With the release date of HBO and HBO Max’s new Harry Potter series finally announced, fans’ excitement continues to ramp up. The series, which could go as long as 10 seasons, can and will seemingly go deeper than the films ever could. With the books as long as they are, and with how much room there is to play with the Potter universe’s plentiful backstory, this show could finally be the deep dive that Potter fans have craved ever since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II ended the film adaptations.
The nature of television means that the Harry Potter series will likely get to highlight characters, arcs, and key parts of the lore that were brushed over in the films. You can only fit so much into 2 hours; there’s a whole lot more you can pack into a season of television. Given that the first season will probably adapt Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first and slightest of the books, this will give the writers and producers a chance to solidify the importance of characters left behind by the films. Here are seven characters I can’t wait to see in the first season of Harry Potter.
7) Charlie Weasley
Poor Charlie Weasley. While all the other Weasleys made it into the films at one point or another, Charlie himself never actually appeared, short of being in their Egypt vacation photograph in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Charlie is the second oldest Weasley child; he graduates Hogwarts just before Harry Potter starts, and he loves dragons. He does appear throughout the books, so one can only hope HBO uses the Weasley brother as an excuse to fit some dragons into their new fantasy franchise.
6) Argus Filch and Arabella Figg
Argus Filch, the cantankerous caretaker of Hogwarts, has been already been cast (and will be played by veteran British comedian Paul Whitehouse), but his fellow ‘squib’, Arabella Figg, hasn’t. Argus and Arabella represent a minority in the Wizarding World as ‘squibs’: non-magical children of magical parents. The concept of squibs was never unpacked in the films, and it seems like a rich opportunity to delve a bit more into an underappreciated group: after all, Arabella was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and Filch, despite how mean he could be, did prove he had a heart by the end of it all.
5) Peeves
Rejoice, Harry Potter poltergeist and ghost fans: Peeves is definitely going to be in the series. Despite being cut entirely from the films (after Rik Mayall was cast and filmed some scenes), the mischievous spirit will in fact be in the show. While we still don’t know who is playing him, it’s nice to know that a key part of the fabric of Hogwarts will be included. Peeves also offers comic relief where sometimes there is none, and offered an alternative to certain ghosts who mostly just moaned.
4) The Longbottoms
While Neville’s parents appear briefly in the films, his grandmother, Augusta, who raises him, does not. Hopefully, the entire Longbottom clan will appear in the show at some point, but the first season would be a good place to start. While the films were nearly entirely told from Harry’s perspective (like the books), one hopes the TV series will deviate from that approach and give a better understanding to the Wizarding World at the start of the story. That includes the tragic fate of Neville’s parents, and the way his grandmother loyally raises him. Neville himself will surely be important, but let’s hope his backstory is, too.
3) Lee Jordan
Lee Jordan was the best friend of Fred and George Weasley and resident Quidditch announcer at Hogwarts. His character appeared in the first two films, but vanished after that, despite Lee still having a purpose in the books. Lee ends up running a sort-of Pirate Radio with other allies of Harry Potter in the final book, and he’s even at the Battle of Hogwarts. The Quidditch sequences were often some of the most thrilling parts of the early films, so one hopes the TV series keeps those, and Lee’s commentary, and gives Lee more to do throughout the first season.
2) Professor Binns
Professor Cuthbert Binns, like Peeves, was left out of the films entirely. Maybe the filmmakers thought the idea of a Hogwarts teacher who taught until he died, became a ghost, and kept teaching was too dark for kids, or maybe he just didn’t serve a purpose in the end. His main moments in the early books were given to McGonagall or Flitwick, and while they are both great, the idea of a ghost faculty member almost seems too fun to pass up! Professor Binns hasn’t been cast yet, but keeping him in the show, and introducing him in the first season, could give more context to the nature of the afterlife in the Wizarding World.
1) Hannah Abbott
Who? Her? Hannah Abbott is the first student in Harry Potter’s year to undergo the Sorting Hat (by virtue of being alphabetically first) and is immediately sorted into… Hufflepuff. She then goes on to appear or be mentioned in every single book; she doesn’t factor much in the films, if we’re being fair, but she’s enough of a side character that there’s not enough time to include everyone. Hopefully, she has more of a role to start from the first season of the show, because she is eventually who ends up with The Would-Have-Been-Boy-Who-Lived, Neville Longbottom. While it’s possible the writers could decide to reverse some of JK Rowling’s endings for her characters, Hannah was at least a consistent Hufflepuff face who wasn’t Cedric Diggory.
What characters are you looking forward to seeing in the new Harry Potter series? Let us know in the comments below!
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