If you were a complete and total nerd as a child, you certainly liked Harry Potter. Even if you weren’t a complete and total nerd, you probably still liked Harry Potter. Regardless of your thoughts on the series, no one can argue that it’s been a staple of every 5th-grade classroom and winter season.
In April 2023, HBO Max officially announced that the beloved book and movie series, Harry Potter, would be remade as a TV show. I immediately felt a pit in my stomach when I heard this news. As a self-proclaimed nerd, hearing that this series was getting remade had me in a tizzy. After all this time, we get a Harry Potter remake instead of anything new.
Now that we’re nearing its Dec. 25 release date, more content is being released that’s making my skin crawl. While it’s been mostly well done, besides Draco’s new low-taper fade, it feels strange to see the series that I’ve loved for years look different.
It may feel exciting to be getting more content from this incredible series, especially content that’s book-accurate, but I can’t shake the idea that something else would be better. I know dozens of Harry Potter fans who would love to see brand new content, not a remake. In light of this, I have my picks for a brand new spin-off series rather than a full remake.
- THE MARAUDERS
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If you know anything about AO3 (Archive of Our Own), then you’ve heard about the Marauders universe, a fan-created subseries that follows Harry Potter’s dad and all his friends during their time in Hogwarts. With standout fanfictions like All the Young Dudes and, my personal favorite, Crimson Rivers, there’s a plethora of content to pull from in this fandom.
A TV show following the makers of the Marauders map could be just as amazing as the original series, and that much more tragic. Something that’s special about a Marauders prequel is that we, as viewers, know how it’ll end. We’ve already watched all of those characters’ fates, and that’s good television. Falling in love with characters that you know will die in the end? Sign me up for angsty TV drama!
Now, if I were to write this series, I know exactly how I’d do it. Would it follow James Potter, our original protagonist’s dead dad? No! What about Sirius Black, Harry’s godfather, who he lost too soon? Also no! In a perfect world, this series would follow Peter Pettigrew, the traitor and lost puppy of the group.
With the twists and turns, heartbreaks and betrayals, and the Wolfstar crumbs, this show essentially wrote itself. As a big Marauders fan, I know that this fandom would rush to watch a show about their favorite characters.
- THE FOUNDERS OF HOGWARTS
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For all my prequel lovers, have you ever wondered exactly how Hogwarts was founded? We’re told through the books and movies that the school has a rich history, but what if we got to see it? A deep dive into the lives of our four founders and how it all came to be could be full of tea.
While there isn’t as much content to pull from, that means this show could start from scratch and be whatever you can make it. There could be an extra addition of special castle secrets, new and exciting creatures, and, of course, the raging drama between Salazar Slytherin and literally everyone else.
Something about the original series that I’ve always wanted to know: why were the Founders’ specific symbols what they were? We know about the locket, sword, cup, and diadem, but why were those things important?
This specific spinoff series would definitely have the power to answer certain questions and clarify parts of the original series. Deepening the lore of this already lore-heavy series would be an incredibly interesting TV show that hasn’t already been created.
- THE BLACK FAMILY
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As one of the most prolific families in the Harry Potter universe, the most noble and ancient house of Black could be the next The Godfather equivalent. With notable members like Sirius and Regulus Black, along with the three sisters Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa, the show’s set to have drama and insane family dynamics.
A show highlighting this family could go in many different directions, but the way I’d write it would feature the Black brothers and their tumultuous relationship. Regulus Black isn’t mentioned in the series outside of his business with the locket, and I think that’s a real shame. As a Marauders reader, Regulus is one of my favorite characters, and his relationship with his older brother, Sirius, is tragic and perfect.
Much like The Godfather, there’s a lot of family drama and secrets that go around. Secrets like inbreeding, Death Eater affiliation, and family disappointments. For the brothers, it couldn’t have been easy growing up in this family, and it must’ve been difficult for their cousins too.
Bellatrix and Narcissa are mentioned in both the books and movies, but Andromeda is only briefly in the books. She’s considered a “blood traitor” for marrying a Muggle-born man. If we have the Black brothers in one corner and the Black sisters in another, the sheer amount of drama between both of these sibling groups is plenty for a few seasons of a show.
- THE NEXT GEN
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Now, I know that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a thing. I’m very aware, actually. While its content and we love content, it also makes zero sense.
Time-Turners are brought back for some reason, Harry’s second son is allegedly not dating Scorpius Malfoy, and Bellatrix had a child with Voldemort at some point. For a real and true “next gen” series, I think we need more than just Albus Severus Potter.
With a series focused around the next generation of Potters and Weasleys, the world is really your oyster. There’s plenty of room for family dynamics, more Quidditch games, and any plot line that’s more than just Albus hating being a Slytherin.
I think a show following the Potter kids would work; I’d rename them immediately, but it’d work. There’s room for drama knowing that the eldest son, James Sirius, has to not only hold the pressure of being Harry Potter’s firstborn son, but also the namesake of his dead grandfather. Same goes for Lily, the youngest Potter child.
With a family as large as the Weasley-Potter family, there’s plenty of content to choose from and make a story after. Who knows, maybe the kids can find the Resurrection Stone Harry just dropped in the forest and bring Fred back? Self-indulgent, I know.
With all these new spin-off ideas in mind, I hope to one day see any whisper of something new come out of the Harry Potter franchise. My little nerd heart would love to see something new and exciting to follow my favorite childhood series.
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