Aug 11, 2025

TV Series You Didn’t Know Were Based on Books

Aanya Mehta

The Queen's Gambit

The Netflix chess sensation is adapted from Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel of the same name.

Source: amazon.in

Sacred Games

The gritty Mumbai crime saga comes from Vikram Chandra’s 2006 novel Sacred Games.

Source: amazon.in

You

The psychological thriller series is adapted from Caroline Kepnes’s 2014 novel.

Source: amazon.in

Panchayat

While not directly adapted, the small town vibe and plot draw inspiration from rural memoir style Indian literature like Raag Darbari.

Source: amazon.in

The Handmaid's Tale

Based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 dystopian classic, the Hulu series expands beyond the original novel.

Source: amazon.in

Orange is The New Black

Inspired by Piper Kerman’s memoir Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison (2010).

Source: amazon.in

Leila by Prayaag Akbar

A dystopian drama based on Prayaag Akbar’s acclaimed 2017 novel Leila.

Source: amazon.in

House of Cards

Netflix’s political drama is adapted from Michael Dobbs’s 1989 British novel of the same name.

Source: amazon.in

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