Dorian Gray in Penny Dreadful
By
Dani Kessel Odom
Published 3 minutes ago
Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) is an autistic lead writer on the New TV team, focusing on writing and content planning for streaming shows. They often assist with Classic TV coverage, as well.
They have covered events, such as Denver Fan Expo. Their articles have also been shared by professionals in the field, such as Damien Leone and Lucy Hale.
In university, they majored in English Writing with a minor in psychology. They have always had a passion for analyzing TV and movies, even taking filmography and scriptwriting classes in university. They also studied and participated in onstage and onscreen acting extensively from the ages of 7 to 18.
Aside from working at Screen Rant, Dani has worked as a freelance editor and writer over the past decade, often in a ghostwriting capacity.
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Netflix’s most exciting book adaptation, The Picture of Dorian Gray, had the chance to revitalize the platform’s horror genre and give the story a proper adaptation, but it has been already ruined before it has released due to one upsetting change.
Classic literature is a goldmine for filmmakers and showrunners. There are so many great stories to tell, and they can modernize them in interesting ways that keep the story fresh. However, the exception to the modernization rule arises when an element is so fundamental to the story that removing or altering it would make the story no longer itself.
They shouldn’t remove the scarlet A from The Scarlet Letter. They shouldn’t remove the exploration of racism from To Kill A Mockingbird. They shouldn’t remove thought policing from 1984. Unfortunately, Netflix’s most exciting classic book adaptation broke this cardinal rule, and it hasn’t even been released yet.
Netflix Is Adapting The Picture Of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray is playwright Oscar Wilde's only novel, and it’s officially being turned into a Netflix TV show. The classic Gothic book that helped define the genre. This had the potential to be the most exciting Netflix book adaptation in the works because The Picture of Dorian Gray has never been done right.
The Picture of Dorian Gray has been the subject of 11 movies, half of which were made in the 1910s.
For example, the 1973 movie adaptation was a disappointment as it lacked all the depth of the book and changed major plot points. The 2009 movie suffered from the same issue, even introducing new characters unnecessarily and having a terrible ending. The best adaptation occurred in 1945, but even that didn’t quite get the book right, despite the horror movie winning an Oscar.
As such, the announcement that it would become a TV show on Netflix was highly celebrated. However,, the excitement quickly died down when they read the interpretation of the story that screenwriter Katie Rose Rogers had chosen.
Unfortunately, they have made a grave error with one change that has rightfully stirred up controversy and almost definitely ruined the show before it even came out.
Netflix’s Adaptation Of The Picture Of Dorian Gray Will Make Dorian & Basil Brothers
The Netflix adaptation announcement stated that Dorian Gray and Basil are brothers in the upcoming TV show (via Deadline). Brothers. For everyone who has read the book, let that sink in for a second. For those unaware, Basil’s homoerotic infatuation with Dorian Gray is the driving force of The Picture of Dorian Gray.
The relationship between Dorian and Basil is so blatant that the book was used as key evidence to convict Oscar Wilde of “gross indecency” for being homosexual. He was sentenced to two years of hard labor. Oscar Wilde didn’t go to jail just for someone to bowdlerize the queerness of his story 134 years later. That feels disrespectful.
What’s more, The Picture of Dorian Gray is such a prolific piece of LGBTQ+ writing that it inspired the Dorian Awards, which give out awards to LGBTQ+ movies, TV shows, Broadway shows, and off-Broadway shows every year. All things considered, Netflix’s change feels like a slap in the face.
It’s not even subtext. Dorian and Basil are not just friends, and they are certainly not brothers in The Picture of Dorian Gray. The implication that they are has all the same feeling as the “and they were roommates” or “they were just good buddies” statements that get thrown around, especially in a historical context, about LGBTQ+ folks.
Ultimately, this one change ruins all the excitement about the Netflix adaptation. What’s more, it could very well make the upcoming show the worst version of The Picture of Dorian Gray out there. At least the existing versions just downplay the homoerotic relationship instead of going so far off course that they make Dorian and Basil into brothers.
Netflix’s Book Change Continues The Concerning Trend Of Queer Erasure
Dorian Gray looks to the side in Dorian Gray
Unfortunately, Netflix’s adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray feels like just another example in the behemoth that is Hollywood’s queer erasure. Shows featuring openly LGBTQ+ characters are being axed at a disproportionate rate. The bury your gays trope is still in full effect.
According to GLAAD’s latest "Where We Are on TV" report (via News Is Out), 41% of LGBTQ+ TV characters aren’t returning in 2026. Disney allegedly removed all references to Riley being LGBTQ+ in Inside Out 2, and they overtly removed a trans storyline from Win or Lose. Riverdale removed Jughead’s asexuality.
Queer erasure is particularly problematic in on-screen adaptations of classic novels like The Picture of Dorian Gray. Both adaptations of The Color Purple, another classic novel, reduced Celie’s love story with Shug. Most adaptations of Greek mythology ignore the prevalence of queer love in those stories. Nick Carraway’s sexuality is ignored in most onscreen versions of The Great Gatsby. Joan of Arc’s crossdressing is almost always downplayed.
Censorship isn’t anything new. However, the current prevalence of the issue can be chalked up to the sad state of the world. We were starting to make progress, but we’ve backslid so far when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation and rights.
Netflix’s The Picture of Dorian Gray’s queer erasure stings more than others, though, because it’s such a seminal work of LGBTQ+ literature. The change isn’t just harmful, but it’s a direct violation of the classic novel we hold so dear.
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