From the first moment you meet Avery Grambs, inheriting a billionaire’s fortune she never knew existed, you know you’re in for a wild ride!
The Inheritance Games, which is Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s puzzle-laden, twisty young adult series, became an instant page-turner for fans of mystery, high stakes, and riddles that seem to leap off the page. Now that magnetism is finally heading to the screen as it is being adapted into a TV series!
Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a YA powerhouse who wrote her first novel at just nineteen and sold five books while still in college. She holds advanced degrees in cognitive science and psychology and serves as an Associate Professor in Psychology and Professional Writing at the University of Oklahoma. Her academic background feeds her fiction: she often weaves puzzles, secrets, and human motivations together with sharp insight.
The Inheritance Games series itself has grown far beyond the first book. What began in 2020 with The Inheritance Games has expanded to include The Hawthorne Legacy, The Final Gambit, The Brothers Hawthorne, and a collection of stories in Games Untold. The series has earned critical acclaim, hit the New York Times YA list, and drawn praise for its ingenious premises.
Given its built-in intrigue, clever formulas, dramatic stakes, and visual flair (secret passageways, traps, riddles in grand old mansions), it’s no wonder The Inheritance Games TV series has been announced.
As adaptation momentum builds, fans are curious: will it keep the heart and twistiness, and what changes might be necessary to make it work in an episodic format?
The adaptation was first announced in 2020, when Amazon had secured development rights; however, that’s no longer the case. As of October 2025, Lionsgate Television has acquired the rights, and the author will be one of the producers on the project.
Let’s walk through what is publicly known: who’s involved behind the scenes, how the adaptation might shape the story, when viewers might expect it, and whether you should read the books before the show airs.
What Will Be The Plot of The Inheritance Games TV Series?
In The Inheritance Games, Avery Grambs is thrust into an extraordinary situation when a reclusive billionaire she’s never met dies and leaves her his entire fortune—on condition that she live in his sprawling, puzzle-filled mansion and navigate the schemes of his heirs.
Forced to share space with the Hawthorne grandsons, each with motives and mysteries, Avery must play their games while trying to uncover why she was chosen.
In the process, alliances form, trust is tested, and truths emerge. The adaptation will likely preserve much of that core tension: riddles, shifting loyalties, and the push-pull between trust and suspicion.
Because the story spans multiple installments, a TV adaptation opens the possibility to explore side characters more deeply, linger on clues, expand the mansion’s mythology, and let the mystery unfold gradually across episodes rather than condense it into a single feature.
If you haven’t read the series yet, here’s the official synopsis of the first book that will give you an idea of what to expect when you read it or watch the adaptation:
Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies, leaving Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why—or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.
To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man’s touch—and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes.
Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions.
Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he’s determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather’s last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.
Casting & Production Updates:
Lionsgate Television is developing the adaptation, and it will be executive produced by Temple Hill Entertainment. The author, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, will also serve as a producer on the series.
As of now, no official casting, directors, or release schedule has been confirmed. The project remains in a very early stage of development, so there’s no way we’d know exactly when the TV series will be released.
Should You Read the Books Instead?
Yes, and here’s why: the Inheritance Games novels let you experience the puzzle turns, the internal logic, and the red herrings in the order the author intended.
Much of the suspense hinges on clues, timing, and subtle reveals that are harder to replicate on screen without adaptation changes. Reading gives you full access to internal narration, character reasoning, and mystery mechanics.
Watching after reading gives you the fun of seeing how the adaptation handles house traps, puzzle reveals, and which plot pieces are expanded or altered. It lets you compare what was preserved, what was streamlined, and which surprises play differently when you already know them.
So, don’t waste any more time and read the books before The Inheritance Games TV series is officially released!
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