Crime shows have been a cornerstone of the entertainment industry for decades. From Dragnet (1951-1959) and Perry Mason (1957-1966) in the 50s and 60s, to Charlie’s Angels (1976-1981) and Columbo (1968-1978) in the 70s, Miami Vice (1984-1989) and Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996) in the 80s, Law & Order (1990-present) in the 90s, to Criminal Minds (2005-present) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999-present) today, just to name a few. Many of which you probably didn’t know are adaptations of books.
There are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of them out there. This article focuses on three of them that showcase female leading characters.
Bones (2005-2017)
Based on Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan series
Bones is a crime show that follows forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan and the fellow squints at the Jeffersonian Institution as they consult with Special Agent Seely Booth at the FBI to solve murders in Washington, D.C. and surrounding states. It first aired on September 13th, 2005, on Fox and concluded after 12 seasons on March 28th, 2017.
The show is based on a 24-book and four novella series starring Dr. Temperance Brennan by author Kathy Reichs. The first novel, Déjà Dead, debuted in 1997 and reached both the New York Times bestseller list as well as the international bestseller list.
The book series comes highly recommended by fans of the show, even though much of the content differs according to many commenters on a thread in the r/Bones subreddit. The books only follow Dr. Brennan consistently, with a few recurring characters appearing across several books, none being the same from the show. She works primarily in academia, while consulting with the morgues and police departments in both Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America, and Montreal, Québec, Canada. Dr. Brennan herself is also portrayed differently. She’s older with a different family structure, personal issues, and relationships.
Despite the differences, the stories in both formats are well loved by fans.
One cool fact before you move on: The Temperance Brennan book series is by author Kathy Reichs, right? Well, if you’ve seen Bones, you know Temperance Brennan writes books. Her main character’s name? Kathy Reichs. There are also a handful of times Reichs slips in a mention of the show in the books that were published during the run of the series. So, her fictional character is writing books about the person writing her, and that same fictional character is watching a show based on the books she is in. It’s very meta.
Rizzoli and Isles (2010-2016)
Based on Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli and Isles series
Rizzoli and Isles is another crime show that follows a detective and consultant duo. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Detective Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isles team up to solve homicides with fellow detectives throughout the series. The pilot aired on July 12th, 2010, on TNT and concluded on September 5th, 2016, after seven seasons.
The show is based on author Tess Gerritsen’s 13-book and two novella series starring Detective Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isles. The Surgeon was published in 2001 as the first novel in the series. It landed on the New York Times bestseller list and was later named in Time magazine’s 100 Best Mystery/Thriller Books of All Time.
Similar to the last comparison, fans on a thread in the r/rizzoliandisles subreddit recommend the books but with the same warning that they are very different from the show. The books depict a darker and grittier tone than the show does and the characters are different to match that. Jane and Maura are portrayed as coworkers with a mutual respect rather than best friends and hold very different storylines when it comes to their personalities and relationships. One commenter even claimed they saw more similarity between the Maura Isles portrayed in the books and the character Abby Scuito on NCIS than they did between the book Maura and show Maura.
One cool fact before you move on: There are references to the first two books of Gerritsen’s Rizzoli and Isles series in the show’s pilot. The Surgeon as the backstory (loosely because there are still some differences), and The Apprentice as the episode itself. Personally, I like to think the books and the show are alternate universes of the same story because of that tidbit.
Killing Eve (2018-2022)
Based on Luke Jennings’ Villanelle series
Killing Eve is a crime show following the cat and mouse chase between MI6 spy Eve Polastri and a notorious psychopathic assassin who goes by the name of Villanelle. The show aired on BBC from April 8th, 2018, to April 17th, 2022, concluding after only four seasons.
The show is based on the six-book series written by Luke Jennings, starring Eve Polastri and Villanelle. The first novel was originally published as four e-book novellas between 2014 and 2016 before becoming the combined Codename Villanelle novel in 2017. After a quiet release, the book reached the international bestseller list following the global popularity of Killing Eve.
Many of the differences between the books and the show lie with the tone and the characters. The books leaned towards the more procedural spy/thriller genre, while the show focused on character development and dynamics. The plot also differed drastically from the books, partly due to the sequels being written at the same time the show was airing and different creative moves that are typical to book to movie/tv show adaptations. Across a few different threads on the r/KillingEve subreddit, fans seem to be split on whether the books are worth the read. Many commenters noted how they liked the ending written for Eve and Villanelle at the end of the third book better than the one written for the show. Though others felt the portrayal of the female characters didn’t feel as genuine as they would have liked, especially during the more NSFW scenes.
One cool fact before you move on: Luke Jennings decided to continue writing the Villanelle books after the conclusion of the television series because he disapproved of how it ended, along with fans. He actually started posting the weekly installments of the new books on Substack to bypass the longer process of traditional publishing channels.
Final thoughts
Even with the drastic differences each of these adaptations holds, fans enjoy both the show and the original series equally as separate creative works. Typically, fans have had negative views towards adaptations, movie or show, that don’t directly mirror the book, so it’s interesting to see how they appreciate both directions each genre took the stories in.
And one final cool fact before you go: TV shows and books are two very different genres with different sets of rules. It’s sometimes difficult for writers to successfully adapt books into a show when the book leans into genre rules that aren’t successful on TV.
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