Adaptation Species Change in Live-Action TV.
- Variation: the short-lived Animorphs TV series rarely used the signature morphs of the protagonists from the books. Rachel never did her bear morph, instead favoring a lion, Marco never went gorilla, etc., possibly because there wasn't the budget for a ton of CGI and they wanted to use animals they could work with decently well. Then the Transformers toys got into it, with things like a Jake-bear and Jake-stingray toy. Then there was Tobias. He was a Red-Tailed Hawk shifter in the books, but a Harris Hawk played him onscreen.
- Arrowverse:
- Arrow:
- Black Canary is a Badass Normal instead of a metahuman like in the comics. That's the Earth-1 version, though, as the Earth-2 version is Truer to the Text.
- Amazo is a freighter instead of a Killer Robot. Eventually becomes a case of Decomposite Character when an unrelated robot bearing the name A.M.A.Z.O. appears in the Elseworlds crossover.
- Brother Eye is a collective hacker group allied with the HIVE rather than a super computer in the comics.
- The Flash (2014):
- In the comics, King Shark is a supernatural demigod. He is made into a normal metahuman in the show instead.
- In the comics, Deathstorm is undead. Like King Shark above, he is made into a normal metahuman in the show.
- Due to being a Composite Character, Hunter Zolomon/Zoom becomes the "zombie speedster" Black Flash in the Season 2 finale.
- Legends of Tomorrow:
- In the comics, Waverider is a time traveling superhero. He is made into the titular team's time traveling Cool Starship in the show.
- Supergirl (2015)
- In the comics, Hellgrammite is a human named Roderick Rose, who mutated himself into an insectile monster. In the series, he's one of the alien prisoners in Fort Rozz.
- In the 1984 movie, Selena is a human sorceress. In the series, she's a Kryptonian priestess.
- In Young Justice, Rip Roar is a New God, in the series he's a human named Russell Rogers.
- In Justice League of America, Rama Khan was a powered human from the fictional Asian nation of Jarhanpur, and his associate Gamemnae was Atlantean. In the series, they're both from the planet Jarhanpur. The season 5 finale introduces their fellow Jarhanpurans Sela and Tezumak, who in the comics were from ancient Africa and Central America respectively.
- Superman & Lois: Partway through Season 1, it's revealed that Morgan Edge, a human Corrupt Corporate Executive in the comics, is actually a Kryptonian survivor who has been secretly posing as an Earthling for decades.
- Arrow:
- Almost happened in Cowboy Bebop (2021). A leak of the casting script suggested that Ein was going to be changed from a Corgi to a Siberian Husky, but later on a brief teaser of the show was posted online focusing on Ein and showing that he is going to be a Corgi like in the original.
- In the ArthurianLegends Lancelot is human. In Cursed (2020) he's revealed to be an Ash Folk, a rare type of Fey.
- Game of Thrones:
- Robb, Jon, Arya, Rickon, and Sansa are all normal humans, albeit particularly badass ones, making Bran the only "warg" in the family. However, in the books, both Jon and Arya have been revealed as skinchangers, with Jon being specifically stated as such, Rickon has shown clear signs of being one (such as wolf dreams), and Word of God has confirmed that all six Stark children are wargs.
- Bran dreams of a three-eyed raven rather than a three-eyed crow, which is probably Pragmatic Adaptation in favour of the animal wranglers but takes away a delightful Double Meaning from the books.
- Harry's Mad: in the original novel, Mad is an African grey parrot. In the TV adaptation, he's a macaw.
- Hercules:
- Herc's second wife Deianeira was just a normal human princess in Greek Mythology, while she is depicted as a wood nymph in the miniseries.
- The Cretan Bull and Cerberus were all inhuman monsters faced by Hercules as part of his labors. Here, they are just aliases adopted by human characters, to be specific, one man only, Anteus.
- In the Little House on the Prairie books Jack is an English Bulldog however his breed was changed in the tv adaptation.
- In the The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Sauron goes in Eregion disguised as human, whereas in the books, he goes disguised as Annatar, an emissary sent by the Valar, who knows blacksmithing and magic. It not clear what Race he is embodying in the books, but according the Unfinished Tales, his Annatar form supposed to be some sort of proto-Istar: "In Eregion Sauron posed as an emissary of the Valar, sent by them to Middle-earth ("thus anticipating the Istari") or ordered by them to remain there to give aid to the Elves."
- Marvel Cinematic Universe:
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.:
- In the Secret Warriors comics, both Quake and Slingshot were human women who gained superpowers as a result of having superhuman fathers (Mister Hyde and Griffin, respectively). In the show, they're both Inhumans.
- Likewise, Hive was a human HYDRA agent who was subjected to an experiment involving ravenous parasites that ended up bonding with him. The series has him as an ancient and powerful Inhuman.
- In the comics, Hellfire's powers are supernatural in nature, and stem from him being the grandson of Carter Slade, the original Ghost Rider. In the show, Hellfire is yet another Inhuman.
- In Cloak & Dagger (2018), D'Spayre is a human who gained powers from a scientific accident rather than a demon.
- The first season finale of Ms. Marvel (2022) reveals that Kamala Khan is an X-gene Mutant, unlike in the comics, where she's an Inhuman.
- Runaways (2017):
- Molly is a mutant in the comics, but because the X-Men franchise was off-limits at the time, the TV show depicts her as a human who got powers from extraterrestrial rocks that her parents had been studying.
- Likewise, Xavin is a Skrull in the comics, but a Xartan (an existing but far more obscure race of alien shapeshifters in the comics) in the series.
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.:
- In the original Pickman's Model short story, Robert Upton Pickman was a normal guy, and his connection to the monstrous creatures in his paintings was never really made clear. In the TV adaptation featured in Night Gallery, Pickman is heavily implied to be a Half-Human Hybrid whose mother was raped by one of the creatures many years ago, explaining how he knows so much about them.
- In Once Upon a Time, some characters have this. In Tangled, Mother Gothel is a human witch, but in season 7 of OUAT she's a dryad driven mad by the destruction of nature. Tiger Lily was human in the book and film of Peter Pan, but is a fairy (albeit a de-powered fairy) on the show. Rumplestiltskin is a double example: he's not only changed from the gnome/fairy thing of his own original story to a human corrupted by dark magic, he also represents Captain Hook's crocodile, which was originally just a literal crocodile (and if you count him as the Beast it's a triple example, as both he and the Beast in the film are cursed humans, but one is a lion/pig thing and one is a golden, scaly man.)
- In Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, the character of Elizabeth is inspired by Bill the Lizard in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but in addition to being Gender Flipped, she's a human who's nicknamed "Lizard". She seems to be the only talking animal Wonderland character to get this treatment in the series. (A comic book about Once Upon a Time's Mad Hatter also introduced a human March Hare.)
- In Orphan Black, The Hero Sarah Manning and her long lost twin Helena are both clones along with the rest of Tatiana Maslany's characters. In the Japanese remake the twins are now natural humans, as they are the original hosts in this version.
- Powerpuff: Both Mojo and Jojo are humans, rather than uplifted monkeys like the character that they were inspired by. Played with in Mojo's case, as his mind was later transferred into the body of his pet monkey; instead of becoming a monkey with human-like intelligence, he's a human brain in a monkey body.
- Roswell, New Mexico: In the book series and the original show Maria is a human, here it's revealed that she's actually descended from an alien survivor of the '47 crash.
- Madame Dorothea is a mundane in City of Bones, but "Dot" is a witch in Shadowhunters.
- In Smallville, Brainiac is not a Coluan, but rather a Kryptonian AI, similar to Superman: The Animated Series.
- Power Rangers made certain changes from Super Sentai over the course of its run.
- The Green Ranger from Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger is actually an undead, but his Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers counterpart is a normal (well, aside from being a ranger) human being from the get go.
- The titular heroes from the Mighty Morphin' Alien Rangers mini-series were aliens from the planet Aquitar. This is in contrast to their counterparts from Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, who were simply a group of young humans descended from legendary ninjas.
- The Red Ranger from Denji Sentai Megaranger is human, but his Power Rangers in Space counterpart is a Human Alien.
- Seijuu Sentai Gingaman to Power Rangers Lost Galaxy made two notable and interesting changes:
- The Yellow Ranger goes from a (male) human to a (female) Human Alien.
- The Pink Ranger is an interesting case, as she has two counterparts in the adaptation. The first Pink Ranger is a human, much like her original Sentai counterpart, but the second Pink Ranger is a Human Alien (sister of the aforementioned Red Space Ranger, in fact).
- Power Rangers Operation Overdrive made two notable changes from GoGo Sentai Boukenger:
- The Red Ranger goes from a normal human being to an android.
- The Silver Ranger goes from a Half-Human Hybrid to a Human Alien.
- Power Rangers Megaforce: Due to using footage from two different series for its first and second half, the series' human rangers were adapted from a team of angels and a team of Human Alien Space Pirates. Funny enough, the second half's Human Alien Silver Ranger was just a human in Gokaiger.
- This also extends to villains and their Monsters of the Week.
- In Zyuranger, Rita and her goons were a human and some mythical creatures who lived in ancient times instead of aliens (Goldar was a griffin, Finster was a leprechaun, Squatt and Baboo were a troll and a vampire, etc.). Additionally, Mighty Morphin' Season 2's monsters were evil humans able to become monsters in Gosei Sentai Dairanger instead of inanimate objects brought to life by Lord Zedd and Season 3's were Youkai in Ninja Sentai Kakuranger instead of more aliens.
- Similar to the case of Dairanger's MotWs, Juken Sentai Gekiranger's monsters were undead humans able to turn into beast-men, but in Power Rangers Jungle Fury became animal spirits.
- Power Rangers Ninja Steel's villains are all aliens whereas their counterparts in Shuriken Sentai Ninninger were Youkai, with the lead baddies being an evil feudal warlord and his followers reincarnated as such and the Monsters of the Week being transformed inanimate objects.
- Some of the individual Zords in various series have been changed.
- In Zyuranger, the Black Ranger's Guardian Beast is a Mammoth. Mighty Morphin' changes it into a Mastodon.
- In Gosei Sentai Dairanger, the Blue and Yellow Ranger's Chi Beasts are respectively a pegasus and a Kirin, but Mighty Morphin' changes them respectively into a unicorn and a griffin.
- In Gingaman, the Green and Pink Ranger's Starbeasts are respectively a falcon and a cat. Lost Galaxy turns them into a condor and a wildcat.
- Engine Sentai Go-onger haves half-vehicle, half animal mechas. The Red, Black, Green and Gold Ranger's vehicles are based respectively on a condor, a German shepherd, an orca and a rooster, but Power Rangers RPM changes them to an eagle, a wolf, a shark and a falcon. Also one of the extra vehicles is changed from an alligator to a crocodile.
- In Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, the Gold Ranger's optional mech is a squid, but in Power Rangers Samurai it was changed to an octopus. An optional mech for the Red Ranger was also changed from a dinosaur to a shark.
- Bragigas from Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger is a Brachiosaur, but its equivalent in Power Rangers Dino Charge, the Titano Zord, is a Titanosaur instead.
- In Tokumei Sentai Go Busters, the Yellow, Gold and Silver Ranger's mechas are respectively a rabbit, a rhinoceros beetle and a stag beetle, but Power Rangers Beast Morphers changes them to a jackrabbit, a mantis and a scarab.
- Two of the mechs from Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger are fictional species called the Needlesaurus and the Tigersaurus. Power Rangers Dino Fury rectifies this changing them into actual prehistorical creatures, a Stegosaur and a Saber-Toothed Tiger.
- The titular Kamen Rider BLACK RX is a Cyborg, but his American counterpart is a Human Alien.
- The titular Chōjinki Metalder is a Ridiculously Human Robot, but his VR Troopers counterpart Ryan Steele is human.
- Birds of Prey (2002) made Helena Wayne/Kyle, her mother Selena Kyle, and Dinah Drake-Lance (renamed Carolyn Lance) metahumans. While not elaborated on, The Joker is seen blasting people with electricity through his palm in a flashback.
- Lost in Space (2018) makes two "species" changes from previous versions, more or less. One is the change of the Robot from a Earth-manufactured device brought along on the trip to an alien robot discovered on the planet that the characters crash-land on in Season 1. The second is the change of Debbie the Bloop (an alien that is adopted by Don West as a pet in the film version) to Debbie the Chicken.
- The Twilight Zone (1959): In "Elegy", the caretaker of the cemetery asteroid Happy Glades Jeremy Wickwire is a robot. In the short story by Charles Beaumont, his counterpart Mr. Greypoole is a human who became a cyborg after being augmented with artificial parts to restore his health and keep him alive for centuries.
- The Vampire Diaries:
- Elena in the books is revealed to be half human/half angel. In the series, she starts out as a normal human and then becomes a vampire.
- Tyler is a werewolf in the books. In the show, this remains true, though he becomes a vampire-werewolf hybrid later on.
- Klaus is a pure-blooded vampire in the books. In the show he is made into a vampire-werewolf hybrid.
- VR Troopers is a Compressed Adaptation of Chōjinki Metalder, Jikuu Senshi Spielban, and Space Sheriff Shaider. Ryan Steele, the counterpart of the titular Metalder who is an android, is a normal human.
- Titans (2018):
- Donna Troy has a notoriously convoluted backstory in the comics, with her origins variously depicting her as a human child raised by Amazons, a magical clone of Wonder Woman created by an evil sorceress, and even a Human Weapon made from magic clay. In the TV show, however, she's stated to be a half-human, half-Amazonian hybrid who was taken in by the Amazons after her father died in an apartment fire.
- In-Universe example in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Author, Author"; the Doctor's holonovel "Photons Be Free" portrays the characters based on Tuvok and Torres as human, the character based on Chakotay as Bajoran (with his facial tattoo becoming a snake wrapped round the Bajoran oval), and the one based on Kim as a Trill.
