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    <em>Harry Potter</em> Was Always Meant to Be Television

    A long story with a locked-in ending is ideal for the smaller screen.
    by Yair Rosenberg Apr 23, 2023 4 minutes
    Source: Illustration by Joanne Imperio / The Atlantic

    When HBO recently announced that it would be adapting the Harry Potter series into a television show, devoting at least one season to each book, some critics were skeptical. The original Potter film franchise grossed more than $2 billion. What could a TV version possibly offer audiences that the popular movies hadn’t already?

    But I had a different reaction: It’s about time.

    Judged as fan service that considerately condensed the celebrated series for the silver screen, the movies were an undeniable success. But as art, they left a lot to be desired—and not because of a lack of creative effort. Rather, the movie medium was never well suited to the seven-year story of thewas always meant to be a TV series, and it provides a perfect study in why so many books today make for better television than film.

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