrated gems, earning some popularity but not quite getting the wider appreciation they deserve. Regardless, they have all earned the status of the best Netflix shows based on books, taking into account viewership and cultural importance as well as the opinions of audiences and critics.

7) The Witcher

Netflix’s TV show The Witcher is based on the fantasy book series written by Andrzej Sapkowski. The video game adaptations helped the franchise reach a wider audience, with the Netflix show later bringing its story into live-action. The gritty fantasy series combines high-concept sorcery with brutal action, predominantly following the monster-hunting Witcher Geralt of Rivia. While The Witcher‘s success has been somewhat inconsistent, it’s hard to deny that it ranks among Netflix’s best book adaptations.

6) Altered Carbon

Altered Carbon ran for just two seasons on Netflix, but even in its 18-episode run, it managed to earn a place among Netflix’s best adaptations of popular books. Based on Richard K. Morgan’s sci-fi novel of the same name, Altered Carbon follows Takeshi Kovacs, a former soldier enlisted to investigate a murder in a future in which human consciousness can be transferred between different bodies. The cancelled sci-fi show doesn’t often receive the love it deserves, but it is nonetheless one of Netflix’s strongest sci-fi book adaptations.

5) The Night Agent

Upon its initial release, The Night Agent surprised many by quickly becoming one of Netflix’s biggest TV shows. The action thriller series follows FBI agent Peter Sutherland, who becomes entangled in a complex conspiracy at the heart of the US government. The success of the Netflix show has somewhat overshadowed its source material, as many are unaware that it was originally based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Quirk. Considering its global success, The Night Agent cannot be denied as one of the most successful book adaptations Netflix has created.

4) 3 Body Problem

While 3 Body Problem changed many aspects of its source material in order to enlist a more diverse cast of characters from around the world, it directly adapts the first volume of Liu Cixin’s Chinese novel series Remembrance of Earth’s Past. Its sci-fi story concerns a group of physicists who learn of an impending alien occupation of Earth, pitting humanity against the technologically advanced race known as the San-Ti. 3 Body Problem‘s adaptation of the books might be relatively loose, but it’s one of Netflix’s most exciting ongoing TV shows.

3) Bridgerton

Bridgerton‘s global success is well-known, breaking free of its seemingly limited appeal as a period romantic drama and instead becoming a fully-fledged sensation. Its salacious stories are adapted from the novel series of the same name by Julia Quinn, following the titular noble family in an alternative version of Regency-era London. Hailed as one of Netflix’s most rewatchable shows, Bridgerton‘s success speaks for itself, with its popularity alone qualifying it as one of the streaming platform’s best book adaptations.

2) You

Though it may not quite have hit the same heights of popularity as the likes of Bridgerton, Netflix’s show You certainly comes close. The psychological thriller series follows serial killer Joe as love begins to complicate his life. Based on the books by Caroline Kepnes, You has proven massively successful, earning considerable critical praise as well as a dedicated viewership. It’s a suspenseful and dramatic thrill-ride that perfectly captures the spirit of the original novels on the screen.

1) The Haunting of Hill House

While The Haunting of Hill House almost certainly ranks as one of the least faithful book adaptations on Netflix, Mike Flanagan’s horror series stands out as one of the best on the platform regardless. In terms of both critical and audience receptions, The Haunting of Hill House is by far the strongest adaptation made by the platform. Loosely based on Shirley Jackson’s iconic horror novel of the same name, The Haunting of Hill House added an emotional element of human drama to the chilling tale, making it Netflix’s best-made TV adaptation of a novel to date.

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