The first full-length trailer for HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter television series dropped earlier this week, and the reaction was immediate—and divided. Critics on the left and the right have both found reasons to attack the project, even as many longtime fans remain curious about what a book-by-book adaptation could offer.
Since the series was first announced, a central question has hovered over it: Why does it need to exist? The original eight-film franchise, while necessarily compressed, adapted J.K. Rowling’s novels with considerable success. For many, that was enough. But the new show promises something different—a season devoted to each book, allowing for the inclusion of subplots and character moments that had to be cut from the movies.
Left’s Anger Focuses on Rowling
The left’s grievances center almost entirely on Rowling’s public stance on transgender issues. Rowling has become one of the most prominent figures to oppose trans ideology, drawing accusations of ‘transphobia’ and repeated attempts to cancel her and her works. Those efforts have largely failed, and the Harry Potter brand remains a massive cultural force—a fact that seems to rankle critics who argue that supporting the new series means funding someone whose views they abhor.
The Verge, for instance, ran a piece declaring that ‘there is no ethical consumption of HBO’s Harry Potter series,’ encapsulating the sentiment among many on the left who see the show as an endorsement of Rowling’s beliefs.
Right’s Fury Over Snape Casting
From the right, the loudest backlash centers on the casting of a Black actor to play Severus Snape. In Rowling’s books, Snape is repeatedly described as having pallid, white skin—a detail that is not incidental. His appearance is tied to key plot points, and race-swapping the character, critics argue, injects unnecessary racial undertones into moments that were never intended to carry them.
The series was pitched as a more faithful adaptation of the books, and this casting decision, many say, undercuts that promise. A nonwhite actress was also cast as Hermione Granger, though that choice has drawn less fire, perhaps because Hermione’s race is less central to her character arc.
For his part, PJ Media columnist Matt Margolis—a self-described conservative who has read the books and watched the films many times—says he finds the race-swapping ‘blatantly woke’ and ‘frankly racist,’ and he takes real objection to it. The Snape change in particular bothers him. ‘For good reason,’ he writes, pointing to the plot implications.
Still Tuning In
Despite those objections, Margolis says he is still looking forward to the show. He was originally excited by the prospect of a version truer to the books, and that excitement has not faded—even though the casting news has made it clear that literal book accuracy is not the goal.
‘It’s been years since I read the books,’ he writes, ‘and a lot of the subplots that never made it into the films have faded from memory. That’s exactly why I’m looking forward to seeing them on screen for the first time in over a decade.’
He acknowledges that many conservatives will refuse to watch over the casting choices, and he says he doesn’t blame them. ‘I’m willing to look past it anyway, because I still love this story enough to want to experience it this way.’
As for the left’s anger over Rowling, Margolis is dismissive. ‘Leftists are calling J.K. Rowling transphobic and virtue-signaling their refusal to support it,’ he notes. ‘That’s their problem, not mine.’
Margolis’s bottom line: He is watching the series to be entertained. And he takes some satisfaction in the fact that the Potter brand has proven too big for activists to cancel.
Source: pjmedia.com — https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/09/03/hbos-harry-potter-reboot-faces-fury-from-both-sides-of-the-culture-war-n4956864
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