This article intends to accomplish an analysis of the serie O Primo Basílio, produced and transmitted by Rede Globo, in comparison with the literary text which originated the serie. In 1988, the Rede Globo showed O Primo Basílio. This adaptation brought, again, Eça de Queirós to the center of the Brazilian cultural scene, turning his book into best seller. The purpose of this monograph is to make a comparative analysis between the two works of art, the text and its transcodification, lighting up some questions, like the relation existent between literature and television, the functions of the reader and of the viewer, and the difference between high culture and mass culture. It intends to analyze also how the basics elements of the textual narrative appears on the television serie, and highlight the importance of both medias in which the work of art appear, television and book, and the fundamental role each one exerts on its public in its time.