Harry Potter TV Series Update Is Just Strangers Things All Over Again

The Harry Potter TV series got its first trailer last week, but a worrying update on future seasons will probably have Stranger Things fans worried.

Through a reboot no one really asked for, the story of Harry Potter is to be retold through a new series on HBO.

With an all-new cast the series will seemingly borrow more from the books than the films, including the darker developments and undertones of Harry’s upbringing at 4 Privet Drive.

The series will also follow one book per season, meaning the first season will only follow Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Prior to the big reveal fans speculated that there’d be one season per year, but HBO boss Casey Bloys has since confirmed that won’t be the case.

In an interview with Variety Bloys said: “It’s not going to be an annual; the show is too big and too massive. But … They're writing the season two now.”

Bloys did explain that large gaps between seasons aren’t what the studio is aiming for, but it’s still a worrying development for one big reason.

Production That's Already Upside Down

As was seen with Stranger Things, setting what’s essentially a coming-of-age story across seasons spanning a decade is rarely a good idea.

Stranger Things Season 5 was slated online for its stars being in their late 20s but pretending to be high school students. That’s not to say the performances were bad, merely how silly it can look from a visual perspective.

Netflix

With Stranger Things there was also the issue of its audience aging faster than the characters, so a lot of the on-screen attitudes and practices felt outdated for those who’d watched the show from the beginning.

Harry Potter on HBO could suffer a similar fate if there are no plans for one season per year.

By the time Harry first steps foot in Hogwarts in The Philosopher’s Stone he’s 11 years old, and by the time the story concludes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows he’s around 18.

Without a season every the actors are of course going to age well above their respective characters, which many viewers will likely take issue with.

That’s before you start considering other factors that could impede future seasons, like scheduling conflicts, on-set drama, and problems with overall production.

There’s already an insurmountable amount of pressure on the new adaptation's shoulders, so it’ll be interesting to see how the show performs when it releases later this year.