Heard someone at the library say they liked the book better and it got me thinking

I was at the public library last Tuesday grabbing a hold request and I overheard these two women talking about the new series on Netflix based on that thriller novel from 2022. One of them said she just could not get into the show because the book had this whole subplot about the main character's childhood that they cut completely. And I sat there thinking about how I always side with the book too, like with The Nightingale where the movie left out so many small moments that made the story feel real. It made me wonder if TV shows just cannot fit everything in 8 episodes or if they choose to change things on purpose. Does anyone else find that the stuff they cut is usually the stuff that really makes you understand the characters?

2 comments

2 Comments

black.mark28d ago

Hard disagree honestly. Some of those books ramble on forever and the show cuts the fat. This childhood subplot the lady was mad about, probably dragged the whole story down. I'd rather have a tight 8 episodes than sit through every little thing the author thought was deep.

james_butler28d ago

Did you read that interview with the showrunner where they said they had to cut like 30% of the source material just to keep the season under 10 episodes? That kind of explains a lot, honestly. I kinda get where you're coming from, those books do have a ton of filler (especially that whole middle section nobody talks about). But sometimes the fan favorites who complain the loudest are the ones who read the books 10 times and think every deleted scene is sacred. I'd rather have a show that moves along at a decent clip than one that feels like homework.