'Harry Potter' Is Coming to TV, but Why on Earth Are They Remaking It?

There are few pop culture touchstones more important to millennials, in particular, than Harry Potter. This is the book series and film franchise they grew up loving, and remarkably, the movies managed to do a pretty great job of replicating what made the books feel so special.

When that franchise came to an end in 2011, it felt like a pretty definitive adaptation. Sure, maybe in 40 years someone would make this story again, but there would be no reason to start over before then. Now, though, there's a new Harry Potter series that's set to debut at the end of 2026, and many people want to know why. Here's what we know.

Look, the obvious and correct answer here is because there's money on the table. Warner Bros. Discovery thinks of Harry Potter as one of its marquee franchises, and because the various spin-offs and prequels were not an enormous success, they have gone back to the original story for another go-round. Basically, the studio is hoping to tap into nostalgia for the original series in order to drive subscriptions and the sale of new merchandise, etc.

If you've seen the trailer for the new series, it seems clear that the show is not going to be afraid of simply reproducing many of the elements from the original movie series. Hagrid looks basically the same, many of the sets look nearly identical, and some actors are even reprising their roles. This new show will be a little bit more diverse than the original film franchise, though, which is something.

Because it's a series and not a film franchise, the show will also have more time to spend on smaller moments that were skipped over in the movies. So, if you're a die-hard fan of the books who was upset about the plot elements that were cut out of the films, this show might be for you. On the whole, though, this new Harry Potter series is a pretty cynical undertaking, one designed to cash in on the nostalgia many people feel for the franchise.

When the original franchise was at the pinnacle of its success, J.K. Rowling was a pretty universally beloved author whose hard-scrabble beginnings were an inspiration. Now, though, watching this new Harry Potter series will come with some real political baggage because of how hard she has leaned into her stance that trans people are a danger to society.

Her often angry diatribes about the trans community have alienated many of the fans who once loved the world she created, and they're also a huge part of the baggage that's attached to this new series. While it seems like this show could be a success, at least initially, there are some people who won't watch it at all, not because they aren't curious, but because the author who stands to benefit from the series's success has done everything in her power to come after the trans community.