TV shows that are better than the book

February 10, 9:56 AMSeattle Books ExaminerDanielle Dreger-Babbitt

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On Saturday I reviewed Dead Until Dark by Charlene Harris and talked about how I thought the HBO Original Series True Blood  was better than the books.  It seemed that most of the people who had read the series before the show liked the books better than the show but agreed that they did like the direction the show went in and how it stayed mostly true to the book.  Most of the people who watched True Blood before they read the book thought the show was much better.

This got me thnking.  What other TV shows and miniseries are better than the books on which they are based?  In the past I've compiled lists of movies that were great adaptations of young adult novels and books that never should have been turned into movies.

Sex and the City

This popular HBO Original Series is based on the bestselling book of the same name by Candace Bushnell.  It is a collection of Bushnell's witty and sharply observed sex columns from the New York Observer.  The columns are good, but the show made them better by bringing them to life.

True Blood

See the first paragraph of today's post and last Saturday's article for proof.

Gossip Girl

I'm as into the TV show as I was the series of books, but I do recognize how good this WB show is.  It really is Sex and the City for the teenage set.  The first Gossip Girl novel was the best of the bunch, though the It Girl and Gossip Girl:  The Carlyles (which is one of my guilty pleasure books) spin-offs are well done.  Like SATC the books really needed to be brought to life to get the full impact of the glamor and privledge. 

Bones

This FOX drama is probably my favorite show on TV.  The show is losely based on the Temperance Brennan (Bones) forensic mystery novels by Kathy Reichs.  I love the fact that on the show Dr. Brennan is a forensic mystery author in addition to her day job at the Jeffersonian and that her main character in the books is named Kathy Reichs.  I think the show is better than the book series partially because of the addition of FBI Agent Booth but also because Brennan seems a little more human on the show.  I also think it helps that she works with a team to solve the mystery so we don't get Brennan overload.

Privledged

This WB series is based on the book How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls by Zoey Dean.  I thought the book was so-so, and even though I do not watch the show (I've seen maybe two episodes) I do like the translation to screen.  The dialog is witty and snarky and I like seeing how coniving Rose and Sage can be.

I know HBO bought the rights to Sloane Crosley's I was Told There'd Be Cake (one of my Best Books of 2008) last June and plan to turn it into a show.  given HBO's track record, I think the show will turn out well.  I would also love to see the Young Adult series The Celebutantes get turned into a show.  I would describe it as what would happen if Paris and Nicky Hilton decided to be Veronica Mars.