From paper to TV

While it’s usually more popular to turn books into movies, recently there’s been a trend of TV shows based on popular books, such as Shadowhunters, inspired by Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instrument series; The Expanse, from a series of the same name by James A. Corey; and the Magicians, from the first book in The Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman. In the spirit of that, here’s some books that seem like they would make awesome TV adaptions:

1. Harry Potter (JK Rowling)-Everyone’s said this already, but I still think it would be awesome to see a reboot as this. Actually, what I would really have loved to see is the side books as TV series. Imagine a whole season of Eddie Redmayne in 1920s magical New York, or how awesome a TV show about a quidditch team would be.
2. The Stepford Wives (Ira Leving)-This one’s a bit older and has also previously been made into movies, but it should make a great TV show. The plot is pretty simple: a new family moves into a suburb where all the women are suspiciously similar and the men all belong to a mysterious “Men’s Association.” Despite the simple plot and short length, the book manages to be an exhilarating mystery as we follow Joanna, feminist and photographer, as she attempts to figure out what is going on in the town. With a bit of updating on the dialogue and technology (this was written before Google or iPhones), it would make an exciting horror-thriller in the style of American Horror Story.
3. Mistborn (Brandon Sanderson)-Let’s face it, we need more good fantasy shows. Mistborn kind of has it all: awesome female protagonist, really in-depth world building, magic, an evil ruler, and a good twist at the end. While it might be hard to make the effects look realistic, at least the characters and the plot won’t disappoint.
4. The Iliad (Homer) – Okay, so we had Brad Pitt’s Troy, which is about as loyal to the original work as dorm room mac and cheese is to real food. What would be awesome to see is a series that starts out focusing around Achilles, much in the way of The Song of Achilles (Madeline Miller), and then shifts towards other characters, like Hector and Patroclus, as the final battle comes closer. It would give more time to grow relationships between the characters and explore the complex world of ancient Greek politics.
5. Red Planet Blues (Robert J. Sawyer) – It’s a noir mystery set on Mars, which I think is all that needs to be said. The prose could use a little work as it’s stronger in the first half than the second, but even just for the visuals it would make for an awesome show.