11 Book-to-TV Adaptations We Can’t Wait to See in 2022
Readers, rejoice. If you’re a book-lover who enjoys seeing your favorite titles turned into TV shows, 2022 is going to be a very good year. From an HBO Max series inspired by a true-crime book about notorious Texas murder to the new season of Outlander, there are plenty of book-to-TV adaptations coming to the small screen next year.
Here are the book-to-TV adaptations that we’re looking forward to in 2022:
‘Around the World in 80 Days’
Release date: Jan. 2 on PBS.
Start the year off with some adventure with PBS’s new adaptation of Jules Verne’s 1872 book Around the World in 80 Days. David Tennant stars as Phileas Fogg, who bets £20,000 that he can make a round-the-world trip in less than three months. He’s accompanied by two companions, his French valet Passepartout (Ibrahim Koma) and intrepid reporter Abigail “Fix” Fortescue (Leonie Benesch). The trio set off from London on their break-neck trip, encountering a number of obstacles along the way.
‘All Creatures Great and Small’
Release date: Jan. 9 on PBS
A second season of PBS’s feel-good period drama All Creatures Great and Small (based on the books by James Herriot) premieres on Jan. 9. James (Nicholas Ralph) returns to the picturesque Yorkshire village of Darrowby to continue his work as a country vet — and his burgeoning romance with Helen (Rachel Shenton). Most of the season 1 cast will return, but Patricia Hodge will be stepping into the role of Mrs. Pumphrey, owner of the pampered Pekingese Tricki Woo. She replaces the late Diana Rigg, who died in 2020.
‘A Discovery of Witches’ Season 3
Release date: Jan. 8 on AMC+
The supernatural fantasy series A Discovery of Witches comes to an end with its third season, premiering in early January. Based on Deborah Harkness’ novel The Book of Life, fans will see Diana (Teresa Palmer) and Matthew (Matthew Goode) return to the present-day to take on the members of Congregation who are out to destroy them.
‘Outlander’ Season 6
Release date: March 6 on Starz
Droughtlander comes to an end in early March, when the sixth season of the time-traveling romance arrives on Starz. While Outlander doesn’t strictly follow Diana Gabaldon’s series of best-selling novels, fans can expect season 6 to draw heavily from A Breath of Snow and Ashes. (Though that book also provided some important plot points for season 5). That includes the arrival of the Christie family at Fraser’s Ridge, which creates more trouble for Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan).
‘The Lord of the Rings’
Release date: Sept. 2, Prime Video
Fans have been waiting years for The Lord of the Rings, Prime Video’s series set during the Second Age of Middle-Earth. It’s based on material in J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic trilogy of fantasy novels: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. But it will take place long before the events seen in Peter Jackson’s award-winning film trilogy.
The show follows both new and familiar characters as they confront a re-emergence of evil in Middle-Earth. “From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone,” reads the show’s official description.
‘Bridgerton’ Season 2
Release date: 2022, Netflix
The Duke of Hastings might have left the chat, but Bridgerton isn’t going anywhere. A second season of Netflix’s steamy period drama arrives in 2022. It’s based on Julia Quinn’s The Viscount Who Love Me and focuses on elder Bridgerton brother Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and his romance with the headstrong Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley).
‘House of the Dragon’
Release date: 2022, HBO
It’s not a do-over of the much-maligned Game of Thrones Season 8, but the prequel series House of the Dragon will take viewers back to the fantasy world created by George R.R. Martin. Based on the author’s book Fire & Blood, it’s set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and tells the story of House Targaryen. The cast includes Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, and Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen.
‘Interview With the Vampire’
Release date: 2022, AMC and AMC+
Sink your teeth into Interview With the Vampire, a new adaptation of Anne Rice’s book of the same name from AMC. Sam Reid plays Lestat and Jacob Anderson plays his vampire companion Louis. The network actually has rights to all the books in Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series, including The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, and The Tale of the Body Thief, so there’s plenty of material to draw on for possible future seasons. Plus, AMC is also planning another Rice adaptation, The Lives of the Mayfair Witches, for a 2022 premiere on AMC and AMC+.
‘Love & Death’
Release date: 2022, HBO Max
Elizabeth Olsen plays a church-going Texas woman turned ax murderer in this limited series inspired by the true-crime book Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs as well as a collection of articles from Texas Monthly. Love & Death also stars Jesse Plemons and Krysten Ritter.
‘The Sandman’
Release date: 2022, Netflix
Neil Gaiman’s cult-favorite graphic novel series The Sandman finally makes its way to the screen in this highly-anticipated Netflix adaptation, which is due out in 2022. Tom Sturridge plays Dream (aka Morpheus), one of seven siblings known as the Endless. These powerful beings — who also include Death, Desire, and Despair — rule over different aspects of human lives. In a teaser, we see occultist Roderick Burgess (Charles Dance) perform a ritual in an attempt to capture Death, only to summon Dream instead.
‘Bosch: Legacy’
Release date: 2022, IMDbTV
Bosch, Prime Video’s longest-running series, ended in 2021. But fans will be able to follow more stories involving Harry Bosch, the LAPD detective created by author Michael Connelly, in the upcoming spinoff series Bosch: Legacy. It focuses on the character after he leaves the police force and sets up shop as a PI. Season 1 will be based on the book The Wrong Side of Goodbye.
Book-to-TV adaptations that we may see in 2022
In addition to shows that have a confirmed 2022 release date, there are a number of other book-to-TV adaptations on the horizon, though we don’t know for sure that these will be out next year. They include:
- Conversations With Friends, Hulu’s adaptation of Irish author Sally Rooney’s (Normal People) first novel.
- Anatomy of a Scandal, a Netflix series from Big Little Lies creator David E. Kelley about a scandal among members of the British elite. It’s based on a novel by Sarah Vaughan.
- The Time Traveler’s Wife is a new HBO adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s best-selling novel, previously made into a 2009 movie. Theo James and Rose Leslie star.
- Kindred, an FX adaptation of Octavia Butler’s sci-fi novel about a Black woman who is tranported back to the 19th century plantation where her ancestors were enslaved.
- The Essex Serpent, AppleTV+’s adaptation of Sarah Perry’s book about a woman who investigates reports of a mythical sea serpent in Victorian England. Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes star.
- Daisy Jones and the Six, based on the book by Taylor Jenkins Reid, is about the drama surrounding a Fleetwood Mac-esque band in the 1970s. It will stream on Prime Video.
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