Saw a book-to-series adaptation fail hard and it changed how I read

I was at a friend's place in Portland last month and she put on the new adaptation of a fantasy series I'd just finished. The show got so much wrong with character details and skipped two huge subplots. After that I started keeping a little notes doc while I read, just tracking 3-4 key scenes I'd be mad if they cut. Now when I hear about an adaptation I check the showrunner's past work first. Has anyone else had a book adaptation ruin your trust in a studio's choices?

2 comments

2 Comments

sageallen9d ago

The notes doc thing is genius. I just spend my time muttering at the TV and making my wife leave the room. She still brings up the time I yelled at the screen for ten minutes because a character's hair color was wrong. I guess I should try your method next time instead of becoming a one-person angry mob in my living room.

james_butler9d ago

Used to roll my eyes at people who got mad about small details in adaptations. Thought they were being dramatic about stuff that didn't really matter in the big picture. But after watching a show completely drop a storyline that tied the whole second book together, I get it now. Something about seeing your imagination get turned into something that misses the point just hits different. Now I keep a mental list of the things I'd be genuinely upset about if they cut them.