Ten best under-the-radar TV shows based on books to binge right now

Launching in 2024, the TV series Dark Matter adapted the 2016 Blake Crouch novel of the same name. The setup is this: A man named Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) is abducted by his doppelganger from an alternate dimension. This other Jason is technically more successful, but not as happy, and longs to be with Daniela (Jennifer Connelly), his one true love. The story is all about the "original" Jason traversing the multiverse to find his real family and stop his doppelganger. Season 1 of the show was created by Crouch, and as such is very faithful to the novel.

Season 2 is in development and will feature all-new material, outside of the novel, so now is a great time to catch up.

Dark Matter Season 1 streams on Apple TV.

Under the Banner of Heaven

This powerful drama stars Andrew Garfield as Jeb Pyre, a detective and devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, whose investigation into a scandalous murder triggers a crisis of faith. Adapted from Jon Krakauer’s 2003 nonfiction book about the murders of Brenda Lafferty and her 15-month-old daughter, the series offers a compassionately human exploration of a brutal crime, as well as probing the corrupt inner workings and misogyny of a powerful religious organization.

Under the Banner of Heaven streams on Hulu.

The Other Black Girl 

Zakiya Dalila Harris’ satire of the publishing industry is both frightening and funny, and adapting it for the screen gave creatives a chance to expand on both aspects. Sinclair Daniel plays Nella, a longtime editorial assistant at Wagner Books who dreams of climbing the corporate ladder and working on meaningful projects. She is also the only Black employee until Hazel, played by Ashleigh Murray, joins the team, offering Nella both a colleague and competition. As Nella begins to suspect Hazel of having darker motives for their friendship, she struggles with being authentic to herself and her culture while advancing in her career.

The Other Black Girl streams on Hulu.

Long Bright River 

Amanda Seyfried stars as Mickey Fitzpatrick, a police officer whose passion for work is driven by dark family secrets. Mickey, one of the few women on the force, is also one of the only people to care about the local sex workers, many of whom have recently been murdered. Adapted from Liz Moore’s novel, the series offers an unflinching look at the hardships of drug addiction and how it can affect family members for generations.

Long Bright River streams on Prime Video.

The Haunting of Hill House

Inspired by Shirley Jackson’s novel of the same name, Mike Flanagan’s series depicts the earthly horrors of family trauma alongside terrifying supernatural specters. When the seven members of the Crain family move into the titular manor, planning on fixing and flipping it, what follows is a traumatizing summer that changes the family forever. Exploring the story in present-day and flashbacks, with fantastic ensemble casts bringing both to life, the 10-episode series is both deeply human and deliciously spooky.

The Haunting of Hill House streams on Netflix.

The Outsider

Before she was defying gravity in Wicked, Cynthia Erivo was solving crime in The Outsider. In this HBO crime drama/thriller/mystical adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, she stars alongside an all-star cast of Jason Bateman, Ben Mendelsohn, Julianne Nicholson, and Mare Winningham. Erivo’s sensitive performance as savant-like investigator Holly Gibney, working to solve a seemingly impossible crime, grounds this fascinating, unapologetically weird series in a sincere and supernatural world.

The Outsider streams on HBO Max.

Mindhunter 

Based on Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker, this Netflix series follows Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), who helped create criminal profiling techniques for the FBI. David Fincher’s series chronicles the duo’s years of interviewing convicted murderers, as they attempted to understand their motivations and develop their profiles. What could be a standard procedural drama is elevated by Groff and McCallany’s compelling performances, which offer insights into how the men’s work affects their personal lives and mental health.

Mindhunter streams on Netflix.

Sharp Objects

Written before Gone Girl but adapted after its 2014 film, Gillian Flynn’s Gothic Southern story of repressed family trauma stars a fascinating Amy Adams alongside a mesmerizing Patricia Clarkson. Adams plays Camille, a journalist struggling with addiction who is assigned to report on a series of deaths in her rural hometown. The eight episodes capture the smothering humidity of the South as well as the suffocating pressures of surviving her abusive family — even when it’s politely masked by amaretto sours and fluttery pastel dresses.

Sharp Objects streams on HBO Max.

The Plot Against America

Philip Roth’s 2004 novel imagined an alternate history in which acclaimed aviator Charles Lindbergh successfully runs for President in 1940, defeating FDR with his “America First” campaign as he promised to keep the United States out of World War II. Written by The Wire’s writing team David Simon and Ed Burns, this six-part series skillfully builds tension slowly while its all-star cast, which includes Morgan Spector, Zoe Kazan, Winona Ryder, and John Turturro, brings a terrifying story to life. While Roth’s 2004 novel is written from the point of view of his younger self, the series offers multiple perspectives as America descends into antisemitism and fascism.

The Plot Against America streams on HBO Max.

Feud: Capote vs. the Swans 

Truman Capote enjoyed close friendships with New York’s high society women, regularly lunching with them until he burned his bridges by publishing a thinly veiled tell-all. Laurence Leamer’s book Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era shares the scandalous details of this time and served as the source material for Ryan Murphy’s series Feud: Capote vs. the Swans. 

Featuring Diane Lane , Molly Ringwald, Naomi Watts , Chloë Sevigny, Demi Moore and Calista Flockhart, and Tom Hollander giving a devastating performance as the self-destructive writer, Feud paints a vivid portrait of the New York A-list and what it took to stay on top.

Feud: Capote vs. the Swans streams on Hulu.