Elin Hilderbrand Says 'No Interest' in Writing for TV
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- Five-Star Weekend, adapted by Bekah Brunstetter (Maid, This Is Us) from Hilderbrand's 2023 novel, debuted on Peacock this week starring Jennifer Garner.
- The Perfect Couple, Hilderbrand's first Netflix adaptation, was a hit and has spawned a Season 2 based on her novel Swan Song.
- Hilderbrand told the NYT she has no interest in writing television, saying her role is to let showrunners run the show — and seven or eight other books of hers are currently in development.
- The author gave Brunstetter carte blanche on the Peacock adaptation, telling USA Today her only concern was that Nantucket be depicted "authentically and correctly."
- Hilderbrand's next novel, The Thoroughbreds, co-written with her daughter, is set for release in September.
- She is already working on The Novelists, a novel about four writers at the Iowa Writers' Workshop — where Hilderbrand was once a fellow — exploring "professional jealousy."
Why it matters: With seven or eight books in development and The Perfect Couple earning a second season, Hilderbrand wields rare leverage in the book-to-screen pipeline — but her refusal to write for TV means studios must find capable showrunners to sustain it. Her sole condition on adaptations: get Nantucket right.
