HBO is cooking up a fresh TV take on Harry Potter, going back through J.K. Rowling's seven books with a longer, more detailed approach than the movies ever had room for. That longer runway means we could see a lot of familiar beats replayed. Some fans are thrilled to revisit everything. Others? Not so eager to watch the same greatest hits performed note-for-note again.
Scenes and arcs we really don’t need in full replay mode
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The Dursleys, in exhaustive detail
We all remember the cupboard under the stairs. We remember Dudley getting everything while Harry gets ignored and talked down to. The films open on that a lot, and it does its job: it makes Hogwarts feel like an escape. But in a series, we probably don’t need another long stretch of petty breakfasts and locked doors. A quick, sharp reminder of Harry’s home life sets the stage just fine before we get to the good stuff.
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Dumbledore’s habit of holding back the truth
Across the films, Dumbledore knows more than he tells and tends to drop the key info late in the game — whether it’s about Voldemort, the prophecy, or why Harry matters. It’s a pattern that repeats, and fans get it. In a long-form series, spending a lot of time re-proving that Dumbledore withholds things probably isn’t necessary. We know the drill.
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The prophecy as the ultimate plot engine
Once the prophecy shows up in the later movies, it becomes the explanation for everything — Harry’s connection to Voldemort, why he’s targeted, and how the endgame lines up. It’s already crystal clear for most viewers. Re-centering the show around the prophecy all over again won’t add much unless there’s a genuinely new angle.
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Slytherin as the default "bad" house
The movies lean hard on Slytherin equals trouble: lots of villains hail from there, and its students are mostly framed as unfriendly or suspect, while Gryffindor gets the halo. That dynamic runs from early school rivalries straight through the final battle. The books leave room for nuance, but the films didn’t dwell on it. The new series can decide how much to repeat that one-note take — or not.
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The 19-years-later flash-forward
The story caps off with the trio as adults sending their kids to Hogwarts — a quick, tidy signal that the war is over and life moved on. It’s one of the most familiar scenes in the entire franchise thanks to the final film. After spending years with these characters in a series, jumping straight to the same epilogue might not feel essential. Most fans already know where things land.
One funny industry wrinkle: the new show is at HBO and targeting 2027, but the existing Harry Potter movies are streaming on Peacock right now. If you want a refresher, that’s where they live at the moment.
What would you happily skip in the new series? Drop your picks in the comments.