10 TV Shows That Are Great Despite Being Bad Adaptations

It’s common to enjoy a TV show until you learn it’s based on something else – especially if you’re familiar with the original story. Adaptations often face tougher criticism because viewers have strong ideas about how faithful they should be. However, a successful adaptation doesn’t need to perfectly mirror the source material. Many popular shows actually gained success by making significant changes, and sometimes those changes even improved the story. That’s why we’re focusing on how adaptations handle those changes.

These TV shows exceeded expectations and gained a large following, despite being based on existing stories. While they’re adapted from other works, they often take a different approach. Ultimately, staying true to the source material and creating a great show are separate goals.

10) Under the Dome

Despite being cancelled after three seasons, Under the Dome was popular with many viewers – and it’s not hard to see why. While the show was fun to watch, it strayed significantly from what made Stephen King’s original book so effective. The series centers on the people of Chester’s Mill as they struggle to survive after an inexplicable dome traps them, isolating the town from the outside world. However, the show took a very different approach to the story’s core idea than the book did.

Stephen King was primarily concerned with how society would fall apart under those circumstances, but the TV show Under the Dome prioritizes dramatic mysteries, unexpected twists, and escalating conflicts. As a result, the adaptation streamlines the characters and largely removes the book’s deeper social themes. However, as a television series, it’s undeniably successful because it’s very good at keeping audiences engaged, even when the storyline becomes unbelievable.

9) Anne with an E

Netflix is known for ending shows prematurely, and the cancellation of Anne with an E remains particularly disappointing for many fans. However, viewers familiar with Anne of Green Gables might find the series wasn’t a perfect fit. The show takes the beloved story and shifts its generally cheerful and comforting atmosphere toward more intense, emotional, and contemporary themes. The story centers on Anne Shirley, a creative orphan who goes to live with siblings in Avonlea and profoundly impacts their lives.

The show’s strength lies in its portrayal of Anne – not as a quirky dreamer, but as a young girl grappling with the pain of being abandoned and the effects of trauma. This shift in perspective fundamentally alters the story’s tone. While it may not satisfy viewers expecting a traditional adaptation of the source material, Anne with an E excels as a compelling drama that deeply resonates with its intended audience.

8) The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is a complicated show, especially for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s original works, and it’s easy to see why. As a prequel to the popular movies, the series tells the story of Sauron’s ascent to power and the forging of the Rings of Power, while also showing more of Middle-earth during a past era. However, it alters the established timeline, combines events that happened over thousands of years, and introduces new plotlines that don’t always align with Tolkien’s writings.

Ultimately, The Rings of Power impresses more with how it looks than with its storytelling choices. Many viewers feel the show prioritizes grand visuals over the rich mythology that made Tolkien’s original work so special. It’s still a good fantasy series, and newcomers to Tolkien’s world will likely enjoy it. However, as an adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, it doesn’t quite capture the spirit of the source material.

7) Foundation

As a huge sci-fi fan, I’ve always known adapting Asimov is tough. His stories are brilliant, but they’re really about big ideas and debates, not necessarily characters you immediately connect with or a fast-moving plot. That’s definitely true with Foundation. To make it work as a TV series, they really had to expand on the source material. The show centers on Hari Seldon and his attempt to save civilization after he predicts the fall of the Galactic Empire, and honestly, stretching things out into a serialized format was a smart move. It just needed that extra breathing room.

The show invents new relationships, conflicts, and plotlines not found in the original books. However, unlike some adaptations, these changes work in the show’s favor. While they soften the cool, intellectual feel of Asimov’s writing, they create a more engaging and dramatic story. For instance, the storyline about the Imperial clones is so captivating that it sometimes overshadows the central plot.

6) One of Us Is Lying

Despite not being a universal hit, the series One of Us Is Lying is based on a fast-paced and suspenseful book with multiple perspectives. While the book’s initial setup is strong, many found the ending disappointing. The series attempts to address these issues. The story kicks off with five students entering detention, but when it ends, only four are left, instantly making everyone a suspect in a murder.

This adaptation of One of Us Is Lying stands out because its characters are more developed and the show really focuses on their relationships. This makes it more engaging to watch. However, some of these changes lessen the impact of key plot twists from the book. While the adaptation has both good and bad points, it’s still a very easy show to get hooked on and watch all at once.

5) Game of Thrones

Even now, Game of Thrones sparks debate. The show centers on powerful families battling for the throne of Westeros, all while facing growing dangers. It’s notable because it began brilliantly, closely following George R.R. Martin’s books for its first four seasons. Later seasons took more creative liberties, but for a long time, that wasn’t a problem. The show consistently delivered epic episodes, compelling characters, and unforgettable scenes, which kept audiences hooked and growing.

The show really struggled with its final season. It seemed rushed and lacked the strong foundation of the books it was based on, causing it to lose focus. However, despite a disappointing ending, it’s unfair to say the whole series was bad. Game of Thrones completely changed what people expected from fantasy television and became a cultural phenomenon that hasn’t been equaled since.

4) Outlander

Fans of the show Outlander particularly appreciated how closely the first few seasons followed the books. The series, especially its first season, remained very faithful to the original story. It follows Claire Randall, a nurse who finds herself transported back in time to 18th-century Scotland, where she falls in love with Jamie Fraser amidst a backdrop of war and political upheaval. Given the books’ immense size and rich historical detail, a precise adaptation was always a significant challenge.

Adapting a book series as large as Outlander for television inevitably requires some changes—it’s just not possible to include every detail. The show begins to take more creative freedoms, but it remains true to the heart of the story: the connection between the two main characters. That relationship is what continues to resonate with viewers and keep them engaged.

3) The Fall of the House of Usher

While The Fall of the House of Usher isn’t a straight retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s story, it’s definitely inspired by his work. The show weaves together elements from several of Poe’s tales to create a story about a wealthy family, the Ushers, and the downfall they face when the heirs to their pharmaceutical fortune begin to die under strange and violent circumstances. It’s a story about wealth, corruption, and the erosion of morality.

Adapting Poe’s work for the screen meant significant changes to the story and how it was told. However, the series comes from Mike Flanagan, a leading figure in contemporary horror television, and he successfully captures the feeling of dread and fate that’s central to Poe’s writing. A strictly accurate adaptation likely wouldn’t have been as compelling or even achievable. Ultimately, The Fall of the House of Usher blends horror, family conflict, and social themes in a way that feels cohesive and avoids simply name-dropping literary elements.

2) The Boys

The TV show The Boys deserves recognition for completely changing the superhero genre. Interestingly, it achieved this by significantly deviating from its source material. While the comic books were known for over-the-top violence, crude humor, and shocking content, the series takes a different approach. It still includes those elements, but presents them in a more nuanced way, focusing on a group attempting to expose and stop corrupt superheroes who are treated like celebrities and brands.

The show’s creators realized that simply being shocking wasn’t enough to make a truly compelling series. To make the story resonate, they needed to develop the characters more fully and give the chaotic events real emotional impact. This is clear in characters like Homelander, Butcher, and Starlight, who are much more complex in the TV series, and it significantly improves the show. While still often brutal, the tone is generally more serious, with genuine emotional stakes layered beneath the violence and satire.

1) Interview with the Vampire

With so many TV shows adapting books these days, Interview with the Vampire really takes a lot of liberties with the original story. It deviates so significantly from Anne Rice’s novels that many fans might have been expected to dislike it. The series makes big changes to the time period, how characters are built, and the relationships between them – things that were once hinted at are now much more openly emotional. The show centers on Louis as he tells the story of his life as a vampire and his complicated, passionate, and often damaging connection with Lestat over many years.

The adaptation works so well because every change is carefully considered and builds on existing themes from the novels. The original Interview with the Vampire wasn’t confusing, but updating the story for television and giving it a unique feel was a clever move. It could have easily failed, but the series successfully reinvents the material, making it one of the best genre shows in recent years.

2026-05-27 00:42