By Marion Miclet | @Marion_en_VO
As soon as it was announced, the HBO Harry Potter series blew up the internet. We will have to wait until 2027 to see if it is a worthy–or redundant–revisit of the franchise but, in and of itself, the buzz demonstrates that IPs are still a driving force in Hollywood. Indeed, from comic books to novels and video games, fresh or well-established intellectual properties have never been so big on the small screen. Should we rejoice at their popularity, or be concerned about the lack of novelty?
Considering there is an infinite pool of works that could potentially be adapted to the small screen–including TV series themselves in the form of reboots, revivals and spin-offs–this phenomenon is here to stay. And if fiction wasn’t enough, memoirs, investigative journalism articles and true crime podcasts provide another treasure trove of stories. As long as the rights are negotiable, anything can be turned into a TV hit, even toys or games. Is it sustainable?
Dominic McLaughlin is the new Harry Potter in the new show by HBO Max (Aidan Monaghan/HBO)
It only takes a glance at the fall 2025 schedule to observe the staggering omnipresence of IP television on broadcast, streaming and cable. The Girlfriend (September 10, Prime Video), starring Robin Wright, is adapted from a 2017 novel of the same name by Michelle Frances. Boots (October 9, Netflix) is inspired by Greg Cope White’s memoir, The Pink Marine. Task, which premiered on HBO on September 7, is set in the Mare of Easttown universe. Murdaugh: Death in the Family (October 15, Hulu) is the dramatic adaptation of the Murdaugh Murders podcast. All Her Fault (November 6, Peacock), with Sarah Snook, is based on Andrea Mara’s 2021 novel. And It: Welcome to Derry (October 26, HBO) serves as a television prequel to the
films It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019).
The explosion of IP TV
Considering there is an infinite pool of works that could potentially be adapted to the small screen–including TV series themselves in the form of reboots, revivals and spin-offs–this phenomenon is here to stay. And if fiction wasn’t enough, memoirs, investigative journalism articles and true crime podcasts provide another treasure trove of stories. As long as the rights are negotiable, anything can be turned into a TV hit, even toys or games. Is it sustainable?
The longevity of returning TV shows such as High Potential (based on the French-Belgian hit), Palm Royale (Juliet McDaniel’s novel, Mr. & Mrs. American Pie, serves as source material) and Fallout (from the video game franchise), seem to prove that adaptations can thrive both because and in spite of the audience’s familiarity with the original work. Meanwhile, have new ideas disappeared?
According to a study from Parrot Analytics, the ratio of adaptations is significant, but not dominant: “between 2020 to 2024, only about 12 percent of new shows and movies were based on pre-existing IP.” However, among the 100 most in-demand TV shows each year, around 40 to 50 percent are IP-based. Nielsen’s findings confirm this level of engagement: in the U.S. in 2024, 7 of the 10 most-watched streaming originals were adapted from pre-existing material (Bridgerton, The Boys, Reacher…). Conclusion: IPs are overrepresented because they are very popular.
How did we get here?
Literature has been the number one go-to source for adaptations since the silent film era. It’s still the case today, and modern television is a perfect vehicle for prose. Episodes and seasons offer a narrative pace similar to chapter divisions (Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power). Production value has increased, allowing for the depiction of rich, fictional universes (The Handmaid’s Tale). The intimacy of the small screen is also well-suited for long-form nuanced character development (Normal People). To the extent that novelists Liane Moriarty, Harlan Coben and Julia Quinn (Bridgerton) have become pillars of the streaming platforms ecosystem. Using literary IPs to produce new content might not be groundbreaking, but they guarantee a solid launchpad for prestige and mid-TV (The Perfect Couple).
The Bridgertons from the Netflix and Shondaland series adaptation
Another reason why intellectual property derivatives are so reliably successful today is that they provide a safe haven for viewers who are bombarded with infinite choice when they are simply looking for something comforting to consume. Because they are already known and loved, IPs offer a powerful emotional hook. Whether it be the first horror film that shook you to your core, a beach read reminiscent of a special vacation, or a beloved teen drama you grew up with, the television adaptation will awaken a memory deep inside. And since nostalgia is all the rage, no wonder the demand for IP TV is inflated. Looking at the figures above, it seems that the curiosity for reliving a positive past experience–or to join a preestablished community of fans–outweighs the risk of being disappointed with the result.
Conveniently, the strategy of green-lighting IP-based TV series is profitable for studios, networks and streaming platforms alike. Following COVID and the 2023 WGA strike, there has been an overall need within the industry to produce more with less. In that regard, intellectual properties are a formidable streamlining tool since they act as almost ready-to-use content: the pitch has already been approved, the narrative structure is sound, they come with a captive audience of potential subscribers and–because their reputation precedes them–it is possible to scale down on marketing costs. In today’s ultra-competitive streaming wars, it also makes a lot of sense to exploit IPs that have been sitting in the catalog, even though it means yet another
formulaic reboot.
According to Parrot Analytics, Disney+ is the platform that milks the franchises they own more than any other player: their library contains 45 percent of IP-based content, which generated more than 60 percent of the estimated U.S. and Canada revenue in the fourth quarter of 2024. As for Netflix, since they don’t own any classic licenses (their first originals go back to 2014 only), the stroke of genius was to focus on in-house creations that rely heavily on a nostalgic feel. For instance, Stranger Things is all about 1980s pop culture and Ginny & Georgia share similarities with beloved retro shows Gilmore Girls and Desperate Housewives.
Finding freedom within the constraint of adaptation
So, should we be concerned that most “originals” have become a spin on preexisting content? Not necessarily. There are many adaptations that manage to avoid conformity and dullness. What truly matters is not the source, but the delivery. Especially if you consider the fact that preloaded familiarity with the material is reassuring to investors: they might even feel comfortable allocating bigger budgets to departments crucial for creativity (for instance, production design on Hannibal, wardrobe on Wednesday, special effects on The Mandalorian, casting on Scenes from a Marriage).
Of course, nothing compares with the decision of who to hire as writers and showrunner(s). As we have seen with several recent adaptations of video games for the small screen, a singular point of view can elevate, or even reinvent, a franchise. The well-executed TV series The Last of Us and Fallout have been successful way beyond the world of gamers and garnered multiple Emmy nominations. Probably because some heavyweight talents can be found behind the scenes: Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann are showrunners on The Last of Us, whereas Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy (Westworld) spearhead Fallout. They have managed, in their own ways, to combine faithfulness with creative liberties. Upcoming on Amazon Prime, we also cannot ait to see the next iteration of the Tomb Raider franchise, written by no other than the irreverent Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
The Last of Us faithfully adapts the video game while crafting a brilliant narrative (we’re still crying over episode 3 of season 1!)
Speaking of the Fleabag creator, her collaborator Andrew Scott stars in a Netflix production based on a famous literary IP: The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. Showrunner Steven Zaillian (who won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Schindler’s List) has received many accolades for his idiosyncratic take on the story and visuals choices. According to critic Nick Schager of the Daily Beast, “Ripley is the rare example of genuine auteurist television.”
Actually, the more prominent the IP, the more it is in the producers’ best interest to attach renowned artists to the project and let them execute their vision freely (Fargo, A League of Their Own), to switch genres (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Better Call Saul), or to upend expectations for the next installment of a franchise (Andor, Wanda Vision). And to be honest, we should probably be less concerned about the repetitiveness of adaptations and more about another trend of the current TV industry: the obsession with transforming every successful new idea into a business empire of spin-offs and transmedia storytelling. From Yellowstone to Squid Game and Money Heist, maybe the best strategy from now on is to protect the purity of the source before it gets too diluted…