CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Diya TV) — Netflix is bringing Jhumpa Lahiri’s acclaimed short story collection Unaccustomed Earth to life in an eight-episode drama series, tapping an impressive creative team led by award-winning television veteran John Wells. The adaptation promises to deliver a sweeping, emotional narrative centered on love, family, identity, and the hidden tensions within a tight-knit Indian American community in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Wells—best known for his work on Shameless, ER, and The West Wing—will serve as writer, showrunner, and executive producer under his long-standing deal with Warner Bros. Television. The project continues its successful collaboration with Netflix, which includes the critically acclaimed series Maid and the upcoming limited series Untamed.
Joining Wells is Madhuri Shekar, writer and executive producer known for 3 Body Problem and The Nevers. Award-winning filmmaker Nisha Ganatra (Late Night, Freaky Friday) is set to direct the pilot episode and will also executive produce. Ganatra originally optioned Unaccustomed Earth and developed the early version of the series, according to a report from The Hindu.
Jhumpa Lahiri herself, who won the Pulitzer Prize for her debut collection Interpreter of Maladies, will executive produce the series, ensuring the adaptation remains faithful to the emotional depth and cultural intricacies of her original work. She is joined by executive producers Erica Saleh (Yellowjackets), Erin Jontow (John Wells Productions), and Celia Costas.
Netflix’s official logline describes the series as “an epic, soapy drama about a tight-knit immigrant community navigating love, desire, and belonging.” At its center lies a scandalous, star-crossed romance between a devoted wife and her long-lost love, which sets off a chain reaction of secrets, betrayals, and shifting alliances that ripple through generations.
Set against the backdrop of Cambridge’s elite Indian American society, the series will explore themes of cultural expectations, personal freedom, and intergenerational tension. It aims to paint a nuanced and intimate portrait of immigrant life and the personal costs of fulfilling familial duty.
The project marks another screen adaptation of Lahiri’s work, following the 2006 film The Namesake, directed by Mira Nair and starring Irrfan Khan and Tabu. Unlike The Namesake, which focused on one family’s generational journey, Unaccustomed Earth weaves together multiple stories of displacement, longing, and reinvention.
As first reported by Deadline and Variety, the series reflects Netflix’s ongoing push for high-quality, character-driven dramas that resonate across cultural lines. With Lahiri’s literary legacy, Wells’ television pedigree, and Ganatra’s cinematic storytelling, Unaccustomed Earth is poised to become a must-watch addition to the streaming giant’s drama slate.
No casting announcements or release dates have been confirmed yet, but production is expected to begin later this year.
