5 Best Sci-Fi TV Shows Based On Books Right Now

5 Best Ongoing Sci-Fi Shows Based On Books

Joel Edgerton Dark Matter

By Cher Thompson Published 8 minutes ago

Cher Thompson is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, where she covers everything from explosive reality TV moments to cast interviews about the twists and turns of scripted dramas. With a background in creative writing, marketing, and teaching, Cher knows how to spot both the storytelling genius and the guilty pleasures in pop culture. Her work blends wit with insight, making readers feel like they’re chatting with a friend who just happens to know way too much about TV.

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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

Lestat looking at Louis in Interview with the Vampire season 2, episode 4Larry 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.

81 9.2/10

Interview with the Vampire

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Drama Sci-Fi & Fantasy Horror Supernatural Release Date October 2, 2022 Network AMC Showrunner Mark Johnson Directors Levan Akin, Alan Taylor, Craig Zisk, Emma Freeman, Keith Powell Writers Jonathan Ceniceroz, Coline Abert, Eleanor Burgess, Ben Philippe

Cast

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Jacob Anderson Louis de Pointe du Lac
Sam Reid Lestat de Lioncourt

Franchise(s) Immortal Universe Genres Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural Creator(s) Rolin Jones Powered by

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Foundation

Apple TV

Lee Pace and Laura Birn standing in a bright hallway in Foundation

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.

112 8.7/10

8/10

Foundation

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Drama Sci-Fi 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

8 Images

Jared Harris looking concerned as Hari Seldon in Foundation

Foundation Stars Terrance Mann & Cassian Bilton Explain "Unrecognizable" Cleon Dynasty In Season 3 Brother Day in Foundation

Jared Harris as Hari Seldon and Lou Llobel as Gaal Dornick in Foundation Ferret in Foundation

Song touching her arm in Foundation

The Cleons sharing a drink in FoundationClose

Cast

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Jared Harris Hari Seldon
Laura Birn Demerzel

Genres Drama, Sci-Fi Creator(s) David S. Goyer, Josh Friedman Powered by

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The Boys

Prime Video

Homelander smiling while taking a picture with two teenagers in The Boys season 1

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

224 8.7/10

7/10

The Boys

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Action Drama Crime Comedy Release Date July 25, 2019 Showrunner Eric Kripke Directors Erin Moriarty, Karen Fukuhara, Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Eric Kripke Writers Eric Kripke Franchise(s) The Boys

6 Images

Homelander looking into a crowd with a blank expression in The Boys

Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) with Temp V next to a concerned Hughie (Jack Quaid) in The Boys season 3

Hughie (Jack Quaid) and Annie (Erin Moriarty) looking at each other in front of a Starlight protest in The Boys season 4

Karl Urban as Billy Butcher looking rough in The Boys

Karl Urban as Billy Butcher in The Boys

Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) smiling while Hughie (Jack Quaid) stands behind him in The BoysJasper Savage / ©Amazon / Courtesy Everett CollectionClose

Cast

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Karl Urban Billy Butcher
Jack Quaid Hugh Hughie Campbell

Genres Action, Drama, Crime, Comedy Creator(s) Eric Kripke Powered by

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Dark Matter

Apple TV

Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly in Dark Matter, with multiple versions of Edgerton's Jason behind them

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.

13 8.6/10

9/10

Dark Matter

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Drama Science Fiction Thriller Mystery Release Date May 7, 2024 Network Apple TV+ Directors Jakob Verbruggen, Alik Sakharov, Roxann Dawson, Logan George Writers Blake Crouch

Cast

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Jennifer Connelly Daniela Dessen
Joel Edgerton Jason Dessen / Jason2

Genres Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Creator(s) Blake Crouch Powered by

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Silo

Apple TV

Remmie Milner, Shane McRae in Silo season 2, episode 5©Apple TV+ /Courtesy Everett Collection

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.

297 9.1/10

9/10

Silo

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Sci-Fi Drama Release Date May 5, 2023 Showrunner Graham Yost Directors Morten Tyldum, David Semel

Cast

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Rebecca Ferguson Juliette Nichols
Common Robert Sims

Genres Sci-Fi, Drama Creator(s) Graham Yost Powered by

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Silo
Dark Matter
The Boys

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