Harry Potter: 5 Things the HBO Series Needs to Get Right to Win Over Fans

This new Harry Potter series has a lot of things going for it. The idea of a project that can capture much more than the movies is great, and using cutting-edge technology to sell the magic is also exciting.

But there are also a lot of risks. The books and movies are so beloved that anything less will be hated, and the financial commitment to making TV the size of about 7 books is staggering, so it has to be good.

If HBO wants to satisfy die-hard book purists while hooking a new generation of viewers, the new Harry Potter series must get these five elements right.

Let's dive in.

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1. Embrace the B-Plots and Hogwarts Life

Part of the pleasure of the books, as they get longer, is the many side characters and subplots that build such a full world. The TV series has lots of time to explore this stuff, and it should.

I'm talking about hangout episodes where we dig into S.P.E.W. (the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare), Peeves the Poltergeist, the Marauders' backstory, and the detailed unraveling of Tom Riddle’s past through the Pensieve in Half-Blood Prince.

I want it all.

There are a lot of ways you can make this unique and interesting by showing not just the exciting magic but the mundane things like OWLS and the changing of the seasons.

2. Nail the Tone Shift Across the Seasons

We've talked about how the tone in Potter changes over the course of the movies, and part of that is that they didn't have all the books when they started making them.

Well, they have all the hindsight now, so there has to be a balance between what you'd do in the first seasons and what you'd do later. Know when to shift, and make sure you can grow with the show by watching it, too.

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