Things Fans Want To See In Max's Harry Potter TV Series
Warner Bros. has announced its plans to adapt J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" books in the form of a series, which will be released on Max (formerly HBO Max). You might be thinking, didn't the "Harry Potter" film franchise wrap up less than 12 years before this announcement? Shouldn't Hollywood wait a little longer before taking Harry back to Hogwarts? Should they even try to revive the series all, considering how beloved the original movies are? This may all be true, but it sure isn't stopping Max from launching a "Harry Potter" reboot.
Many fans are not impressed with the idea of a "Harry Potter" reboot, to say the least. How can Hollywood possibly capture lightning in a bottle a second time? Regardless, the show at least has the potential to be good. After all, it offers a second chance to do anything the movies might have gotten wrong.
The moment the announcement dropped, fans all over the internet weighed in with everything they wanted to see in Max's "Harry Potter" TV series. A few have even shared their ideas for an approach to the new series that could solve some of the potential problems that Max might encounter along the way. Here's what the fandom has been saying.
A more colorful world
Fans loved all the bright colors in the first two "Harry Potter" movies, from the striped scarves the students wore to the lush green Quidditch field. Some grew frustrated that the color palette seemed to become increasingly desaturated with each sequel. "The first movies had this magical cozy vibe to them," writes u/Hades_adhbik on Reddit. "The third film onward look so ugly. I hate the visual style shift." In particular, many fans were upset with the muted color scheme from the last four movies, which were all directed by David Yates. This led Reddit user u/NoNefariousness2144 to issue Yates a challenge: "Try to make a scene without it being dark blue or grey."
Upon hearing the news about the new Max series, another Redditor named u/raoasidg said, "Maybe the latter [seasons of the show] will have better color grading than dark green/black seen in the movies." While it makes sense that the movies became more mature as their fan base matured (which is consistent with the books), a darker tone doesn't necessarily mean the adaptations need to be cast in a literal darkness. It would be cool to see all the darkest moments from the last three books play out on the screen with a more vibrant color palette, and the TV series might do exactly that.
More development for the Dursleys
In the "Harry Potter" movies, Muggles always get the short end of the stick, since the movies focus almost entirely on the wizarding world. One Redditor wishes the movies had taken a moment to show the perspective of the Dursleys, especially in the earlier parts of the story. "I wanted to see Vernon walking around, seeing all the strange people in their strange clothes, and one of them shaking his hand, telling him it was a grand day, that even Muggles like himself should be celebrating," writes u/PatrickRsGhost.
Some fans want to see wizards messing with the Dursleys. Reddit user u/ThePreciseClimber brought up the times that the Weasleys and Dumbledore teased the Dursleys, which of course never made it into the movies. Meanwhile, others are keen to see details from the books that fleshed out the Dursleys as characters. In particular, several Reddit users were upset that the movies didn't include the moment from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" where Dudley says goodbye to Harry in a surprisingly heartfelt moment. "It was such a good bit," writes u/Pheebalicious, adding that it "made you really actually like Dudley for the first time!" As another user said in response, not including this moment "kind of cut out an important message of the series ... No matter who you are, or what you have been, even the worst among us can find good."
What's especially frustrating is that the scene almost made it into the movies, but it ended up on the cutting room floor. Hopefully, the Max TV series won't make the same mistake.
More creative uses of magic
Watching the movies, some fans were frustrated that the wide array of inventive spells that wizards use to duel in the books had been reduced to flashes of color. "Please actually use magic in the show instead of just lasers. I just saw the DnD movie and holy s*** are the magic [scenes] in that movie incredible," writes u/TheRaRaRa on Reddit, referencing "Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves," which has certainly set a new bar for creative uses of magic. Redditor u/J_J_Thorn agrees, saying, "I would definitely love some more variety of spells. It doesn't even need to be attacks! There's a lot of room to go with this since the story uses such a soft magic system."
One Reddit user sums up this sentiment perfectly: "Hopefully they realize there's other spells to use during a duel besides red spell and green spell," u/HopefulStretch9771 writes. This is perhaps most noticeable in the "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" film when a kind of magical tug-of-war plays out, with a red bolt from Harry's wand colliding with a green one from Voldemort's wand. Certainly, using color-coded lights is a nice visual way of showing who's winning and who's losing, but it's an oversimplification of how the magic works.
The movies may have missed an opportunity to show a variety of different combat spells, but the TV series could possibly remedy that.
Ron being more than just comic relief
In the movies, Ron Weasley has the emotional range of a teaspoon, but he's a reliable source of comic relief. However, Ron is a much deeper character in the books, leading some fans to cry foul.
When asked by The Guardian what she hoped to see in the TV series, Potter fan Sofia Correa said, "In the books Ron is really smart, he's an amazing wizard, and in the movies he seems like an idiot." Blogger Frak Earth points out that many of Ron's best moments seemed to be given to Hermione in the movies, writing: "Even in Half-Blood Prince, Ron was that awkward person who hung out with Hermione and Harry, but was never really allowed to say anything." It's worth noting that Ron tells Harry he'll stick by his side in the final moments in that book, but he isn't given a single line in the equivalent scene from the movie.
One Reddit user named u/fredagsfisk states that the movies omitted "90% of Ron's personality." The Redditor acknowledges that the films did show Ron's character, but argues that screenwriter Steve Kloves amplified Ron's unflattering qualities, adding that "the good bits were handed to Hermione (who also had most negative parts of her personality removed), 'cause she was Steve Kloves' favorite character." (Kloves has made no effort to hide his love of Hermione). Redditor u/orangemaroon25 concludes, "I think Steve Kloves was the one who ruined Ron's character by making Hermione so awesome." A new series with new writers might possibly give Ron the development he deserves.
A more book-accurate Ginny
In an interview with The Guardian, Potter fan Sofia Correa expressed her frustration that the "Harry Potter" movies only scratched the surface of Ginny Weasley, a beloved character who many feel was undercooked on the big screen. The only Weasley daughter "developed a great personality in the books after growing up with six brothers," she said, "but in the films she's kind of lame." Redditor u/Not_a_cat_I_promise agrees, saying, "Book Ginny had character and spunk and was much more important in the books." To illustrate this point, one Reddit user points to a scene from the film "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" in which Ginny is fighting Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries. Ginny's face is totally expressionless here, observes u/JaimeJabs, who says that Ginny is "just a random girl, doing random stuff, and feeling nothing about it."
One Reddit user points out that viewers' emotional investment in Harry and Ginny's relationship hinges on Ginny's personality, which is almost non-existent in the movie. According to u/synuclein408, "Movie Ginny has like 10 lines. Book Ginny has so much more of a presence. Just watching the movies you have no idea why Harry falls in love with her." Likewise, u/SoftLikeSecrets also feels the couple had no chemistry in the movies, adding that at least Harry and Cho Chang were more interesting.
By its very nature, a TV series would allow more room to develop Ginny, so hopefully the Max series will take advantage of that.
Peeves the poltergeist
Peeves the poltergeist may be a minor character with little bearing on the plot, but for many Potter fans, it's the little things that count. Lots of people are hoping Peeves will appear in Max's "Harry Potter" show, because he was completely omitted from the movies. On Reddit, u/Littlesignet writes that their biggest hope for the show is "For them to finally put PEEVES in the series !!!" Redditor u/Bazilthestoner agrees that the pesky poltergeist is "such a great part of the books," while u/Iliketoplan wants "Justice for Peeves." One of u/Bazilthestoner's favorite moments from the books is the part where Peeves torments Dolores Umbridge at the end of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," and this would make a great scene in the series.
Perhaps the biggest loss is that moviegoers don't get to hear any of the character's annoying but catchy songs. Although Peeves isn't exactly a songwriting genius, he certainly has a way with rhymes. After Voldemort is defeated in the final book, Peeves chants, "We did it, we bashed them, wee Potter's the one / And Voldy's gone Moldy, so now let's have fun." Naturally, a lot of fans loved this song in particular. On Reddit, u/madcow47 describes the wordplay with Voldemort's name as "a hugely underrated line. Peeves captured the mood perfectly!!" In the same thread, u/idk13_ adds that it was "a truly iconic bop, needs a music video tbh."
Although we doubt the TV series will be accompanied by a Peeves music video, there's still a chance this line will appear. Peeves pops up on numerous occasions in the video game "Hogwarts Legacy," and he would be welcome inclusion in the upcoming series.
Stepping outside of Harry's POV
Since a TV series offers room for expansion, fans want to see the show focus on more than just Harry, Ron, and Hermione. After all, why should the show be limited to just those three, especially since we already got that from the movies? Many Reddit users want to see more development for beloved supporting characters like Ginny, Neville, and Luna. It would also "be great to have the series focus on the adults and teachers," says u/Pottermillion, adding, "Imagine the conversations about Harry's adventures and what the twins are doing."
Fans are salivating at all the possible stories that could be told if the TV series shows the perspectives of supporting players in Harry's world. For example, "We'd see Dumbledore tracking down the memories and horcruxes," says u/PizzaAndWine99. "We could see the inner workings of the ministry during Voldemort's rule through Percy, and more about the Hogwarts resistance in the 7th book."
In that respect, perhaps the new Max series could take a page from two other TV shows based on beloved children's books: "A Series of Unfortunate Events" and "The Mysterious Benedict Society" both follow the books pretty closely when focusing on the young protagonists, but the shows also add additional material that reveals what the adult supporting characters were doing when the heroes weren't around. If the Max series takes this route, then that would open up a lot of possibilities, because "there's just so much that could be explored without disrupting cannon," points out u/PizzaAndWine99.
The unused subplots from The Order of the Phoenix
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" may be the longest book, but it's the shortest movie (aside from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2," but that film is only adapting half a book). A lot of plot threads didn't make it to the screen, so we might finally get to see them in the Max series.
Reddit user u/ThePreciseClimber is really hoping to see "St. Mungo's Hospital and meeting Gilderoy Lockhart again." This moment from the book was a clever callback to "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." Seeing Lockhart reduced to an amnesiac in a psychiatric ward adds a whole new layer of depth to the story.
Meanwhile, u/Tahiniwomble1 wrote in the same thread that the TV series wouldn't be complete unless it had "McGonagall face off V Umbridge in their career counseling session." Although the movie does include a nice moment where Umbridge and McGonagall go toe-to-toe, it simply doesn't compare to the scene from the books, in which Umbridge tells Harry he can never be an Auror with such low test scores and then McGonagall gives Umbridge an earful.
Redditor u/JustAVirusWithShoes only cares about one thing: "I just wanna see Ron and the brains." This user is referring to when Ron is attacked by a brain with tentacles in the Department of Mysteries. This would be a riot to see on the screen.
Tom Riddle's backstory
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" isn't the only book that lost something between the page and the screen. A lot of fans were frustrated by the omissions in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." On a Reddit thread asking fans what they hope to see in the TV series, u/logicalnoise says they're hoping for "3/4s of half blood prince [...] finally being seen on screen." As u/VitaminTea points out on Reddit, the movie cut out "all the cool Riddle memories." Certainly, the movie includes a couple memories of Tom Riddle, but these are just the tip of the iceberg. For instance, seeing Riddle's Muggle father abandoning him would allow fans to understand Voldemort's hatred of Muggles a little better.
When Potter fan Simon Hippenstial first heard of the reboot, he told The Guardian, "I'd like more about Voldemort and his backstory, building on the information we got in 'The Half-Blood Prince.'" In fact, this could end up being a deal breaker for a lot of fans on the fence about the series. Reddit user u/Bright_Pangolin_5374 writes, "I might actually like it if they actually dedicate like an episode or two to Tom's entire backstory." Alternatively, the sixth season could include a brief scene about Riddle at the beginning of each episode. In theory, the TV series would no longer be limited to the memories of Riddle that Harry sees in the Pensieve, which would allow Max to explore the entire dark history of Voldemort.
Voldemort's death done properly
Most fans agree that one change made to the climax of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2" was a huge mistake. After the movie's final battle between Harry and Voldemort, the villain crumbles into dust. Aside from being kind of anticlimactic, Voldemort's death in the movie doesn't quite seem final. "Making Voldemort poof into dust p***ed me off," Reddit user u/ggppjj said. "He's already had one disappearance where everyone thought he was dead and it turned out he was doing magical shenanigans to return."
In the book, Voldemort dies in a much more realistic way, one that leaves no doubt that he's truly gone. After being hit by his own rebounding Avada Kedavra spell, Voldemort crumples to the ground. "He's dead," explains u/Taman_Should on Reddit. "Everyone can see that he's dead, that he was just a man after all." The whole point of this moment is to show that Voldemort isn't all-powerful and is actually quite vulnerable once his Horcruxes are destroyed. "He makes a big show of facing off with Harry then he catches a spell and dies like anyone else," writes Redditor u/abbyanderstan. "The movie makes him do some magical fade away that kind of misses the point of having him die a human death and lose his mythical status."
With the upcoming TV series on Max, the showrunners have a chance to finally do Voldemort's death justice on the screen.
An animated adaptation
There is no indication that the Max series is going to be an animated one. But then, Max didn't say it wasn't going to be animated, so "Harry Potter" fans can still dream, can't they?
It might surprise you to learn just how many fans want to see Max's "Harry Potter" TV series in animation. On Reddit, u/sansa_starlight writes, "I think it's time they consider making [an] animated series," while u/bueno9090 agrees that "a well animated Harry Potter series will be awesome." Sure, animating seven seasons with high production values would probably be pretty expensive, but then again, the show is projected to have a budget at least as big as "Game of Thrones." Plus, going down this route would solve the potential problem of the kids in the cast aging too quickly, as Reddit user u/ShrimpHeavenAngel points out. "I want it animated," they wrote. "Watching kids age too fast is off-putting, plus you can draw all the cool f***ing magic you want without killing your budget."
This would actually be a smart move for Max, because they could do something fresh with the IP with less chance of disappointing fans. Works like "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and Netflix's pause-worthy series "Arcane" are showing all the possibilities that animation unlocks. "Imagine the wizarding duels with the intensity of Arcane's style," writes u/jkholmes89. "That would be an amazing watch." Here's hoping we get to see an animated "Harry Potter" project, if not this time, then at some point in the future.