All John Green Movies & TV Shows In Order
John Green’s first novel in a decade, Hollywood, Ending, was recently published, which made me nostalgic for the days when his books were consistently adapted. By that, I mean that there were two years in the 2010s when each summer brought a new John Green book-to-screen adaptation. After, the movie and TV shows would take a little longer and switch to streaming.
Regardless, the adaptations mostly did an incredible job of keeping the heart and tone of Green’s books firmly intact. He’s an incredibly thoughtful writer, and that encourages the adaptations to emulate as much. Personally, I’ve never finished one of them and been disappointed. They left me the same way that Green’s books did (and still do as an adult): feeling seen and hopeful. It’s also a benefit that the movies may share casts and crews but remain standalone stories. You can watch these movies and TV in release order on HBO Max, Netflix, and more.
I can’t hear “Boom Clap” by Charli xcx and not be transported back to 2014 because of The Fault in Our Stars. This romantic drama is based on the 2012 YA book of the same name. It’s not a unique experience, but this book completely wrecked me when I was a teenager. So much so, I struggle to reread it now as an adult. That’s a testament to Green’s impactful writing.
When the movie was released, it was a big year for Shailene Woodley and book-to-screen adaptations. As someone who has watched Woodley since The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008), it was thrilling to watch her lead The Fault in Our Stars and Divergent (2014). Also, just a few months after the movie’s release, the one-season drama Red Band Society (2014). Audiences were interested in nuanced stories about characters living with (often terminal) illnesses, like Hazel (Woodley) and Gus (Ansel Elgort) in The Fault in Our Stars.
Paper Towns, based on Green’s 2008 YA book, brought Nat Wolff from a supporting role as Isaac in The Fault in Our Stars to leading man as Q. (This movie was also written by The Fault in Our Stars writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. Elgort and Green have cameos in the movie.) He starred opposite Cara Delevingne as Margo Roth Spiegelman. In my opinion, they proved any doubters wrong with their chemistry. The movie also does a great job, like the book, of examining and unraveling the “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” expectations surrounding Margo.
I still find that to be one of Paper Towns’ most memorable qualities, along with Q, Ben (Austin Abrams), and Radar’s (Justice Smith) friendship and the themes of self-discovery. I also appreciate Green's style of dialogue translated from book to screen. He never speaks down to his readers, and I like that the adaptations of his books didn’t either. Paper Towns is also how I became familiar with Jake Schreier’s work as a director, which I’ve gone on to love a decade later with another character-driven story on the big screen—Thunderbolts* (2025).
Looking for Alaska is adapted from John Green’s first novel, published in 2005. I remember reading this book and wondering how the complexities on the page would be adapted. As it turned out, that journey to screen would take a while, evolving from a movie to a TV show. The latter suits the story better, giving it more space to breathe than a movie’s runtime would allow. Relatedly, Looking for Alaska becomes the first of Green’s books to be adapted for TV.
The eight-episode limited series, created by Josh Schwartz of The O.C. (2003) fame, takes place in 2005, emphasizing its nostalgic tone. Looking for Alaska is a coming-of-age series that explores mental health, morality, and so much more. It stars Charlie Plummer as Miles and Kristine Frøseth as Alaska—both of whom are utterly perfect in their roles. Sadly, the series is no longer available on Hulu. Green commented on it being pulled from the streamer in 2023.
Let It Snow has become a staple in my holiday entertainment rotation since its release. It’s perhaps one of the lesser-known John Green adaptations. This enjoyable romantic comedy is based on Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Lauren Myracle, and Maureen Johnson. In a change of style, the source material is not a novel but a series of short stories.
Let It Snow is also the first feature-length adaptation to be released on a streaming service. This movie is a lot like Valentine’s Day (2010) and Love Actually (2003). It has a big ensemble of characters with various relationships (romantic and otherwise) and intersecting stories. It’s also a bit of a snapshot of the popular talent of the late 2010s. For example, Let It Snow stars Kiernan Shipka on the heels of another Netflix release, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018).
Turtles All the Way Down feels like a strong ending to an era. Its source material of the same name is John Green’s last YA novel, which was published in 2017. If Hollywood, Ending is adapted (I can’t help but hope it will), it will be Green’s first book-to-screen adaptation that isn’t a coming-of-age story. Either way, Turtles All the Way Down is certainly special in its exploration of OCD, grief, and finding love for oneself and others through both. There’s also a mystery!
The movie finds its roots in a brilliant performance from Isabela Merced as Aza Holmes. She reunites with Green (He has another cameo) in this adaptation after starring in Let It Snow, too. Where the latter sees Merced lean into comedy, Turtles All the Way Down requires a much more dramatic turn, and she delivers. This movie (and its source material) is a recent reminder that John Green has a unique ability to make me (and so many others) feel seen.
