HBO's Harry Potter reboot opened casting calls in September 2024, and Warner Bros. Discovery is expecting it to debut sometime in 2026. For many fans, this adaptation offers a chance for a more faithful adaptation than the Harry Potter movies. But the movies had one advantage that could prove a challenge for the show.
Television is a great medium to adapt fantasy stories, and modern technology lends itself to these narratives well. However, there's one unpopular television trend that seems to be getting worse in recent years — and the Harry Potter TV show can't afford to adopt it. In the age of streaming, lengthy and frustrating waits between seasons are becoming all too common. Long gaps between seasons could hurt HBO's remake, even if it does everything else right.
HBO's Harry Potter Remake Can't Take Long Breaks Like Most Modern TV Shows
The Characters' Ages
Viewers are frustrated with increasingly long waits between short television seasons, but most modern projects can get away with this. Unfortunately, TV shows centered on younger characters face far more obstacles when it comes to this model. Child stars will obviously age over the course of a series' run, and it's far more noticeable when they outgrow their roles. This could pose a problem for HBO's Harry Potter remake, which is supposed to follow Harry and his friends over the course of seven years.
Assuming the Harry Potter series casts child stars, just like the original movies, it will need to film each season back-to-back.
Assuming the Harry Potter series casts child stars, just like the original movies, it will need to film each season back-to-back. This is the only way to ensure the actors don't become adults while the Golden Trio is still in the middle of their Hogwarts education. Shows like Stranger Things and Percy Jackson are already grappling with the impact long waits between seasons have on shows with younger casts. Harry Potter will be much more believable if it avoids this unpopular TV trend, following in the movies' footsteps instead.
The Remake Must Follow In The Movies' Footsteps
The Original Adaptations Moved Quickly Enough To Keep Up With The Actors' Ages
Movies tend to get more leniency when it comes to turnaround times for sequels, but the Harry Potter films managed to keep up with the cast ' ages anyway. The actors were primarily involved in the fantasy franchise over its eight-movie run, but the sequels came out relatively quickly. There was typically only a year or two between each film, meaning the cast and crew were working on them back-to-back. This allowed Harry Potter's original cast to grow up alongside their characters, and it ensured they were never too far from them in age.
If returning to yearly seasons proves successful for HBO's remake, it could have a positive impact on streaming series overall.
Seeing how successful this model was, HBO should repeat it with its Harry Potter TV show. With Harry Potter being one of Warner Bros. Discovery's biggest IPs, it makes sense to prioritize new seasons of the show by turning them around quicker than other projects. It's worth breaking this TV trend for an accurate and believable adaptation of the Harry Potter books. And if returning to yearly seasons proves successful for HBO's remake, it could have a positive impact on streaming series overall.
Harry Potter Breaking This Modern Trend Could Be A Good Thing
It Could Encourage Streaming Services To Improve Their Release Timelines
If Harry Potter successfully breaks this modern television trend, it could inspire other networks and streaming services to improve their release timelines for major series. It's obvious that viewers are growing frustrated with long gaps between seasons, and some of these waits are pushing past two years. Many films attempted to recapture Harry Potter's success in the early 2000s, and its remake could have a similar effect on the television landscape. After all, it's no secret that networks and streamers try to copy what works.
This is partially why television seasons are so much shorter, as a handful of prestige shows, like The Sopranos and Game of Thrones, found success with 10 to 13 episodes per season. And the lengthier breaks between outings are happening because they're not limiting the impact of series like Stranger Things and Bridgerton. But if the Harry Potter show sees greater returns by breaking this TV trend, other companies may try to replicate that model. It could be a good thing for TV, nudging networks and streamers back to quicker turnarounds.
Harry Potter
- Showrunner
- Francisca Gardiner
- Directors
- Mark Mylod
- Writers
- sca Gardiner
- Franchise(s)
- Harry Potter
Cast
Dominic McLaughlinHarry Potter-
Arabella StantonHermione Granger
-
Alastair StoutRon Weasley
Albus Dumbledore
Harry Potter is HBO's remake of the iconic Wizarding World film series that consisted of eight films between 2001 and 2011. Each season adapts a book from JK Rowling's popular series and provides more book-accurate details than the movies did.
