A new trailer for the first season of the new Harry Potter TV series has arrived, with fans unimpressed with the show’s similarity to the movies.
The adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s book series is scheduled to arrive on HBO Max on Christmas Day, and is a new interpretation of the novels following the highly successful film series which ran from 2001 to 2011, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.
The new show will see Dominic McLaughlin step into the lead role, with other cast members including John Lithgow as Professor Dumbledore, and Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape. Check out the clip below.
The new trailer features many famous moments from the stories, including Harry under the sorting hat, a look at the Quidditch pitch, and Hogwarts’ great hall. The desaturated colour palette from the first trailer has been replaced with a more colourful look similar to the movies. So similar, in fact, that fans on X (formerly Twitter) have questioned the show’s existence.
“This still looks virtually identical to the movies just with a different cast, like what’s the point?” asked one user, with another adding: “I mean.. it looks like the movies we already have but with worse casting choices.”
Even if JKR wasn’t mad this still looks virtually identical to the movies just with a different cast, like what’s the point?
— WOOD-SPIDER (@furlan_mai66776) September 2, 2026
I mean.. it looks like the movies we already have but with worse casting choices.
— Lawrence (@LawrenceDeLamon) September 2, 2026
“This looks like a horrible parody of the original Harry Potter series,” observed one person, while another said: “It’s like the original Harry Potter movies but worse looking, with everything that looks decent being something that’s carried over from the movies.”
