Many excellent sci-fi books are the perfect foundation for a TV show, and we’re dying to see them come to life. Over the years, science fiction has gone from a niche to a mainstream genre, bringing in more fans. This newfound popularity has allowed sci-fi fans like me to see our favorite sci-fi books become TV shows.
What’s more, there are many sci-fi adaptations still to come. I previously explored six exciting upcoming sci-fi shows based on books. However, these aren’t the only books worth adapting. These eight books have all the components necessary for great TV. They just need someone to take a leap of faith and invest in them.
Red Rising Saga By Pierce Brown
Number Of Books: 6, With A Seventh On The Way
Red Rising is an epic space opera that deserves a TV adaptation. The story follows a dystopian, color-coded caste system that permeates the solar system and one man’s effort to infiltrate the Gold society and start a rebellion.
Because of the story format, it already has an episodic nature that would translate well into a TV show. The worldbuilding is expansive, and the book has both political intrigue and battles. These would be better served in a TV show, which could explore them in depth, rather than a movie.
Unfortunately, Red Rising was in development for years, but in October 2025, during an interview on the Kris & Mads Podcast, Pierce Brown announced that the project was no longer happening. However, he hints that two others might be in the works. My only hope is that Apple TV picks the story up.
Hyperion Cantos By Dan Simmons
Number Of Books: 4
Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons is an incredible sci-fi book series that’s perfect for a TV show or miniseries. The story follows seven characters who trek to the planet of Hyperion in search of answers. However, a mysterious villain called The Shrike teleports across Hyperion, killing people and protecting the Time Tombs, locations where time goes backwards.
In the first book, this story is told through a frame and seven mini-stories. However, a TV show could weave them together in an interesting way. What’s more, the large cast, compelling villain, and strong worldbuilding make Hyperion the perfect source material for a sci-fi show. Hyperion exists within a system of 200 planets called the Hegemony of Man.
Unfortunately, Hyperion Cantos has been deemed unadaptable, given the sheer number of times that filmmakers have tried. Every time, it has fallen through. Most recently, it was picked up for a sci-fi movie in 2021 at the hands of Bradley Cooper, but that also seems to have fallen through. However, I think a TV adaptation is still possible with the right creative team.
Lilith’s Brood By Octavia E. Butler
Number Of Books: 3
Dawn, by Science Fiction Hall of Fame author Octavia E. Butler, absolutely needs to become a TV show. The book follows Lilith Iyapo, who wakes up aboard a spaceship centuries after nuclear war destroys Earth. She learns that the Oankali, the alien race, plans to repopulate the Earth with the remaining humans. She must awaken the humans and convince them to go along with the plan.
The premise is compelling enough to warrant a TV adaptation. The story explores very relevant themes like colonization, nuclear war, bodily autonomy, consent, and what it means to be human. The Oankali are also exploitative as they’re offering a cure to all illnesses, but only if the humans repopulate with them. This makes them interesting villains.
Technically speaking, an adaptation of Dawn was announced in 2020, but there have been zero updates. As such, the project is either in development hell or dead. I can only hope we eventually get to see it on the small screen.
The Teixcalaan Series By Arkady Martine
Number Of Books: 2
While many science fiction stories feel recycled, the Hugo Award-winning Teixcalaan series by Arkady Martine, which includes A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace, is a fresh story that would make for a great TV show. The space opera is set within a galactic empire inspired by the Byzantine and Aztec Empires.
The story follows Mahit Dzmare, an ambassador from the Lsel Station, an independent republic, who is sent to the superpower Teixcalaanli Empire. While there, she investigates the death of her predecessor, uncovering political secrets in the process. All the while, the Teixcalaanli Empire is continuing to colonize and expand. It’s just as much a political thriller as it is a sci-fi story.
The fast-paced duology has plenty of mystery, sabotage, and action to keep TV viewers interested. The world feels extremely well-developed, with descriptions that would make translation from book to TV easy. Plus, the characters feel realistic, making it easy to invest in them.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy By Douglas Adams
Number Of Books: 5
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is one of the most successful sci-fi book franchises of all time, though it started as a radio drama. The story has been translated into over 30 languages and millions have been sold. This makes it all the more disappointing that we haven’t gotten a proper TV adaptation of the books.
The story follows the last human, Arthur Dent, who is rescued by a human-like alien writer named Ford Prefect who is penning the titular digital guide. The only onscreen versions are a 1981 show that’s been mostly forgotten and a 2005 feature film that flopped.
The book is perfect for TV adaptation because it has a fantastic balance of commentary, campiness, and comedy. The story doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it’s also still a great sci-fi. Unfortunately, Hulu cancelled its TV adaptation in 2022, and no other streamer has picked up the rights since then.
The Uplift Universe By David Brin
Number Of Books: 6
Although “uplift fiction” is relatively commonplace nowadays, the uplift science fiction series that popularized the concept, Uplift Universe by David Brin, hasn’t been brought to the big or small screen. Because of the expansive world and complex characters, Uplife Universe would make a really fantastic sci-fi TV show.
The books follow the Five Galaxies, an intergalactic society that has existed for billions of years. The civilization is home to sapient races, each of which has been “uplifted” (genetically modified) by a patron species. The latter species goes into indentured servitude to the patrons for 100,000 years.
However, the relatively insignificant and technologically inferior HumanClan has no patron, a mysterious anomaly and threat that drives the books. With six books to work with, a TV adaptation of the Uplift Universe could follow in the footsteps of The Expanse, adapting one book per season. What’s more, a TV adaptation could win over readers who DNFed the books because of Brin’s writing style.
The Broken Earth Series By N.K. Jemisin
Number Of Books: 3
The science fiction fantasy fusion series The Broken Earth is highly divisive, but that mostly comes from the unique writing style of author N.K. Jemisin. Many readers who DNFed the book did so because they couldn’t handle the heavily stylized prose. The trilogy itself has an intriguing concept and compelling characters that would work better onscreen than on the page.
The basic premise is that a fifth season exists where humans get so angry that they decide to destroy all of humanity, with only a few survivors. This happens repeatedly. However, this fifth season will be different because of the orogenes, who can sense the Earth and control the elements.
The story is apocalyptic and tense, and it explores social topics that are very relevant to the world we live in. Like the book, a TV adaptation could explore the event through multiple perspectives, but it could switch to third-person instead of second-person. This will undoubtedly resonate with more people.
Legion Of The Damned By William C. Deitz
Number Of Books: 10
The 1993 novel Legion Of The Damned by William C. Dietz is a military sci-fi story that is essentially begging to be a TV show with the sheer amount of action, battles, aliens, deaths, and cyborgs. The story and writing have an extremely cinematic feel to them that will translate well to the screen.
In a world where humans have built a galactic empire, the plot follows a group called the Legion, humanity’s last hope against technologically advanced alien invaders known as the Hudatha. The Legion is much like the suicide squad or the Thunderbolts, except more sci-fi. Terminally ill patients and criminals who get the death penalty can join the Legion and become cyborgs.
The story could easily be the foundation for a great TV show, and the longer format would allow the onscreen adaptation to delve into the cyborgs’ technology and futuristic weapons. What’s more, three different types of cyborgs exist, which would be compositionally interesting to watch in battle. Ultimately, I will keep my fingers crossed for a production company to make this show.
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