What is the Best Literary TV Adaptation of All Time? Day Five

Well, well, well, if it isn’t the semifinals, the thing I mix up with the quarterfinals every time we do one of these brackets. We’re down to four shows, in two match-ups—and these are not the four shows I expected. Who knows where this will go.

A lot of heartbreak yesterday, with four great shows dropping out:

– Orange in the New Black was denied parole;

– Shogun failed to unite the warring states;

– Slow Horses got demoted to an even more degrading and menial desk job, under an even grosser and meaner boss;

– And Brideshead Revisited converted back to Protestantism.

The four left standing are in two surprising match-ups. Carnage winner Roots is up against Cerebral winner Sherlock. These are two wildly different shows, though both have  launched their share of discourse over the years. Roots attracted the ire of a ton of insecure right-wing bozos, and the fights over which Sherlock guys to ship overheated a lot of Tumblr servers. Which discourse magnet do you prefer?

And Cozy winner M*A*S*H is up against Carnal winner Killing Eve. Two shows about finding connection in the trenches. The question is if Lit Hub’s readers prefer a wise-cracking friend or a wise-cracking crush?

We’re curious to see how this shakes out. Let’s vote!

–James Folta

[Click image to enlarge and zoom]

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INSTRUCTIONS:

It’s simple: for every match-up, pick your favorite. We’re looking for the best show, not necessarily the most faithful adaptation—though that may factor into your thinking. Or not! In short, go with your gut. We’ll tabulate up the results using our best liberal arts major math, and bring you the results tomorrow.

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VOTING SCHEDULE:

Round of 64: Voting open Monday, November 9th from 10:00 AM until at 7:00 PM EST (Results are here)

Round of 32: Voting open Tuesday, November 10th from 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM EST (Results are here)

Round of 16: Voting open Wednesday, November 11th from 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM EST (Results here)

Quarterfinals: Voting open Thursday, November 12th from 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM EST (Results here)

➤ Semifinals: Voting open now until Sunday November 15th at 7:00 PM EST

The Finals: Voting open Monday, November 16th from 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM EST

And the winner will be announced on Tuesday, November 17th!

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HOW TO VOTE:

There are little voting forms at the bottom of each match-up. Simply click and move along, like changing the channel on your TV.

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MATCHUP:

Roots (4) vs. Sherlock (16)

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Roots (1977)

A very American family saga

Based on: Alex Haley’s Roots(1976)

Subgenres: Classroom Classics • It Did Happen Here • Generational Stories

One of the most watched miniseries in American TV history and a seminal dramatic portrayal of America through slavery and the Civil War. The show almost got pulled when ABC executives saw how unflinching Roots was about the brutality of slavers, especially when they were being portrayed by some of TV’s most recognizable white faces. The network insisted on adding a concerned white captain who isn’t in the book. Haley’s novel was known for being the first popular work of fiction to present the horrors of the Middle Passage, which the show maintains. Some of the novel’s nuance is lost in the translation to TV, but Roots is excellent and anchored in great performances, including an early performance by LeVar Burton. –JF

Put it on when you want to remember when network TV executives made serious shows.

See also:

How the TV Adaptation of Alex Haley’s Roots Sparked a Cultural Awakening • Nikki Giovanni on Race, Hope, Fatherhood, and Roots

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Sherlock (2010)

The game is on

Based on: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Sherlock Holmes stories (1887-1927)

Subgenres: Former Tumblr Teen Bait • They Should Have Kissed • Seeing the Mind Palace

For those who frequented certain corners of the early 2010s internet, it was entirely possible to know everything about Sherlock without ever having seen it. This take on the character situates Holmes in a contemporary setting and employs superimposition alongside slick editing and undersaturated cinematography to visualize his deductions. But even though memes about Benedict Cumberbatch’s name are long out of style, appreciation of Sherlock endures, demonstrating more than anything why, over 100 years after Conan Doyle published the first Sherlock Holmes stories, we still care about Holmes and Watson. –OS

Put it on when you want to feel smarter than you actually are.

See also:

Not My Sherlock • A Literary Feud is Afoot! • The Real Sherlock Holmes: How an Edinburgh Doctor Inspired Doyle’s Detective

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MATCHUP:

M*A*S*H (3) vs. Killing Eve (9)

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M*A*S*H (1972)

Antics among atrocities

Based on: Richard Hooker’s MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors (1968)

Subgenres: War is Bad • Wisecracking is Fun

Iconic anti-war sitcom *M*A*S*H* challenged what a television comedy was supposed to look like, layering drama and genuine commentary with its humor. A spinoff of the 1970 Robert Altman film, which was adapted from the Hooker novel, it ran for 11 seasons and its finale was, at the time of airing, the most watched television episode in American broadcast history. Set during the Korean War, it more obviously paralleled and criticized American involvement in Vietnam. Now considered classic TV, there’s a reason appreciation for *M*A*S*H* endures over 50 years after its premiere. –OS

Put it on when you need a history lesson with personality.

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Killing Eve (2018)

What’s a little assassination between two consenting adults?

Based on: Luke Jennings’s Codename Villanelle(2017)

Subgenres: The Thrill of the Chase • Recreational Murder • Tension

The heart of Killing Eve is of course the mutual obsession between assassin Villanelle and her hunter, Eve Polastri. Comer’s Villanelle is volatile and ruthless, which is to say she’s a lot of fun, and while Eve might appear more grounded on the surface, the two women are (in the most complimentary way possible) perfectly matched freaks. Phoebe Waller-Bridge served as the show’s head writer during the first season of this sharp, sexy cat and mouse game, then Emerald Fennel in season two; fans remained divided over later seasons, particularly the show’s ending, but that’s okay. We’ll always have the kitchen scene. –OS

Put it on when you need to live vicariously through fiction instead of staying at home with your cat.

See also:

Serial Killer As Instagram Influencer? On Killing Eve‘s Cool Girl Assassin • The Visible and Invisible Women of Killing Eve • Subverting the Male Gaze in Killing Eve

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Well done. Have a great weekend, and see you on Monday for the finals.