Late last week, there was speculation that the entire Harry Potter series was going to be available to stream on Netflix. Unfortunately, that’s not entirely true because the franchise will be on the streaming platform in countries outside the U.S.
The news comes as a major blow to Harry Potter fans in the U.S., but there is an upside: if Netflix is temporarily getting the rights to the movies, it could then strike up a deal to make a full-fledged TV series. Potterheads have wanted this for years, and Netflix even hinted at the possibility of a series set for late 2020.
Now, if Netflix would have announced a Harry Potter series a few years ago, it would have been a disaster. There would have been upsides to it, but HBO would have been a better platform for it, as it would have fit in better with its online content. At the time, Netflix Original Series were hit-or-miss, and the platform wouldn’t have done the book series justice.
But Netflix has moved in a more serious direction with its adult streaming content. It has moved to darker, more sophisticated approaches, especially with the release of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and The Haunting of Hill House. Even Stranger Things can be scary but comical.
Harry Potter heading to Netflix would not be a bad decision now. It has been only seven years since Deathly Hallows: Part 2 came out in theaters, but it’s not too early to start.
Feature-length films are restricted by time. Not many people want to sit through a three-hour movie, so liberties have to be taken when adapting a book. Different plot points are left out and characters are completely removed. In Goblet of Fire, the events and backstory of the book series were completely altered to make it a seamless movie that made sense. But if you ask Harry Potter fans about the poltergeist Peeves being left out, you should be ready for an hour long rant about how that was a stupid decision.
A Harry Potter TV series could only exist on a streaming platform. There are too many guidelines on primetime TV and ideas would flow more freely at Netflix. Alhough it might be hard to imagine any actors other than Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint in the roles of the “Golden Trio,“ it would be nice to see a darker, truer version of the beloved book series. And Netflix would be the platform to do it.
Georgia Davis is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you think a Harry Potter television series is a good idea? Tell Georgia by tweeting her at @georgiadee35.
