The Harry Potter TV show is getting closer and closer, with casting announcements coming out regularly. The show represents a chance to tell the story afresh years after the Harry Potter movies wrapped up.
The movies are classics, but time constraints meant they couldn't fit in everything from J.K. Rowling's books. Some characters couldn’t be included and certain scenes had to be cut short. I don’t begrudge the movies for having to do that, but I hope some of those things turn up in the show. For example...
Make sure Ron Weasley gets his lines from the books
One of the biggest complaints about the movies is how Hermione ended up taking some of the wittiest of Ron Weasley’s lines from the novels. It made Ron look more like a sniveling, annoying brat, rather than the sarcastic character he actually was in the books. The Harry Potter TV show needs to remain more loyal to Ron’s character development as the years progress.
It would also be great to see more of the Horcruxes take over his mental state if the Harry Potter show gets that far into the story. The movies made him out to be far more of a jerk than he was in the book. We could tell in the books that the Horcruxes were making both Ron and Harry into people that they weren’t, and they both became villains in each other’s story, and yet, it was only Ron who got to become a villain in the later movies.
Have Dumbledore react properly when Harry's name emerges from the Goblet of Fire
In the book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Albus Dumbledore remains relatively calm when he finds out that Harry’s name has emerged from the Goblet, which means that Harry is entered into the Triwizard Tournament despite it being against the rules. Deep down, he knows that Harry didn’t cheat and put his name in there; Harry is being set up, and Dumbledore knows that he needs to find a way to keep the boy safe.
In the movie, he reacts with anger. Part of that is fear, knowing that Harry could be in danger, but he reacts as if Harry put his own name in there. Considering he knows Harry so well, he shouldn’t have launched at him in the way that he did, and the series needs to fix that.
Make sure Winky is included
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, we learn that Barty Crouch Jr. has managed to escape from the wizard prison of Azkaban. It turns out that he’s been out for a while and in hiding, but the movie never explains just how that was possible. It’s not easy to escape that place; at this point we always saw how hard it was for Sirius Black to get out.
How did Barty do it? The books explain it, and it involves a house elf named Winky. We need to see Winky in the TV series so we get the full story.
Tell us who the Marauders were
While the movies included the Marauders’ map, we didn’t get the full explanation about who they were. Their names were on the map, but the Weasley twins don’t have the opportunity to share what they know, and Lupin doesn’t explain it all to Harry.
We need to see that explanation happen in the Harry Potter TV series. The Marauders were a group of students who went to Hogwarts before Harry's time, a group that included his father James. As we find out about their bond, we understand why Lupin and Sirius, other members of the group, are so concerned with Harry. Finding out that James had his own group of outcast friends, just like Harry does, makes his bullying of a young Snape a million times worse.
More development for all of the side characters in Harry Potter
While Harry, Ron, and Hermione got plenty of development in the movies, many of the other characters were forgotten about. They were included when necessary, such as showing why Snape always protected Harry even though he didn’t like him, but there were details that were left out.
Neville Longbottom is an example of character who deserved better. In the novels, we learn that he could have also been The Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, at least in Voldemort’s eyes. We learn the tragic fate that befell his parents, which explains why he's raised by his grandparents. With more time in the series, there’s a chance to delve into that backstory, which will make his transformation into a great leader at the Battle of Hogwarts that much more powerful.
The world of witches and wizards outside of Hogwarts
With much more time available to adapt each othe books, the TV series can show us more of the wider Wizarding World. There are a lot of scenes that take place in Hogsmeade, St. Mungos Hospital, the Ministry of Magic and even the Burrow that didn't make the jump from the books to the movies. The world of Harry Potter is dense, and the show has the chance to dig into it.
There's no release date yet set for the new Harry Potter show, but we should expect it to premiere on HBO and HBO Max sometime late next year or in 2027.
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