
It's Lit!
A series of smart, funny video essays from PBS Digital Studios about their favorite books and why they love to read. Host Lindsay Ellis delves into topics like the evolution of YA, how science fiction mirrors our own anxieties, and why the book is sometimes just a _bit_ better than the movie.
- Created By
- First Aired on
Jun 04, 2018
- Popularity: 2.2351
- 1 votes
- Networks
- (US)
- Status: Returning Series
In Production
2 seaons till Mar 18, 2021
Last episode: How Do You Write a Bestseller?
Seasons & episodes
Total 2 seasons, 28 episodes

Season 1
Aired
Episode 1When the Book is Better than the Movie6 min
Which is better, the book or the movie? Explore the question with host Lindsay Ellis.
Episode 2The Evolution of YA6 min
Young Adult Fiction (YA) is dominating literature, and more young people are reading now than ever before. Lindsay Ellis explores how YA carved a place in publishing.
Episode 3Why Sci Fi is a Mirror on Society6 min
While science fiction is associated with Mars, robots, and cyberpunk, its origin story is shaped throughout several centuries. Check out the origin of science fiction with Lindsay Ellis!
Episode 4An Ode to the Romance Novel6 min
Love it or hate it, the romance novel is the highest grossing literary genre. Its history is long and winding (like your favorite romance novel), and romance novels are full of tropes reflected upon its history. It has been the subject of intrigue, derision, and shame in literary discourse long before the modern genre as we know it existed.
Episode 5How Fantasy Reflects Our World6 min
Fantasy novels are more than just hundreds of pages worth of swords and magic! Okay, there's some of that. But it's also a lens to what our society finds important to our pasts, our presents, and future.