The “Harry Potter” films mark one of the most enduring and beloved franchises of all time, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that a television adaptation is on the way. But there are definitely some fixes that the “Harry Potter” TV series should make to right some of the movies’ mistakes.
Of course, adapting seven books into eight films is difficult. There is simply no feasible way to include every plot point for hundreds of pages without making the movie several hours long. Decisions must be made and cuts are inevitable, which is why, starting with “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” the producers of the film franchise decided that their guideline would be to eliminate anything that was not from the point of view from Harry.
With the “Harry Potter” television series, HBO plans to dedicate an entire season of television to each book, which means they can include a lot more story. Francesca Gardiner serves as showrunner for the series with Mark Mylod (“Succession”) as director and executive producer. HBO hopes to have it ready to premiere in 2026.
Here are some fixes we hope to see when the “Harry Potter” TV series hits the small screen.
Ginny book
Warner Bros. Photos
Bonnie Wright is amazing and Ginny Weasley was made for the big screen. However, the film version of Ginny was so diluted from the book version of Ginny, and so minimized in screen time, that it was almost painful. Ginny Weasley is a brave and outspoken Quidditch player, and she deserves to exist in all her glory in the television series.
Bothers
Of all the characters that were killed off in the journey from book to movie, Peeves the poltergeist was one that hit fans the hardest. He is an agent of chaos, but he is beloved and a key participant in both the Order of the Phoenix and the Battle of Hogwarts. It is a must in the television series, especially if you plan to cover each book.
THROW
Dobby’s death in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” Warner Bros.
Anna Kendrick once proved to be a true “Harry Potter” fan by boasting “We know about SPEW” and honestly, that’s a fair barometer. SPEW is the Society for the Promotion of Elf Welfare, and was founded by Hermione Granger, after witnessing how house elves were treated poorly.
This is a centerpiece of his development and leads directly to Kreacher, the house elf, finally helping Harry in his horcrux quest (speaking of Kreacher, he usually deserves justice too, as is overlooked in the movies, but it’s also important).
Weasley Wheezes
Yes, Fred and George open their store in the movies and it’s wonderful to see it come to life on screen. But what the movies don’t tell you is that Harry Potter is actually directly responsible for them being able to do it. He gave them the winnings from the Triwizard Tournament as seed money to get it started.
He insists that they not tell anyone, which they don’t, but we do know, and it is one of those central pieces of the friendship between the boys that deserves to be seen on the screen in the series.
death day party
Nearly Headless Nick is another Hogwarts ghost, and while he at least made it to the movies, his role was also severely cut (but, like his head, not completely cut off). An important event for Sir Nicholas in the books is his Death’s Day party and his continuing quest to join the Headless Hunt. It is definitely worth seeing on screen.
The Pensieve and Tom Riddle’s Backstory
It’s hard to spend too much time on anything in movies, but with a TV series, you have the time and space to stretch out on those things, and in the case of Harry Potter, that time has to be spent in the pensieve.
In the books (particularly “The Half-Blood Prince”), we spend a lot of time learning what the Pensieve is and how it works. By doing that, we also get a batch background on Tom Riddle and his journey to make horcruxes. That information is very important and, given time to spread it, should work much better in the television adaptation.
aunt petunia
Warner Bros. Photos
Aunt Petunia was very much a moody woman in the movies, and that was true to her character. But what the movies didn’t delve into at all was his past, specifically his relations with Dumbledore and his sister Lily.
As a child, Petunia wrote to Dumbledore asking him to let her into Hogwarts. She took Harry in because of a letter Dumbledore wrote to her specifically. And on top of all that, at one point he tried to fix things with his sister. This is a very shallow description of the depth of Aunt Petunia, and that’s why we want to see it explained in the TV series.
There are certainly more details to add to this adaptation, but these are the seven that immediately come to mind.
