Adaptations doing well on Netflix

Popular culture is a real source of inspiration for Netflix. Since the start of the year, over 30% of the platform’s most-watched English-language shows have been based on novels, video games or other previously published works.

From One Day to Double Trap to My Life with the Walter Boys, these new shows have made a name for themselves on Netflix as some of the biggest hits of early 2024.

In addition to being among the Top 10 mostwatched English-language shows on the American streaming platform, these hits share another point in common – all three are adapted from novels.

This is a trend that clearly benefits the streaming giant. According to Forbes, of the 33 shows that have made it into the streamer’s weekly Top 10 most-watched list so far this year, 10 are adaptations of pre-existing works.

Of these 10 adaptations, eight were produced by Netflix, and of the 33 mostwatched shows, 25 are Netflix originals. Of these, 32% are adaptations of pre-existing works.

These 10 shows were watched for 923 million hours during their 24-week presence in the ranking of the streaming platform.

According to the latest Nielsen data, the adaptation of Harlan Coben’s novel Fool Me Once was the most-watched series in January across the US. As the research firm notes, it’s the first time an original series has taken the top spot among the mostwatched programmes in seven months.

Moreover, sports viewing has enthralled viewers at the start of the year, notably the Super Bowl final.

The eight-episode drama series clocked up a total of 6.5 billion viewing minutes.

This is not the first time that Coben has had works adapted by Netflix. In fact, the platform has set up a special “The Harlan Coben Collection” tab dedicated to thriller king’s adaptations, featuring eight miniseries, including Safe,

The Stranger and The Innocent. –