Harry Potter TV Trailer Reveals Series Will Be Much Darker Than You Think

The trailer for HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV series was released last night, providing a first look at the series due to air later this year.

The first season of the show is set to adapt Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first of seven books in J.K. Rowling’s series of children’s novels.

Set to air in December 2026, the trailer offered a first look at the series’ cast of characters, which includes Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger.

Harry Potter fans have noticed from the small glimpses in the trailer that the series may be adapting some of the darker elements of Rowling’s first novel, such as the abuse that Harry receives from his aunt and uncle at the beginning of the story.

“It looks like they're not going to treat Harry's abuse with kiddy gloves, especially from Petunia. Like she literally tries beaning him with a frying pan,” writes one viewer on the Harry Potter Reddit page.

“The clip of her chopping chunks of Harry's hair off made me so sad but also super happy because that was a book detail I always wish they could have put in the movie,” writes another fan.

“The films didn't pay any real attention to the abuse he went through with the Dursley's, but this show seems to be making a point of addressing it. It felt very poignant,” reads another comment.

HBO

Reactions To The New Harry Potter TV Series Have Been Mixed

Other reactions to the trailer seem to be fairly mixed, with some optimistic that the extended run-time will allow more from the books to be adapted, while others being rather disappointed by the fact that it looks too similar to the films which were released between 2001 and 2011.

Some have also levied criticism at the fact that the image appears to be too dark, with some unable to make out all of the details in the trailer as a result.

“I'm a little worried that they're going to do the thing where the cinematography is so dark that if you're watching it in a room with daylight you will just be watching a black screen at times,” reads another comment.

The HBO series, as well as the Harry Potter franchise as a whole, has been the target of a boycott in recent years due to Rowling’s views on gender.

Many critics of Rowling’s views have described them “trans-exclusionary”, pointing to her opposition to legislation that would allow transgender people to legally self-identify their gender as well as her influence on transphobic discourse in the United Kingdom.