HBO Brings The Wizarding World Back: The New Harry Potter Show Now Has a Trailer But The Reactions are Mixed

Key Points:

FINALLY, the new Harry Potter show has got a first proper trailer dropped by HBO Max on September 2, 2026. We got our first glimpse of the new version of the Wizarding World. It has been already said that the first season of the show will have eight episodes and will land on HBO and HBO Max on December 25, 2026, on Christmas Day. But the reactions were not quite overwhelming, instead dividing the fans online. The show’s first look at the show’s cast already received backlash when it was released online.  

See Also: ‘Harry Potter’ series star Paapa Essiedu hopes his new show sparks conversations

Diving Into a Different and New Wizarding World Created by HBO 

The first season will adapt the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone book and we can expect a nostalgia hit by just looking at the trailer. Well, the trailer opens up with McGonagall played by Janet McTeer organising the sorting hat ceremony for the first years. She calls out the three main character’s names. The name calls out for Hermoine Granger played by Arabella Stanton while she’s talking to other girls in the train. We could definitely see that our favourite nerd is back. Ron Weasley, played by Alastair Stout appears afterwards, at his home alongside his siblings. Then Harry comes into the picture who is now being called for The Sorting while Dumbledore, played by John Lithgow looks curiously for him in the Great Hall.

Severus Snape, played by Paapa Essiedu lands a one liner mocking Potter to at least show some talent when the Quidditch game appears in front of him. The trailer can give us a hint at what struggles our lead character could face while being the famous ‘The boy who lived’. Then a look at the most prominent part of the trailer, a look at the Quidditch. Ron and Hermoine showing support for Harry from the stands. Hermoine with her spells and Harry chasing the snitch. This moment would be really interesting given the hype and love the fans have for Quidditch.

Creatures and trolls are back. Though the creature was absent from the trailer it seemed very obvious that they will show-up as a surprise for the viewers. A strange new design of the troll that seems completely different from the film. From the Mirror of Erised to Hagrid’s hut, the trailer gave us the idea of HBO’s new reimagining version of the popular Harry Potter series.

See Also: ‘Harry Potter’ series trailer casts a nostalgic spell with Hogwarts comeback

The Trailer Received Mixed Reactions Online

The show’s first look faced lots of backlash on social media, especially the casting choice and how dull the show looks compared to the film series. Few Potterheads praised and expressed their anticipation and accepted to take a look at the new take by HBO while others simply remembered how the original series felt more magical than the new one. The release of the trailer made many people seem impressed while there were few who still couldn’t get over the feeling of nostalgia. 

The internet reacted accordingly. One user on social media said, “Feels like coming home again.” While a fan commented, “Expecto excitement,” online. Many appreciated the creator’s choice of casting Arabella Stanton as Hermoine Granger and said that she could live up to the hype the fans are looking for. They just couldn’t wait to relive the journey once again.

While some hailed others despised the comeback of their favourite series. A redditor ran a thread saying, “Weirdly, the Harry Potter trailer has almost no fantasy elements.” Again, some pointed out the color-grading that seems to have lost all the colors as if the series’s life’s been squeezed out. 

Potterheads went all out online and asked, Why now? There’s a whole new debate going on between the generations. The ones who read the books and adored the old series who felt that the new show feels “redundant and aggressively uncreative.” For a lot of fans, the trailer doesn’t seem to click like they expected for it to have. 

After all the trolls and backlash, the love and nostalgia is still there. HBO looks forward to finishing the show by adapting all of the eight books to explore the story that remained unexplored in the films.

Suggested Reading: