dolorosa_12 does Friday Open Threads, which I always enjoy reading even if I don't always have anything to say myself, and that is where the inspiration for this post comes from. I don't usually do any open discussion posts (I am not a community builder, alas), but I want to open this one up widely, so do feel free to link to it elsewhere.

I've recently watched two different miniseries based on books, one was a re-watch and the other was new to me. One of these miniseries is in my opinion superior to the book while the other was definitely good, but I preferred the book.

My question is: What story do you feel was served better by a TV or film adaptation than by its original form? What made it better, and why?

I'll go first: Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This was the kind of book that on the surface looked tailor made to my tastes - I love rock music and have spent a considerable amount of my time being super into specific bands, going to concerts and collecting merch and setlists and getting tickets signed, and obsessing over band members. So when I heard of this novel, I thought: here is a book for me!

Unfortunately, I didn't really like the book. The interview format was fine but I wasn't keen on the twist, and in written form Daisy Jones especially came across like the only thing that was going on for her was the substance abuse and being mad that she didn't get what she wanted. my biggest issue by far was that I couldn't listen to any of the music. On paper the songs sounded great, and being familiar with a lot of (but not all) rock music of the time period, I could sort of imagine what the songs were meant to sound like, or vibe like, but ultimately, they were just words on paper. This book was a bit of a let down for me.

Then the TV series (on Amazon Prime in the UK) came along and I gained a whole new appreciation for the story. There was a constant running soundtrack of music from real bands alongside the fictional one, with new music written for the TV series in the appropriates style. And each song is a banger! The interview format worked so much better with the series presented as a hybrid of video interviews, like a documentary, interspersed with flashback bits. it also made it less jarring when the interview bits suddenly stopped being a documentary and started being present-time scenes outside the filmed interview. (does that make sense?) The twist also felt a lot less annoying as the actors brought a lot of body language, expressions, and tone to the interview format that wasn't there in writing, that enriched their relationship with the past and the interviewer. And of course: the music. I re-watched this series recently and loved it just as much the second time.

Of course this specific series wouldn't have existed without the book, so it's not fair to say that it should've been made as a TV series from the start and that we don't need the book, but personally I would recommend the TV series over the book in this case.

What about you?

Please note this is not the place for absolutist the-book-is-always-better-no-matter-what opinions. Be kind and respectful to one another in the comments.