Every day consumers have raised serious questions about the recent onslaught of reboots and remakes. Social media sites contain worthy critiques and questionable commentary surrounding the recent uptick in remakes, reboots, and reimaginations of beloved franchises. While many audiences wait for a major shift towards original programming, several series have impressed audiences in spite of borrowing from their respective source material.
Typically adapted into limited series, short stories carry a long tradition of offering readers a concise yet exciting adventure. Writers such as Bessie Head, Edgar Allen Poe, and Stephen King created entire universes with intentional language and symbolism in less than 40 pages. From creating compelling horror pieces like “The Raven” to exploring often overlooked moments in history with “The Collector Of Treasures”, short stories have immensely contributed to the development of modern literature, contemporary discourse, and consequently, media.
Adapting novels into series is far from a discovery. Nevertheless, that does not render it useless to explore the array of series that can trace their origins back to short stories. In some cases, televised adaptions of both famous and overlooked short stories hold up to the source material and even take certain liberties that enhance the already existing story.
10Sleepy Hollow
Loosely based on the Jonathan Irving short story of the same name,Sleepy Hollowdebuted in the fall of 2013 with a unique potential to lead the charge among other supernatural dramas. The series takes place in the fictional town of Sleepy Hollow, New York, where the iconic Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) finds himself far removed from the infancy of the United States.
Coming back to life in 2013, Crane comes into contact with Sheriff’s Lt. Abigail “Abbie” Mills (Nicole Beharie) and the two come to learn that they are more than just authority figures of their respective eras. The biblically influenced drama saw the pair, as well as their close-knit group of allies, defend the town from the terrifying Horseman of the Apocalypse, the demon Moloch, and their otherworldly subordinates.
Despite the series' potential,Sleepy Hollowwas canceled after four seasons and concluded with a poor taste in the mouth of avid fans who learned about the abhorrent treatment of Nicole Beharie behind the scenes.
9Minority Report
Minority Reportwas a 2015 reimagination of Philip K. Dick’s short story with the shared name. First conceptualized by way of a 2002 Steven Speilberg film, the series stars Stark Sands, Meagan Good, and Nick Zano as Dash Parker, Lara Vega, and Arthur Watson respectively.
Much like the story, the series takes place in 2065 Washington D.C. where scientists have allegedly made a breakthrough that alters the landscape of law enforcement. Dash is a “precog”, or a person with the ability to predict crimes before they occur. Previously, developments as such were useful to the “PreCrime” unit, a sector of the police department where precogs used their talents to help prevent crimes.
After the “precrime” unit is dissolved, Dash lives in secrecy, using his powers to assist Detective Vega while hoping to evade influential forces keen on manipulating and exploiting his abilities for their selfish purposes.
The series captures Dick’s anxieties about authoritarianism and individualism, exploring themes such as free will, corruption, and systemic abuse.
Pantheonis a one-season animated drama adapted from “The Short Stories” by author Ken Liu. The series stars Katie Chang, Daniel Dae Kim, and Paul Dano and followed a teenager named Maddie (Katie Chang) who begins receiving messages from a stranger believed to be her father (Daniel Dae Kim) who recently passed away.
She soon unravels a grand secret that finds her and her peers navigating a world with “Uploaded Intelligence”, technology that allows people who have recently passed to upload their consciousness into the cloud.
Despitedebuting to positive reception, earning a two-season order, and having said second season produced,Pantheonwas canceled prematurely due to cost cuts at AMC.
7A Young Doctor’s Notebook
A Young Doctor’s Notebookis a dark comedy based on a collection of stories written by Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov. The 2012 series saw Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe both portray Dr. Vladimir “Nika” Bomgard at varying ages. With both appearing side by side at times, the two actors exchange a peculiar, amusing yet relatable dialogue that mirrors many of our deep dark thoughts, innocent curiosities, and personal musings about life.
Set in the fictional Muryevo Hospital in 20th-century Russia, the series finds Bulgakov and his team of medical professionals alleviating their patients while the titular doctor experiences the consequences of self-ascribed morphine use during the Russian Revolution and subsequently, the Russian Civil War.
Related:Jon Hamm’s Best Performances, Ranked
In under two seasons, the series has been enjoyed for its surreal take on both Russian history and medicines giving viewers a distinctly pleasing perspective on the titular doctor and his day-to-day life.
6The Whispers
The Whispers, based on Ray Bradbury’s 1951 “Zero Hour”, is a Netflix science fiction thriller that focuses on a Washington D.C. detective named Claire Benningan (Lily Rabe). Tasked with investigating several incidents surrounding children and their shared imaginary friend only known as “Drill”.
Connecting the recent developments to her missing husband (Milo Ventimiglia), the series soon delves deeper into the mystery of Drill, their unique rapport with the local children, and what exactly they hope to gain from their invisible clutches seeped into the foundation of America’s capital city.
5Chapelwaite
Chapelwaite, starring Adrien Brody, is a 2021 horror series distributed through MGM+. The series follows Captain Charles Boone (Brody), who returns to his ancestral home located in Maine following the passing of his wife. He, along with his three children, is subjected to a horrific haunting and must unearth the secrets of the family to finally experience peace.
Based on the short story “Jerusalem’s Lot”, written by Stephen King, the series debuted to generally favorable reviews. With a second season underway, it will be a joy to see how the cast and crewbuild upon the existing source materialusing a new medium and how that comes across to a vast audience of avid watchers.
4Channel Zero
Debuting in the fall of 2016,Channel Zerois a horror anthology that owes its success and storylines to various creepypastas, niche horror stories that, at its peak, captivated the globe during the 2010s. The SyFy series hosts an extensive roster that includes the likes of Aisha Dee, Paul Schneider, Steven Weber, Luisa D’Oliviera, and Natalie Brown and documents gruesome murders, haunted homes, and sinister neighbors.
Throughout four seasons, the series enjoyed critical acclaim. The second and third seasons in particular earned a 100% or “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes for their “solid narratives” and strong conclusions to a compelling mystery. The series concluded after its fourth season, still holding up asone of SyFy’s most critically lauded programs.
Alongside individual short stories, entire collections have also been adapted into series. Cecelia Ahern’sRoaris one of the more notable examples of a recent production that follows the lives of several characters and their respective tales. In 2022, Apple TV+ premiered eight episodes of what critics described as “darkly comic feminist tales” and includes actresses such as Cynthia Erivo, Nicole Kidman, Issa Rae, and Allison Brie.
The premise of the collection, and thus the series, centers around themyriad of paths women take to survive and thrive in the face of pervasive and dangerous misogyny. Instances like the appearance of frightening marks on one’s body, a bone-chilling presentation, and an odd encounter with a duck, have both impressed and disturbed audiences to varying degrees but ultimately remain true to the source material.
2Beacon 23
Beacon 23,based on the short story series written by Hugh Howey, finds Lena Headey, Stephan James, and Marnie McPhail at the end of the universe. The former two portray Aster Calyx and Halan Kai Nelson respectively, two travelers who find themselves in a remote lighthouse that watches over outer space.
Related:These Are Lena Headey’s Best Performances, Ranked
In the upcoming series, their motives and backstories are constantly questioned, with neither completely ecstatic about the idea of being in the lighthouse together. With seemingly conflicting agendas, the series promises an engaging evaluation of both leads, their motives, and how it correlates to the grand scheme of things in Howey’s universe.
1The Fall of the House of Usher
Considered one of many highlights of Edgar Allen Poe’s concoction of tragedy, horror, and cynicism,The Fall of the House of Usheris director Mike Flanagan’supcoming limited seriesthat promises to entertain longtime Poe enthusiasts, horror connoisseurs, and newcomers in the mood for something chilling.
As of late, Bruce Greenwood, Mary McDonnell, Carl Lumbly, and Mark Hamill have been announced as the four leads. Greenwood has been tapped to play Roderick Usher, with Mary McDonnell portraying his sister Madeline Usher. Carl Lumbly portrays C. Auguste Lupin, and Hamill is billed as “a character surprisingly at home in the shadows”.
Set to premiere in the fall,The Fall Of The House of Usherjoins projects likeDoctor SleepandMidnight Massas the next addition to Mike Flanagan’s growing horror empire. Alongside Flanagan, director Michael Fimognari will also be a major contributor to the series, directing four of the eight episodes ordered by Netflix.
