Over the years, fans have fallen head over heels with fantasy and supernatural television shows. It hasn't let up as new shows keep arising and grabbing audiences' attention. And often, before they were a hit on television, they were bestsellers or the most talked-about book series.
In some cases, new shows get their hype from audiences who were already huge fans of the characters on paper. Fans usually can't wait to see their beloved book series come to life on the screen. So far, a number of these shows have got high ranking from audiences. Let's take a look at which shows not only dominated book sales, but IMDb ratings.
Bitten (2014): 7
Bitten was a short-lived series that fans loved. It originally premiered in 2014 and only made it to three seasons before its end in 2016. Fans could still continue the story as the show was based on the Women of the Otherworld series by author Kelly Armstrong.
The show got its main premise from the first novel. Armstrong has written a total of 13 novels for the series. The show follows the same werewolf storyline of the book. Elena Michaels (Laura Vandervoort) is the only female werewolf who struggles between her normal human life and her obligation to her family and the pack.
The Shannara Chronicles (2016): 7.2
The Shannara Chronicles was a show that was short-lived for fans. It was a fantasy drama based on the trilogy novels by Terry Brooks, The Sword of Shannara Trilogy. The show used the second novel for the premise of the show's storyline.
The show starred Austin Butler, Poppy Drayton, and Ivana Baquero in the main roles. The show and film follow Wil (Butler) as he is aided by Amberle (Drayton) and Eretria (Baquero) to save the Ellcrys tree from dying that would allow demons to enter through the forbidden dimension.
The Magicians (2015): 7.6
The Magicians has become a fan favorite on Syfy as it takes much darker and a new spin on magic. The fantasy show follows Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph) as he enrolls in Brakebill University to study magic. Along the way, he meets a band of unlikely friends.
The show was based on the novel of the same name by Lev Grossman. The plot is the same as the show as Quentin's friend Julia (Stella Maeve) is denied entry. Her memory is improperly erased and she seeks to find a way to practice untrained magic.
The Vampire Diaries (2009): 7.7
The Vampire Diaries was - and still is - one of the most popular supernatural shows to premiere on the CW. The show occurred during a time when Twilight and supernatural teen book sagas were a hot topic. After the success of Twilight, creators looked to find a new book series to turn into a hit show.
L.J. Smith created the young adult horror series, The Vampire Diaries. The books are older than they seem having originally been published in 1991-1992. The series only had four installments. It follows Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) as she battles her lust for two vampire brothers, Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder).
True Blood (2008): 7.8
Rivaling The Vampire Diaries is another popular book series turned tv show, True Blood. While The Vampire Diaries enthralled young readers and audiences, True Blood was for a more mature fanbase. Charlaine Harris wrote the series, The Southern Vampire Mysteries in 2001.
Some may be shocked by the cover of the original book. After the popularity of the show, the series was later reprinted with the show's title to capitalize on sales. The book and show center around Sooki Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a telepathic waitress who falls in love with a vampire in Louisiana.
American Gods (2017): 7.8
The fantasy drama show, American Gods, has hooked many fans with its intriguing storyline. The storyline for the show came from a 2001 novel by Neil Gaiman. The book is a mix of fantasy and ancient and modern mythology. The book and show take a twist on popular stories of the gods.
America Gods follows an ex-convict, Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) who is released from prison to attend his wife's funeral. He soon meets Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane) who is a reincarnation of Odin. He travels America to recruit Old Gods to regain power and fight the New Gods.
A Discovery Of Witches (2018): 8.1
Deborah Harkness's All Souls Trilogy became the basis for the show A Discovery of Witches. The show took after the first book in the series titled under the same name. The show stars Teresa Palmer as Diana Bishop in the lead role. Much like the book, Diana is a scholar who finds a long lost manuscript that awakens her witch powers and forces her back into the world she wanted to forget.
She becomes the target of a battle between vampires and witches who wish to have the manuscript. Diana also gets entangled in a forbidden romance with a vampire named Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode).
The Leftovers (2014): 8.3
There is an ongoing debate amongst viewers on whether or not The Leftovers can be considered supernatural. The show is based on the 2011 novel by Tom Perrotta. The book chronicles life on earth after a rapture-like event occurs wiping out some of the population.
The show follows the same concept after a global "Sudden Departure" or disappearance of 140 million people. Audiences are unclear if the book or the show is meant to be supernatural. Perrotta and Lindeloff have explained that it can either be supernatural or have a justifiable explanation.
The Witcher (2019): 8.3
The Witcher took the world by storm with its first season on Netflix. So much so it was renewed before the season premiered. The show follows the highly popular fantasy series by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. Fans were at first skeptical of how Geralt of Rivia would be portrayed on screen. But Henry Cavill won over fans.
This is isn't the first time the popular novels have been adapted. They were previously adapted into a film, a series, and graphic novels. Above all the novels were turned into a trilogy of video games. The series has sold over 50 million copies worldwide.
Game Of Thrones (2011): 9.3
Game of Thrones became one of the most successful fantasy shows to hit television screens. It amassed an enormous following that has won 58 Primetime Emmy Awards and nominations for Golden Globes. The show also skyrocketed the careers of the cast. Before it was a hit on screen, it was first a fantasy novel series by George R. R. Martin.
Martin first created the A Song of Ice and Fire series in 1991 with A Game of Thrones being the first novel installment in 1996. He has since written four more books with two still in the process. The books have sold over 90 million copies, hitting the New York Times Best Seller lists with each book release.