25 modern book-to-screen adaptations that didn’t let us down

The Leftovers

Tom Perrotta’s The Leftovers is a very different story from the one told in HBO’s series of the same name, but the book set up the premise for the television show, which had a small and dedicated fanbase during its time on air. Both versions of the story take place after an event coined “The Departure,” a strange phenomenon during which around 140 million people disappeared into thin air.

The survivors of The Departure are left to cope with the unexpected and unexplained loss of their loved ones, and both the book and the television series offer an in-depth look at what the characters experience following the event. With three seasons of the series and only a few hundred pages in the book, however, it was inevitable that the adaptation would be able to dive deeper into the emotions surrounding the strange occurrence.

And with that spare time, the show also introduces all sorts of subplots that weren’t previously in the book, including a brief season spent in Miracle, Texas, the only place that didn’t experience the effects of the Departure. The series is also able to explore the Guilty Remnant in further detail, using the strange cult that crops up to drive the plot forward.

Justin Theroux was also a great pick to play Kevin Garvey, who is far more eccentric on screen than he is on the page. Kevin’s character hooks viewers from the very beginning, as he’s got quite a bit of personal stuff to work through. Throughout the series, it’s unclear if the things happening to Kevin are truly occurring or if they’re the product of his mind — and these questions, which are absent from the novel, certainly keep viewers tuning in for the next episode.