Irish smash hit "Normal People" one of the highest-rated book-to-TV adaptations
· IrishCentralThe best book-to-TV adaptations have been revealed, with Irish author Sally Rooney's "Normal People" ranking in the top five.
Transforming a beloved book into a television series can introduce a whole new audience to the story. From dystopian fantasies to gripping dramas, lustful romances and laugh-out-loud comedies, you may be surprised by the amount of TV shows that first found life on the pages of a book.
Now, new research commissioned on behalf of Betfair Slots has revealed the most-loved book-to-TV adaptations of all time.
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Jilly Cooper's 1988 book "Rivals" is the latest to have been given the TV treatment for Disney+ - with a star-studded cast including Emily Atack, David Tennant, Aidan Turner and Danny Dyer. The series was released on October 18th, and critics have already showered it with praise. But what other book-to-TV adaptations have proven a smash hit?
Researchers measured the popularity of each television adaptation by a unique index score generated by ratings on IMDb, Rating Graph, and Metacritic - with the lower the overall index score, the higher the ranking.
"Game of Thrones" landed the top spot on the list. The fantasy series premiered in 2011 and was based on the novels by George R. R. Martin. It tells the story of a medieval country's civil war and launched the careers of stars, including Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams.
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In second spot is the 2022 drama series "This is Going to Hurt." Created by British writer Adam Kay and based on his memoir of the same name, it provides a no-holds-barred account of his time working as a junior doctor.
And in third place is the 2020 Netflix hit "The Queen's Gambit." The period drama was based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis and starred Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon, a chess prodigy.
"Normal People," based on Sally Rooney's best-selling 2018 novel of the same name, premiered on Hulu and BBC in 2020. The hit 12-part drama, which follows the tumultuous and life-changing relationship between young Irish lovers Marianne and Connell, brought acclaim and recognition to lead actors Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones.
"Normal People' ranks number four on the list, tying with the Showtime crime drama "Dexter."
Check out the complete list of top book-to -TV adaptations below.
Top eight book-to-TV adaptations:
- Game of Thrones
- This is Going to Hurt
- The Queen's Gambit
- Normal People and Dexter
- Pride and Prejudice
- The Handmaid's Tale and Big Little Lies
- The Night Manager
- Orange is the New Black
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