March Madness: Book-to-TV Adaptations Edition

It’s March Madness, and you know what that means (or, if you’re like most of us, maybe you kind of don’t. Basketball? Competing colleges? Probably a lot of drinking?): it’s time to fill out all sorts of brackets entirely unrelated to actual March Madness. We may not always be up on all the sports news, but we do love a good competition, so this year we thought we’d join in the fun. In that spirit, over the next week on our Twitter and Instagram channels, we’ll be asking you to vote for your favorite book-to-TV adaptations and help us find the one literary TV show to rule them all.

Book adaptations are all the rage lately, and there are more coming out all the time. Who did it best? Will it be Game of Thrones, or did the show’s ending ruin its chances (the part not based on the books themselves, may we add—factor that in or not, at your discretion)? Will one of the newer additions to the club (a Rooney, perhaps?) rise to the top? What about a beloved show that people have probably forgotten was based on a book at all, like Friday Night Lights (see, we included some sports content after all! We’re well-rounded!)? 

Fill out the bracket and make your predictions, then head to our Twitter and Instagram on Monday, 3/27 to start voting. May the best IP win!

Round 1

Conversations with Friends vs. Normal People

The Queen’s Gambit vs. Daisy Jones and the Six

Sharp Objects vs. Big Little Lies

High Fidelity vs. Sweetbitter

You vs. Gossip Girl

Sherlock vs. Elementary

A Series of Unfortunate Events vs. Heartstopper

Friday Night Lights vs. Bridgerton

My Brilliant Friend vs. Pachinko

Little Fires Everywhere vs. Station Eleven

Good Omens vs. American Gods

The Leftovers vs. Under the Banner of Heaven

Game of Thrones vs. Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power

True Blood vs. The Magicians

The Handmaid’s Tale vs. Killing Eve

Fleishman Is in Trouble vs. Anatomy of a Scandal

Round 2

The Queen’s Gambit vs. Normal People

Big Little Lies vs. High Fidelity

Gossip Girl vs. Sherlock

Heartstopper vs. Bridgerton

My Brilliant Friend vs. Station Eleven

Good Omens vs. The Leftovers

Game of Thrones vs. True Blood

The Handmaid’s Tale vs. Fleishman is in Trouble

Round 3

The Queen’s Gambit vs. Big Little Lies

Bridgerton vs. Sherlock

Good Omens vs. Station Eleven

Game of Thrones vs. The Handmaid’s Tale

Semifinals

The Queen’s Gambit vs. Sherlock

Good Omens vs. Game of Thrones

Finals

The Queen’s Gambit vs Good Omens

Winner

Good Omens

Here’s how the bracket played out: