The Best Based on Books TV Shows on AcornTV

What it's about: A Victorian-era Toronto detective uses then-cutting edge forensic techniques to solve crimes, with the assistance of a female coroner who is also struggling for recognition in the face of tradition, based on the books by Maureen Jennings.

Where to Watch: 53 episodes (24%) are available to watch free online (Plex). 216 episodes (97%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu, Hoopla & AcornTV). 203 episodes (91%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: Ten strangers, drawn away from their normal lives to an isolated rock off the Devon coast. But as the mismatched group waits for the arrival of the hosts -- the improbably named Mr. and Mrs. U.N. Owen -- the weather sours and they find themselves cut off from civilization. Very soon, the guests, each struggling with their conscience, will start to die -- one by one, according to the rules of the nursery rhyme 'Ten Little Soldier Boys' -- a rhyme that hangs in every room of the house and ends with the most terrifying words of all: '... and then there were none.

Where to Watch: 3 episodes (60%) are available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla & AcornTV). 2 episodes (40%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (Google Play, Prime Video & 2 others).

What it's about: From England to Egypt, accompanied by his elegant and trustworthy sidekicks, the intelligent yet eccentrically-refined Belgian detective Hercule Poirot pits his wits against a collection of first class deceptions.

Where to Watch: 72 episodes (96%) are available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox, Hoopla & AcornTV). 72 episodes (96%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: Our lady sleuth sashays through the back lanes and jazz clubs of late 1920’s Melbourne, fighting injustice with her pearl handled pistol and her dagger sharp wit. Leaving a trail of admirers in her wake, our thoroughly modern heroine makes sure she enjoys every moment of her lucky life. Based on author Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher Murder Mystery novels.

Where to Watch: 34 episodes (89%) are available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla & AcornTV). 38 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Rebus is the title of the detective drama TV series based on the Inspector Rebus novels by the Scottish author Ian Rankin set in and around Edinburgh. The series was produced by STV Productions for the ITV network. Four seasons have been aired; series 1 starred John Hannah and was made for STV by his own production company, Clerkenwell Films. A new cast featuring Ken Stott as DI John Rebus was introduced for the second and subsequent series.

Where to Watch: 10 episodes (71%) are available to watch free online (Plex). 14 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox & AcornTV).

What it's about: The adventures of Miss Jane Marple, an elderly spinster living in the quiet little village of St Mary Mead. During her many visits to friends and relatives in other villages, Miss Marple often stumbles upon mysterious murders which she helps solve. Although the police are sometimes reluctant to accept Miss Marple's help, her reputation and unparalleled powers of observation eventually win them over.

Where to Watch: 23 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox, Hoopla & AcornTV). 23 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $6.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: Acclaimed blackly comic historical drama series. Set amidst a web of power, corruption and lies, it chronicles the reigns of the Roman emperors - Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and finally Claudius.

Where to Watch: 12 episodes (92%) are available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla & AcornTV). 12 episodes (92%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: Moist von Lipwig is a con-man with a particular talent-- he is utterly unremarkable. When his execution is stayed in Terry Pratchett's remarkable Discworld, he must work off his debt to society as the land's head Postman. Things are not always as they seem, and soon Lipwig is delivering mail for his very life!

Where to Watch: 2 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (PlutoTV & Peacock). 2 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (AcornTV). 2 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 2 services (Google Play & YouTube).

What it's about: A young woman finds out that her mother worked as a spy for the British Secret Service during World War II and has been on the run ever since.

Where to Watch: 2 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla, AcornTV & Sundance Now). 2 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Follow Sugar into the underbelly of Victorian London seething with vitality, sexuality, ambition and emotion.

Where to Watch: 4 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (Tubi). 4 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla, AcornTV & Sundance Now). 1 episodes (25%) are available to rent or buy from $4.99 on 2 services (Google Play & YouTube).

What it's about: Lady Constance Chatterley is married to the handicapped Sir Clifford Chatterley, who was wounded in the First World War. When they move to his family's estate, Constance (Connie) meets their tough-yet-quiet groundskeeper, Oliver Mellors. Soon, she discovers that the source of her unhappiness is from not being fulfilled in love, and in turning to the arms of Mellors, she has a sexual awakening that will change her thoughts forever.

Where to Watch: 4 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (AcornTV). 4 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 2 services (Google Play & YouTube).

What it's about: The Ruth Rendell mysteries is a British television series made by TVS and Meridian Television for ITV between 2 August 1987 and 11 October 2000.

Where to Watch: 35 episodes (49%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video & AcornTV).

What it's about: Set during the 1950s, the six-part series tells the story of a young woman’s search for love and identity in a newly independent, post-Partition India defining its own future.

Where to Watch: 2 episodes (33%) are available to stream on a subscription service (AcornTV).

What it's about: Set in a 1950s Britain rising from the ashes of the Blitz into the grip of a new Cold War, our beekeeping duo stumble into a world of murder, undercover agents and cold war conspiracy. Tuppence is a woman who sees adventure round every corner, throwing herself head first into every mystery with passion and fervour, determined to get to the truth no matter what it takes, much to the dismay of her more cautious husband Tommy.

Where to Watch: 6 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla & AcornTV). 6 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: French adaptations of the stories by Agatha Christie.

Where to Watch: 14 episodes (31%) are available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla & AcornTV). 7 episodes (16%) are available to rent or buy from $6.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: From Nobel Laureate William Golding's (Lord of the Flies) epic sea-voyage trilogy comes the story of an ambitious British aristocrat, humbled by the lives of his fellow passengers, as he embarks on an ocean voyage for Australia where he is to be an official in the colonial government.

Where to Watch: 3 episodes (75%) are available to watch free online (PlutoTV & Vudu). 3 episodes (75%) are available to stream on a subscription service (AcornTV). 3 episodes (75%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 3 services (iTunes, Google Play & YouTube).

What it's about: Set in 1820 against the forbidding backdrop of windswept Cornish moors, the story follows the journey of young and spirited Mary who is forced to live with her Aunt Patience after the death of her mother. Mary arrives at the isolated Jamaica Inn to discover her Aunt is a shell of the carefree woman she remembers from her childhood, and instead finds a drudge who is firmly under the spell of her domineering husband Joss. The Inn has no guests - the rooms are locked and kept for storage - but it soon becomes clear that it’s a cover, as Joss is the leader of a smuggling ring, and Jamaica Inn the hub of his ‘free’ trade.

Where to Watch: 4 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla & AcornTV). 3 episodes (75%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 2 services (Google Play & YouTube).

What it's about: The Diary of Anne Frank is a BBC adaptation, in association with France 2, of The Diary of a Young Girl, written by Deborah Moggach.It was shown from 5–9 January 2009 in five half-hour episodes. Representatives of the BBC have said that they "hope [that] this drama will bring Anne [Frank] alive to viewers of all generations." A DVD of the series was released on 12 January 2009. It also aired on the Public Broadcasting Service Public television in the United States on 11 April 2010, as part of its Masterpiece series. The American broadcast was cut from 150 minutes to 100 and broadcast in one evening instead of over 5 evenings.

Where to Watch: 5 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (AcornTV).

What it's about: This ten episode program was based on ten short stories written by Agatha Christie but with wide-ranging themes. Some were romances, some had supernatural themes and a couple were adventures. The common link was that all came from the talented pen of Agatha Christie, all were entertaining and each drama was carefully crafted and well cast with many of Britain's best known actors of the time represented.

Where to Watch: 10 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (AcornTV).

What it's about: A Dance to the Music of Time is a four-part adaptation of Anthony Powell's 12-volume novel sequence that aired on Channel 4 in 1997. The series is a sharp, comic portrait of upper-class and bohemian England, spanning almost a century, from the early 1920s to modern times.

Where to Watch: 4 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (AcornTV).

What it's about: The lives of three families are woven together across three decades in multi-cultural Britain.

Where to Watch: 4 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (AcornTV).

What it's about: Adapted from M.M. Kaye's best-selling novel, this dramatic HBO miniseries follows two star-crossed lovers -- the young British officer Ash (Ben Cross) and the betrothed princess Anjuli (Amy Irving) -- as they face daunting odds in their quest to be together. Set in India during the time of the British Raj, this haunting (and BAFTA-nominated) love story features spectacular scenery and an epic saga of battle, treachery and intrigue.

Where to Watch: 1 episodes (11%) are available to stream on a subscription service (AcornTV). 6 episodes (67%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 1 service (Prime Video).