A ‘Harry Potter’ TV Series Is Coming To HBO Max…and It’s A Quiz Show
Harry Pottertrivia has basically fueled a whole industry (see: Pottermore, countlessHarry Potterboard games), and now WarnerMedia is looking for it to fuel a whole TV series. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Wizarding World, WarnerMedia has greenlit an unscriptedHarry Pottergame show and a retrospective special to air on HBO Max and later, Cartoon Network and TBS.The Hollywood Reporterbroke the news that we’re getting a newHarry PotterTV series…and it’s a quiz show. The untitled quiz competition show, which is now casting viaWizardingWorld.com, will “feature super fans competing to answer trivia questions with special guests set to also be featured in the four-episode series,” per THR. Fans will also be allowed to play along online. The show will lead into a retrospective special, with both airing over five nights on HBO Max.
“To celebrate the dedicated fans old and new who have passionately kept the Wizarding World magic alive in so many forms for decades, these exciting specials will celebrate their Harry Potter fandom in a must-see multiplatform TV event,” said Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics president Tom Ascheim, who is overseeing both projects, in a release Wednesday. “All Potter fans can gear up for this ultimate one-of-a-kind celebration by embracing their inner Hermione Granger and studying their Wizarding World knowledge. For fans who have always wanted to discover what it might be like to take the O.W.L. exams, this is as close as they are going to get!”
First question on the docket: who asked for aHarry Potterquiz show? NotHarry Potterfans, for whom unscripted content is the last thing on their minds, and who have been participating in this kind of trivia-based interaction for the past few decades, whether through online portals like Pottermore or video and board games. A quiz show offers nothing new for the fans, nor does it encourage people who are beginning to feel jaded with the franchise in the wake of author J.K. Rowling’s transphobic statements or, frankly, her verysilly pieces of trivia. However, THR does note that Rowling is not directly involved with either the quiz show or retrospective special, at least. However, Warners did collaborate with her team.
But WarnerMedia hopes the game show and retrospective will build the foundation of theHarry PotterTV franchise. The two titles are the first official TV offshoots of theHarry Potterfranchise, and will be executive produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted TV and Warner Horizon.Robin AshbrookandYasmin Shackletonwill executive produce the hourlong quiz show, whileCasey Patterson(A West Wing Special, VAX Live) will oversee the retrospective.
But while a quiz show is not the most glamorous start for theHarry PotterTV universe, it does set the stage for the upcoming live-actionscriptedHarry Potterseriesthat is reported to be in the works. We can likely expect even moreHarry Pottersmall-screen projects in the future.
