How Netflix Changed the World of Book Adaptation

This paper examines the role streaming networks played in transforming the world of book-to-film adaptation. In 2013, Netflix debuted the first ever television show commissioned by a streaming service, House of Cards: a story inspired by Michel Dobb’s 1989 novel. From then on streaming services became a go-to source for backlist books looking for a second life and another chance at the bestsellers list. An analysis of book adaptations produced by streaming services alongside the subsequent New York Times bestsellers list shows that the freedom and creative liberties these companies have allowed in their adaptations has produced wildly successful projects with the potential to launch lesser-known books into prominence, often years after their initial publication.