Television and Serial Adaptation - In-Depth of TV Adaptation Studies

In this review of Television and Serial Adaptation the author examines how television recycles pre-existing narratives, arguing that adaptation is core to the medium. The book is best for readers interested in television studies, adaptation theory, and media history who want a focused scholarly treatment of series from MASH to Game of Thrones. Its single biggest reason to buy is the book's corrective framing: it pushes adaptation to the centre of television criticism and shows how remakes, reboots and transmedia practices reshape serial storytelling.

Key Features

• Scope of analysis: Covers a wide historical range of series, using examples from MASH to Game of Thrones to demonstrate how adaptation operates across eras.
• Theoretical focus: Frames television adaptation as an understudied practice, offering readers a clear corrective to film-centric adaptation debates.
• Variety of forms: Treats remakes, reboots, loose adaptations and single-episode appropriations as legitimate adaptation practices that reshape narrative meaning.
• Critical context: Situates television adaptation within broader industry and aesthetic trends so readers can see how narrative recycling connects to production and reception.
• Academic rigor: Written for scholarly readers, the book uses close readings and historical examples to support its claims about television as narrative art.

Who It's For

This book is ideal for students and scholars of television studies and adaptation theory who need a targeted account of how series adapt texts and ideas over time. It will also interest critics and historians looking for a sustained argument that television's recycling of narratives merits serious critical attention.

Readers seeking a general audience introduction to television production or a practical how-to on screenwriting should look elsewhere, as the text is aimed at criticism and historical analysis rather than basic industry instruction.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Provides a focused corrective by centering television adaptation within media criticism rather than treating it as peripheral.
• Uses concrete examples across decades to make a persuasive case about the prevalence of remakes, reboots and transmedia practices.
• Balances theoretical framing with historical detail so the argument is anchored in specific series and practices.

Cons

• Written for an academic audience, so it may be dense for casual readers seeking a light overview.

Specifications

Title	Television and Serial Adaptation (Routledge Advances in Television Studies)
Author	Shannon Wells-Lassagne
Subject	Television studies; adaptation; history and criticism
Coverage	Series examples from MASH to Game of Thrones
Approach	Theoretical and historical analysis
Intended audience	Scholars, students, critics

Our Verdict

Television and Serial Adaptation is a concise, persuasive scholarly intervention that repositions adaptation as central to television studies; it is well worth buying for academics and advanced students because it clarifies how remakes, reboots and transmedia practices shape serial storytelling and critical debate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the book cover contemporary shows?
Yes, the book includes modern examples such as Game of Thrones alongside classic series to show continuity in adaptation practices.

Is this a textbook for beginners?
No, the work is written as a scholarly study and assumes some familiarity with television criticism and adaptation theory.

Does it focus only on scripted series?
The emphasis is on serial narrative forms and adaptations in scripted television, including remakes, reboots and other recycling of narrative.