Peacock's Miniseries 'Apples Never Fall' Switches Things Up From the Bestselling Liane Moriarty Book

Read on to find out how the show differs from the book, and whether you'll be able to guess whodunnit

Change  is the name of the game when it comes to adapting books to the screen, but just how much change depends on the show. We read Apples Never Fall from powerhouse Liane Moriarty and all seven episodes of the new Peacock miniseries starring Sam Neill and Annette Bening to see just how faithful the TV version is to the bestselling thriller. All seven episodes are available to stream, starting today.

Swap the setting of the screen version from Australia to Florida? Or a suspect’s scratch coming from an agave plant instead of a lillypilly bush? You can probably live with that.

Popping in new characters, changing established characters and rejiggering the trajectory of the story? That might be more controversial in the eyes of the reader. Read on, but beware mild spoilers for those who didn't read the book first.

The plot centers on former tennis pros Stan (Neill) and Joy Delaney (Bening). The power couple just retired after decades of running their tennis academy in a posh beach community.  But the competitive spirit still lives on with them and their children.

Joy feels ignored by her four adult children and welcomes a strange young woman named Savannah (Georgia Flood)  into their household. In short order, Joy mysteriously disappears and Stan is suspected of murdering his wife by neighbors, cops and even his own children.

The location changed for TV

The series based on the Australian tale by an Australian author changed the locale to sunny Florida - but filmed entirely in Australia.

"The big change we made was relocating the story from Australia to South Florida, West Palm Beach, which is the seat of so much professional tennis training. That was a really fun change,” executive producer Melanie Marnich told TV writers during a February press tour.

“We changed some of the characters, some of their intentions, some of the relationships, but really stayed pretty true to her beautiful book."

Some characters also got subtle tweaks

Ditzy eldest child Amy (Alison Brie) no longer has her signature blue hair. "I just felt like it would be too Sonic the Hedgehog, Brie said in the press tour panel. Her character is also an aspiring life coach rather than a “taste tester,” like she was in the book.

Younger son Logan (Conor Merrigan Turner) now works at the marina instead of as a community college teacher. And girlfriend Indira (Pooja Shah) hasn’t entirely slammed the door on their relationship.

And then you have the major character tinkering happening to the other two Delaney siblings.

Youngest daughter Brooke (Essie Randles) was going through a painful split from her philandering husband Grant in the book version. In the miniseries, she's experiencing doubts as she moves forward with her marriage to her chef girlfriend Gina (Paula Andrea Placido). The change in sexual orientation opens up another plot development.

A new subplot shakes things up

The major shift from the novel is a subplot that never appeared in the book. High-powered venture capitalist Troy (Jake Lacy) is involved in a torrid affair with the sultry wife (Katrina Lenk) of his nebbish boss (Timm Sharp), who treats him like a son.

Central book secrets tumble out, but not in the same way. The major storyline of Stan’s former protege Harry Haddad (Giles Matthey) gets sidelined, for the most part.

And dedicated readers might raise eyebrows at Marnich’s statement that they “stayed pretty true to the book” as the final two episodes approach.

Did Stan kill her? Did Savannah do something dark and twisty? Do viewers still get that controversial book ending?

You’ll have to watch to find out.

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