Netflix has come a long way since its early days as a DVD home rental service. Now, most folks use Netflix to stream content instantly, much of which is original content created by the company itself. From films to series, Netflix has become an acclaimed outlet for works ranging in tone, style, and genre.
At a time when people are starved for original media, Netflix has looked to books to get inspiration for new series. The results, overall, have been a great success. This list gathers Netflix's 10 best book-to-series adaptations to date, ranked according to Rotten Tomatoes.
The Spy (2019) - 86%
A Netflix co-production with the French company Légende Entreprises, The Spy stars controversial comedian Sacha Baron Cohen as real-life Israeli spy Eli Cohen. The six-part miniseries is based on the book The Spy Who Came From Israel, written by Uri Dan and Yeshayahu Ben Porat.
Eli Cohen was a spy for Mossad, Israel's national intelligence agency, and he assumed the identity of a Syrian man, infiltrating the Syrian Ministry of Defense in the years leading up to the 1967 Six-Day War between Syria and Israel. While Sacha Baron Cohen's acting was praised, the film received some criticism for its historical accuracy.
You (2018 - ) - 90%
You started as a mediocrely successful series on the Lifetime Channel in 2018, but when Netflix picked up its first season late that year for distribution, the unlikely hit found a wider audience of streaming fans who love psychological stalker thrillers. After the success of the first season on Netflix, the company purchased the title and released an exclusive, original second season in 2020. A third season is already set to be released in 2021.
Based on the books by Caroline Kepnes, the series follows a violent and delusional bookstore manager named Joe Goldberg, who develops an obsession with a customer named Guinevere. While melodramatic and trashy, You is a self-aware thriller that keeps the serial stalker genre going without taking itself too seriously.
Orange Is The New Black (2013 - 2019) - 90%
This long-running prison drama is based on Piper Kerman's memoir of the same name. Over its 7-season run, which includes 91 episodes, the show received endless praise and attention, making it the most-watched series on Netflix.
The series begins with Taylor Schilling's character Piper receiving a 15-month sentence to upstate New York's Litchfield Penitentiary. The show takes an ensemble approach from there, digging into the lives of the various prisoners, guards, and high-ranking staff d with the prison. Other memorable cast include Laura Prepon, Michael Harney, Danielle Brooks, Natasha Lyonne, and Taryn Manning.
The Last Kingdom (2015 - ) - 91%
Based on Bernard Cornwell's The Saxon Stories series, The Last Kingdom began as a BBC venture whose second season Netflix co-produced. Netflix went on to be the sole producer of the show's third season, which stars Alexander Dreymon as a 9th Century Saxon raised by Vikings.
The Last Kingdom is a historical epic with an expansive cast and dramatic landscapes. In the series, England has been divided into seven kingdoms. Viking Dane invaders are taking out each kingdom one-by-one, and the remaining stronghold turns out to be the Kingdom of Wessex. A fourth season has been ordered by Netflix, but its release date has yet to be announced.
The Haunting Of Hill House (2018) - 93%
This acclaimed series, loosely based on the iconic gothic horror novel by Shirley Jackson, is less a scary show than a traumatic, dark family drama. Created by Mike Flanagan for Netflix, the show follows five adult children whose time living in the Hill House still affects them in the present.
The Haunting of Hill House blurs the lines between television genres, giving viewers an immersive, ensemble experience. Flanagan designed the show as an anthology series, and while viewers won't return to the Hill House, the next season will tackle another popular tale of terror: Henry James's The Turn of the Screw.
Special (2019 - ) - 96%
Ryan O'Connell, author of the memoir I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves, stars in, writes, and executive produces this Netflix comedy about a gay man living with mild cerebral palsy. O'Connell identities as both queer and a disability advocate and Special opens new doors for folks who don't have much insight into life outside of their small bubbles.
In the show, O'Connell plays a fictionalized version of himself, an unpaid intern who decides to reorganize his life and find inspiration in spite of all the evil dominating news headlines. Without losing laughs, she show proves to be honest and genuine.
A Series Of Unfortunate Events (2017 - 2019) - 96%
This dark comedy seriation of Lemony Snicket's popular YA books stars Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf, the nefarious uncle of the Baudelaire children who becomes their caretaker after the tragic death of their parents in a house fire. Olaf's plan is to steal the fortune the children inherited. When this plot is revealed, the children - Violet, Klaus, and Sunny - are moved from one bad guardian to the next as their uncle continues to pursue them.
The show received overwhelmingly positive reviews, especially for its acting, but some voices of dissent deem it a bit formulaic and only designed to appeal to fans of the books. Either way, the show's three-season run is still seen as a success for Netflix, and its ensemble cast is impressive.
Mindhunter (2017 - ) - 97%
David Fincher's Mindhunter digs into the early days of the FBI's research into serial killers, focusing on a group of experts at the helm of the agency's new Behavioral Research Unit. Starring Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Hannah Gross, the series is based on the books Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by retired FBI investigators John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker and Sexual Homicide: Patterns and Motives by Douglas and Robert Ressler.
Its first season involves dramatized interviews with serial killers like Richard Speck and Edmund Kemper. The second season narrows in on the unsolved murders of dozens of black children in Atlanta in the late '70s. Both seasons highlight crimes committed by the BTK killer, who was not captured until 1991. Unfortunately, the show has been placed on indefinite hiatus because of Fincher's busy schedule, but he hopes to produce a third season at some point.
Unbelievable (2019) - 98%
This harrowing miniseries is technically adapted from a long-form piece of journalism that was published by ProPublica and The Marshall Project: "An Unbelievable Story of Rape" by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong. The 2015 article documents the eventual capture of serial rapist Marc Patrick O'Leary.
Unbelievable tells the story of O'Leary's first victim, an 18-year-old former foster child named Marie. She initially reported the assault to local authorities, but after enduring bullying and repeated hounding, Marie recanted, convinced no one believed her. Toni Collette and Merritt Wever play two police officers involved in the case.
Alias Grace (2017) - 99%
Alias Grace is a revered miniseries directed by Mary Harron and written by Sarah Polley, two very talented female filmmakers and screenwriters. Adapted from Margaret Atwood's novel of the same name, the six-part series was a co-production between Netflix and the Canadian CBC.
The story revolves around the real murders of a man named Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper Nancy Montgomery in the western part of the Canadian Province. The murders took place in 1843, and two other servants in the Kinnear home, Grace Marks and James McDermott, were convicted of the crimes. The series stars Sarah Gadon as Marks, the main character.
