Books are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for series creators. We have already shared with you the best series based on novels broadcast on Amazon Prime Video. Today, we offer you our top 10 of the best Netflix series based on books.
But before getting to the heart of the matter, one point seems important to clarify. There are two clans for small screen book adaptations: those who read the book before watching the series and those who saw the series before reading the books. We believe that the order is important in knowing which of the two works, paper or on screen, is more successful. And you, what do you think ?
Lupine
Lupine is the series that created the event on Netflix at the beginning of 2021. And this should still be the case in 2023, since part 3 has been announced! Taken from the original book by Maurice Leblanc written in 1907, it has enabled the latter to experience renewed interest among many readers around the world. The series even caused sales of the gentleman burglar to explode at Amazon and Fnac.
For those who have not yet seen it, remember that Lupine features Omar Sy in the role of Assane Diop. A man who seeks in season 1 to avenge his father, wrongly accused of a crime he did not commit. And to achieve this, our modern-day Arsène Lupine is ready for all the most ingenious manipulations!
The Bridgertons Chronicle
Netflix offered a nice Christmas present to fans of romances and costume series in 2020, since the Bridgerton Chronicles landed on the platform on December 25 of this year. Since then, two seasons (and soon three!) have allowed us to get to know the Bridgerton and Featherington families better, from 19th century London high society.
Many people have drawn parallels with the Crawley family in Downton Abbey. But if we except the setting of the series, the Chronicle of the Bridgertons evolves in a much more contemporary and undoubtedly less “realistic” register. But the magic happens, thanks to an impeccable casting. Taken from the eponymous novels by Julia Quinn, the Netflix series focuses on a different character each season. Knowing that 8 volumes have been published, we can hope for the release of 8 seasons… at least!
Sandman
Broadcast in the heart of summer 2022, the first season of Sandman was almost unanimous, even among fans of Neil Gaiman’s work, deemed unadaptable. This time, it is not a simple story, but a graphic novel which served as a backdrop.
And the least we can say is that Sandman (the “sandman” in French) is a complex series. This fantasy saga features Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, a being capable of controlling human dreams and nightmares. After being held in captivity for more than a century, he manages to free himself and attempts to regain all his powers by navigating between the Dream World and the Waking World.
The lady’s game
Who would have thought that a TV series centered around chess could be so successful around the world? However, Jeu de la Dame, broadcast in the fall of 2020, was a hit with millions of viewers. Adapted from a novel by Walter Tevis, this 7-episode mini-series had already aroused the desire of several filmmakers, including the late Heath Ledger.
There you can get to know the young American Beth Harmon, beautifully performed by the equally magnificent Anya Taylor-Joy. Placed in an orphanage, it is thanks to her failures that she will manage to return to a normal life… or almost!
You
Adapted from the book Perfect by Caroline Kepnes, You is a dramatic thriller that you will quickly become addicted to. Joe has a bad habit of becoming infatuated with a young lady, to the point of becoming obsessed with her. But in the name of these obsessions he sometimes finds himself in delicate positions…
In 3 seasons, You has established itself as a sure value in the Netflix catalog and season 4 is awaited by many fans around the world (from February 10, 2023). So, what does Joe the psychopathic bookseller have in store for us? We can’t wait to find out…
The Witcher
The Witcher is an adaptation of the Witcher literary saga, written by Andrzej Sapkowski. The Witcher Geralt is a mutant monster hunter struggling to find his place in a world where humans are as much to fear as the watches themselves.
If fans of the books are disappointed with the series adaptation, we disagree. Just the decor, the costumes and the universe are worth the detour. We must not forget that Fantasy is difficult to portray.
Will season 4, expected for summer 2023, reconcile these grumpy people with the series? Nothing is less certain, especially since the replacement of Henry Cavill by Liam Hemsworth has already set Internet users in turmoil.
Unorthodox
Only 4 episodes, a strong subject, a lot of emotion. Unorthodox is clearly not a series designed for the general public. Based on the autobiographical novel by Deborah Feldman, this German mini-series broadcast in 2020 follows the adventures of Esther Shapiro, a young woman of ultra-orthodox Jewish faith.
Stifled by traditions, between a very pressing family and a marriage that was imposed on her, the young woman decides to leave her community of Williamsburg, New York, to make a new start in Berlin. The opportunity for her to emancipate herself, but also to learn more about her origins.
Outlander
If Outlander is not an original Netflix series, the first 6 seasons are available on the platform, and the next one should not be long after its broadcast in the United States.
We follow the adventures of Claire and her family through time, each space of time being marked by its own problems. An original concept that makes us dream and travel and of which we can’t wait to know the outcome. But you will have to be patient because the series is based on the fanciful novels The Thistle and the Tartan by Diana Gabaldon, still being written.
Shadow and bone
Among the most underrated series of the moment, Shadow and Bone takes the lion’s share. The first season, inspired by Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy, tells the fate of the kingdom of Ravka, cursed for millennia. Only Alina, an orphan, will be able to save him. She will accompany the Grisha, powerful magicians, in their fight against the evil fog.
Benefiting from production that is as ambitious as it is careful, this series quickly climbed into the Netflix top 10. Will season 2, scheduled for 2023, finally allow Shadow and Bone to have the notoriety it deserves?
The Disastrous Adventures of the Baudelaire Orphans
The Disastrous Adventures of the Baudelaire Orphans is taken from the literary series for young people composed of 13 volumes, published between 1999 and 2006. This saga tells the misfortunes of Violette, Klaus and Prunille who will have to come to terms with their guardian, Count Olaf, continued upon the death of their parents. The latter has one idea in mind: to strip them of their inheritance.
This tragic destiny is told with humor in a particular universe, meticulous in detail. Neil Patrick Harris amazes us with every costume change and he ultimately has little to envy of Jim Carrey, who had already played Count Olaf in a previous film adaptation, in 2004.
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