5 Best Ongoing Sci-Fi Shows Based On Books

Sci-fi television thrives when it balances large-scale concepts and character-driven stories, which makes sci-fi books an incredible launchpad for a TV series in the genre. Even with the most imaginative world building, some shows that are conceptualized as TV shows from the beginning can fall flat without the framework of a novel or series working beneath it.

While sci-fi shows don’t need to be adapted from novels, the way that a book or series of books can flesh out a story is unmatched. Learning more about the characters, circumstances, and conflict makes it easier to distill what’s important to show on screen, and what may not work as a show moves into the realm of a TV series.

With some of the most successful shows in the sci-fi genre right now come from adaptations of novels, it’s clear that moving from page to screen can be the right move. Using the framework of a novel allows futuristic or fantastical elements to shine in ways that are often more grounded than those without the scaffolding of a book backdrop.

Novels provide narrative structure, thematic depth, and internal logic that give showrunners a strong foundation. When an adaptation remains faithful to the emotional beats of its source material, it can translate complex concepts into television with a greater sense of clarity. With a surge in this style of content in the last few years, book-to-screen adaptations are expanding their stories season after season.

While some book-to-screen adaptations find themselves working better as a film or series of films, others work better on the small screen, moving through their plots with somewhat more exploration. The canon of currently airing sci-fi shows based on books is a fascinating roundup, blending strong fantastical storytelling with grounded character-driven arcs. These TV series push the boundaries of imagination in the best way.

Interview With The Vampire

AMC

Larry Horricks / ©AMC / Courtesy Everett Collection

AMC’s Interview With The Vampire, a series based on Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles series, reimagines some pieces of the iconic story. With differences in the timeline and character dynamics, Interview With The Vampire sticks to the central conflict of the series’ first novel. Focusing on the tortured relationship between Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) and Lestat de Lioncour (Sam Reid), the series knows its strengths.

Much like the novel, the series frames the story as an interview conducted decades in the future, flashing back to the events Louis is recounting. The adaptation has been a critical success, finding its footing by deepening the characterization while expanding the mythology to make the story richer for audiences.

Release Date: October 2, 2022
Showrunner: Mark Johnson
Directors: Levan Akin, Alan Taylor, Craig Zisk, Emma Freeman, Keith Powell
Writers: Jonathan Ceniceroz, Coline Abert, Eleanor Burgess, Ben Philippe

Jacob Anderson

Louis de Pointe du Lac
Sam Reid

Lestat de Lioncourt

Foundation

Apple TV

Based on Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy, Foundation premiered on Apple TV in 2022. The Asimov novels, a landmark achievement in science fiction as a genre, serve as the springboard for Foundation, which takes significant creative liberties when it comes to the story. Staying true to the premise of Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) developing psychohistory, an eerie predictive science, Foundation expands on the character work in the novels.

Ensuring that the characters in Foundation are more fleshed out than those in the novels, the series brought in complicated emotional arcs that allow the characters to grow. With multi-generational storytelling that spans throughout the universe, Foundation explores identity, empire, and belief systems while staying true to the books’ core ideas.

Release Date: September 23, 2021
Network: Apple TV+
Showrunner: David S. Goyer
Directors: Alex Graves, Roxann Dawson, Jennifer Phang, Mark Tonderai, Andrew Bernstein
Writers: Jane Espenson, Leigh Dana Jackson, Liz Phang, Eric Carrasco, David Kob, Addie Manis, Marcus Gardley, Lauren Bello, Olivia Purnell

The Boys

Prime Video

The Boys, Eric Kripke’s take on Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson’s comic series of the same name, has become a cornerstone of Prime Video’s content. More grounded in superhero satire than specific sci-fi, The Boys brings scientific experimentation, political conspiracies, and intense world building into the mix of the story. The core premise sees a group of superheros abusing their powers, while a vigilante group seeks to expose them.

With stars like Karl Urban and Jack Quaid, The Boys may diverge from the comics in major ways, but it keeps the series’ darkly comedic and hyper-violent tone. With its ongoing story expanded into a five-season series and spinoffs to come, The Boys’ popularity has brought viewers to the genre.

The Boys Season 4 Poster Showing Homelander with Victoria Neuman Surrounded by Confetti

Release Date: July 25, 2019
Showrunner: Eric Kripke
Writers: Eric Kripke
Franchise(s): The Boys

Dark Matter

Apple TV

Apple TV’s Dark Matter takes Blake Crouch’s 2016 novel of the same name and elevates it onto the small screen. Crouch’s novel, a mind-bending sci-fi thriller that explores the idea of a multiverse and takes characters through it to major consequences, is expanded throughout Dark Matter. Following Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton), the series confronts various versions of the character as he tries to return home.

While the show remains faithful to the book’s emotional stakes and concepts, it does a great job expanding on the supporting characters that there wasn’t room to focus on within the novel. Bringing thematic threads together with various character arcs, Dark Matter is able to keep the psychological intensity and grounded approach while broadening the story.

Release Date: May 7, 2024
Network: Apple TV+
Directors: Jakob Verbruggen, Alik Sakharov, Roxann Dawson, Logan George
Writers: Blake Crouch

Silo

Apple TV

A carefully crafted series, Silo is based on the Hugh Howey Wool books, bringing a dystopian drama into the spotlight. Apple TV’s dystopian drama explores an underground housing structure that holds the remnants of humanity. Following engineer Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) as she uncovers hidden truths about the silo’s origins, the series pulls from three of Howey’s novels, Wool, Shift, and Dust, to round out its story.

With careful world building, strong character focus, and an intense look at the human condition, Silo works hard to keep a bleak tone and build intricate mysteries around it. Silo’s second season has viewers hopeful that the story will be even deeper than the first.