In 2016 BBC America made a TV version of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency written by Max Landis. It is very good, which is not something I say about many TV shows, especially those based on books. It maintains much of the feel of the novels, but makes some major changes to the backstory and setting. It is also rather dark and bloody at times, which is in concordance with the novels, but something that perhaps stands out more clearly on the screen. The following two paragraphs contain mild spoilers.
Dirk Gently is still a holistic detective, but has followed the mumbled hints of the Interconnectedness of Everything to the United States. This new Dirk is hyper to the point of being manic, and much of the role of down-on-their-luck slob is taken over by a new character, a random bellhop named Todd. While the majority of the show deals with science fantasy type mysteries that Dirk and Todd bumble through with ineffable guidance from the Universe, there is a new, trite and tried subplot: a secret government agency collecting supernatural anomalies.
Blackwing is a bit like the SCP Foundation, but they have fallen on hard times. They found some really cool stuff, apparently including Dirk Gently, and have a secret base full of weirdos, but it turns out that beings guided by the ineffable are hard to contain, and most of the weirdos are currently out roaming America, which is good because we get to meet them. The first of these that we get to learn about is Bart, a holistic assassin; she kills whoever the universe shuffles across her path, in full confidence that she would not meet a person if they did not deserve to die, now, violently. She meets someone she does not kill, and this turns out to be one of the best subplots.
Season one is great; season two is great also, but starts off with something that looks like it's going to be a bit too much; keep watching, the writer actually sticks the landing. There is no season three, because good shows get cancelled.
Overall, a goofy, somewhat dark show that does not really follow the books but does a good job of capturing the right mood. There are a fair number of overused tropes, but it works out fine. It is a fully modern show with high production values, and holds its own among science fiction shows. It does not however, retell or continue the adventures of the original Dirk Gently, and if you expect that you will be disappointed; this is a whole new holistic detective.
SciFiQuest 3020: Foresight is 3020