THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN EARLY SEASONS OF A HARRY POTTER TV SHOW

Good morning! It’s been a while since I wrote a discussion post. I’ve just been busy, having spent a long time searching for work without success. I also couldn’t think of good topics to write about. This week, though, there were some great news (IMO) relevant to the bookish world. As reported on several outlets, such as People and E! News, HBO Max and Warner Bros. are negotiating to reboot the Harry Potter film series. This time, the books would be adapted into a TV show. There will ostensibly be one season per novel. As a huge fan of the Harry Potter universe, I was thrilled when I found out about the news of this reboot. There were signs, and more than whispers, but never legit reports.

Several people weren’t as happy with this news, and I’m not going to debate that in this post. I’ll just say that I would not mind if J.K. Rowling were involved in the show in any capacity. I have nothing against her, and she wrote the books after all. Anyway, the news got me thinking about stuff I would like a new Harry Potter show to include from the novels. Obviously, a lot of content didn’t make it into the films due to time constraints. They were great, but I’m firmly in the “the books were much better” camp. Without further ado, here are some elements I’d like to see in early seasons (1-4) of a potential new show:

A “RACEBENT” HERMIONE GRANGER
 

 

Casting is one aspect the Harry Potter films totally nailed. Emma Watson owned her role to the point I think “Hermione” whenever I see her. A few times, I’ve come across re-imaginings of the characters, and one I liked most was a dark-skinned Hermione. Maybe I just found the concept art cute. I think the idea is appealing, and it would work because the books never explicitly state Hermione’s race. The Cursed Child play cast a Black actress as Hermione, but I didn’t like her. She looked like the world’s most irate drill sergeant. Hermione Granger doesn’t have to be as beautiful as Emma Watson, but it’s also wrong for her to appear more forbidding than Professor McGonagall or even Umbridge.

REDESIGNED HOGWARTS ROBES AND CRESTS

 

 

This one is pretty much certain to happen. A new Harry Potter live action adaptation would need redesigned costumes to differentiate it from the films. As a Ravenclaw, one element I’d like to see is book-accurate House colors. The films went for blue and silver, which is good-looking, but I’d prefer the original blue and bronze. Making the mascot a raven wouldn’t be bad either; they are intelligent birds.

A MORE SELF-ASSURED RONALD WEASLEY
 

I personally see almost no flaw in how Rupert Grint played Ronald Weasley. All golden trio actors delivered excellent performances. Movie Ron was still noticeably less confident than Book Ron, though. Grint just seemed to give off this vibe, as if his Ron felt inadequate or thought that he didn’t amount to much. I'd like to see whoever plays Ron Weasley to make him be a bit more assertive and confident. Ron may be poor, but he doesn't think lowly of himself because of that.

A YOUNGER CAST FOR SOME OF THE ADULT CHARACTERS

Like the golden trio, most of the cast for the adult characters of the Harry Potter films were just incredible. Alan Rickman is one of the most beloved by fans due to his performance. Several characters, mainly those in James and Lily’s generation, were made a tad older in the movies compared to their book counterparts. Harry’s parents didn’t even make it to their thirties! Mrs. Weasley’s actress is the one that most stood out to me, though. She just looked too old, even for a woman who’s had seven children. I may catch flak for this, but it’s just my personal opinion. Mrs. Weasley should have looked at least the age that the actors for Harry’s parents did.

THE BACKSTORY OF THE MARAUDER’S MAP
 

 

When Fred and George give Harry the Marauder’s Map, the Prisoner of Azkaban film doesn’t delve into the origins of this unique artifact. There isn’t so much as a mention that the twins rescued it from Filch. As such, people who have only watched the films have no idea how rich of a backstory the Marauder’s Map has. Neither would they know that Harry’s dad, James, was one of the creators. If it’s true that the Harry Potter series is being adapted into a show, that means there would be screen time for the writers to include this subplot in season three. It’s one of the most important book storylines.

AN EXPANDED BOGGART LESSON SEQUENCE
 

Although the Prisoner of Azkaban is my least favorite film adaptation, it has a gem of a scene when Professor Lupin introduces Boggarts into his DADA class. Neville’s Boggart is funny enough, but when Ron gets his turn, that’s when the film really shines. In the book, Ron simply…well, what he does to his spider Boggart is boring. Movie Ron gives his spider roller skates, which was absolutely hilarious. If a new TV show doesn’t copy this scene, or come up with a just-as-fun alternative, it would be a crime. A nice bonus would be to see Hermione’s Boggart. It’s so unexpected.

INTRODUCE THE FIREBOLT EARLIER

 

In the Prisoner of Azkaban film, Harry gets the Firebolt in the very final scene. A Buckbeak feather makes it obvious who sent it. In the books, Sirius sends the broomstick much earlier, soon after Harry loses his Nimbus 2000. At this point, Sirius is still a villain, so Hermione has the teachers test the Firebolt to make sure it doesn’t have any curses on it. Giving Harry the Firebolt earlier would also let a potential TV show include more Quidditch scenes and have Harry blow everyone away with his world-class broomstick.

THE STUDENTS FROM BEAUXBATONS AND DURMSTRANG
 

 

The existence of other wizarding schools wasn’t really touched upon in the books until Goblet of Fire. With the revival of the Triwizard Tournament, the story introduced two major schools: Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute. They appear in the film adaptation, of course, but with certain liberties. In the books, the schools are clearly co-ed, just like Hogwarts. For some reason, the film decided to have Beauxbatons be female-only and Durmstrang male-only. The former painted themselves into a corner in particular, as the Beauxbatons uniforms look too feminine.

LUDO BAGMAN’S ANTICS

Many characters didn’t get the chance to appear in the film adaptations. Common fan favorites include Charlie Weasley, Winky, and Peeves. Ludo Bagman, who’s introduced in the fourth book, is entirely omitted from the films. Seeing him on screen isn’t a big wish for me, but I still think he’s such an entertaining and humorous character. If a show didn't include Peeves for some reason, Ludo would make a good alternative, even if he is temporary.

THE FIRST AND THIRD TASKS
 

This is one aspect of the books the Goblet of Fire film didn’t quite get right. The first task was suspenseful (even over-the-top) in the film compared to the book. For the third task, it’s the opposite. Time constraints meant Harry didn’t get to face an assortment of dangerous magical creatures and curses. He gets seriously injured as a result too, which makes his escape from a resurrected Voldemort even more remarkable.

 

Those are some of the major book elements I would like to see a Harry Potter TV show adapt. I picked stuff from books 1-4 to keep this post from getting too long. It's also a bit early to start wishing about plot points to be covered in later seasons, as they're still so far off. That's not to say I haven't thought about it. I will probably write a second part of this post with things I'd like to see in potential seasons 5 and later. For now, this is it. These are storylines I would really like to see in live action at last. I'll have my fingers crossed that at least a few of them happen.