12 Highly Anticipated TV Shows Based on Bestselling Books Coming in 2026

There’s something uniquely thrilling about watching the onscreen adaptation of a book you love. Seeing beloved characters and narratives you’ve only imagined in your head come to pixelated life can be awe-inspiring, giving readers entirely new perspectives on beloved stories.

Of course, this process can also be disappointing when the adaptations aren’t well-done—but either way, book-lovers tend to be intrigued when their favorite stories are transformed into onscreen productions.

From Game of Thrones prequels to gripping mysteries, this year’s most anticipated book-to-TV shows list is stacked with favorites for lovers of every genre. Read on to discover 12 book-to-TV adaptations coming out in 2026.

1. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
2. Finding Her Edge
3. Bridgerton Season 4
4. The Last Thing He Told Me Season 2
5. Vladimir
6. Outlander
7. Scarpetta
8. Imperfect Women
9. Margo’s Got Money Troubles
10. Lucky
11. Pride and Prejudice
12. The Five-Star Weekend

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Release Date: January 18, 2026

The HBO Max series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms expands the Game of Thrones universe even further, building on the success of fellow prequel House of the Dragon. This latest series is based on three novellas by George R. R. Martin called The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight.

The story follows a squire-turned-hedge knight named Dunk who takes on a young squire of his own named Egg. Together, they wander across Westeros and encounter many variations on its ever-expanding cast of characters and creatures. This story focuses more on the characters and less on sweeping political intrigue, and also proves the Game of Thrones extended universe is definitely here to stay. 

Finding Her Edge

Release Date: January 22, 2026

For anyone looking for more ice-sports-related romance after binge-watching Heated Rivalry—or simply wanting to dive into a romantic love triangle—Finding Her Edge is an easy pick. This new Netflix series is based on a book of the same name by Jennifer Iacopelli, and it tells the story of a competitive ice skater named Adrianna who starts to catch feelings for her new skating partner. Things get complicated, however, when a former flame reappears on the rink. 

Bridgerton Season 4

Release Date: January 29, 2026 (Part 1) and February 26, 2026 (Part 2)

Bridgerton season 4 follows Benedict Bridgerton, the second-eldest Bridgerton brother, as he pursues a mysterious woman he met at a masquerade ball while also navigating his feelings for the family’s scullery maid. This season is based on the third Bridgerton book in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, An Offer From a Gentleman, and continues to bring viewers deeper into the Bridgerton universe of Regency-era slang and, of course, steamy romance.

The Last Thing He Told Me Season 2

Release Date: February 20, 2026

The Last Thing He Told Me stars Jennifer Garner as a woman named Hannah who is forced to bond with her stepdaughter after her husband unexpectedly vanishes. The first season was based on the novel The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, and the second season draws on the sequel, The First Time I Saw Him, which takes place five years after the events of the first book and season. The first season premiered in 2023, and season 2 will also follow Hannah as she continues to unravel the implications of her husband’s disappearance, albeit this time with a lot more information.

Vladimir

Release Date: March 5

Vladimir, an adaptation of Julia May Jones’s book of the same name, follows an unnamed female professor whose life spirals out of control as she becomes more and more obsessed with a coworker. The show stars Rachel Weisz as the central professor and Leo Woodall as the object of her fixation, and author Jones serves as the writer, creator, and executive producer, so it’s sure to be at least a somewhat faithful adaptation. 

Outlander

Release Date: March 6, 2026

Outlander is coming to a close in 2026 with one eighth and final season. The epic series is based on the Outlander book series by Diana Gabaldon, and season 8 will focus on the eighth, ninth, and tenth books in the series—Written In My Own Heart’s Blood, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, and an unnamed tenth volume.

The series follows a time-traveling nurse named Claire Randall who winds up in 18th century Scotland, where she falls in love with a warrior named Jamie Fraser. The pair travel across time and space and experience countless adventures threaded with fantasy, violence, and passion.

Inevitably, season 8 has a lot to wrap up, though plot details are being kept hidden. "Now, in normal circumstances—one book per season—they can fit roughly 10% of the book's content into the show. How much of the (VERY roughly speaking) 1,200,000 words of those three books do you think they can get into ten hours of television?" Gabaldon wrote online of season 8’s plot. "Obviously, they're going to have to cherry-pick some prime scenes/threads to film, and try to fit them into a framework that makes sense for one season, and that they can bring to a reasonably satisfactory conclusion."

Scarpetta

Release Date: March 11, 2026

Scarpetta is a TV show based on the book series of the same name by Liz Sarnoff. It follows Kay Scarpetta, a forensic pathologist who travels around the world investigating various crimes. The forthcoming Amazon Prime Video series stars Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis, who are also producing the show, with Kidman taking the helm as the titular Scarpetta and Curtis playing her older sister, Dorothy.

Imperfect Women

Release Date: March 18, 2026

Elizabeth Moss and Kerry Washington star in this Apple TV+ adaptation of Araminta Hall’s book of the same name. Imperfect Women follows a woman named Eleanor whose life implodes when her friend, Nancy, is found dead the very same night the two meet for dinner. Eleanor begins comparing notes about Nancy with her friend Mary, who also knew the deceased, and soon, complicated and disturbing details about the trio’s past lives as students at Oxford begin to emerge. 

Margo’s Got Money Troubles

Release Date: April 15, 2026

In this upcoming Apple TV+ comedy series, Elle Fanning portrays a young woman named Margo who finds herself in a rough spot after getting pregnant following an affair with her college English professor. Strapped for cash, she turns to OnlyFans, where she begins to unexpectedly achieve massive success. At the same time, she begins reconnecting with her father, a former professional wrestler. 

In addition to Fanning, the cast includes Nicole Kidman as Margo and her professor’s mediator, Michelle Pfeiffer as Margo’s mother, and Nick Offerman as her father. The TV series is based on the book of the same name by Rufi Thorpe, and it promises to be a blend of contemporary realism and star-studded charisma.

Lucky

Release Date: July 15, 2026

Anya Taylor-Joy takes center stage in this Apple TV+ limited series, which is based on Marissa Stapley’s novel of the same name. It follows Taylor-Joy as a con artist named Lucky whose life goes off the rails after a heist goes wrong, leading the FBI to pick up her scent. Its star-studded cast also includes Annette Bening and Timothy Olyphant.

Pride and Prejudice

Release Date: TBA, 2026

Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights may be one of 2026’s most hotly anticipated and controversial book-to-movie adaptations, but Netflix is trying its hand at adapting another 19th-century classic with a fresh take on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. 

Austen’s classic tale of class, manners, and enemies-to-lovers romance has been adapted countless times, but this latest rendition will star Emma Corrin and Jack Lowden as Elizabeth Bennet and the wealthy landowner Mr. Darcy, two headstrong members of upper-class English society who find that their initial hatred for each other might just contain seeds of something more.

The Five-Star Weekend

Release Date: TBA, 2026

Elin Hilderbrand’s novel The Five-Star Weekend follows a food blogger named Hollis Shaw who suddenly loses her husband in a car crash. In an effort to heal from the loss, she invites several friends from different parts of her life out for a weekend in Nantucket, but secrets and complications arise as the women’s baggage comes to the fore. 

The Peacock adaptation will star Jennifer Garner as Hollis, and Chloë Sevigny, Regina Hall, Gemma Chan, and D’Arcy Caden are also part of the main cast. The show wrapped up filming in Nantucket and Los Angeles in late 2025, and though it doesn’t have a set release date yet, it is reportedly expected to premiere in the spring or summer of 2026.