The runtime for Harry Potter season 1 has been revealed, and it's a bit shorter than those anticipating HBO's remake had hoped. The upcoming Harry Potter TV show will offer a new take on on the Wizarding World, rehashing the books' story from a more modern perspective. With any luck, it will also deliver a more faithful adaptation of the Harry Potter books, elaborating on the characters and subplots the movies left out. A TV medium should have more time to do so than the Harry Potter movies, but season 1's run is still limited.
New details are emerging about the HBO reboot as casting is underway, and many of these are good signs for the Harry Potter series. However, season 1's runtime continues a controversial streaming trend that doesn't bode well for its later seasons. It also raises questions about how well Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone will be adapted. Fortunately, things look promising on that front.
Harry Potter Season 1's Eight-Hour Runtime Is Shorter Than We Hoped
Shorter Seasons Are Becoming The Norm
Custom Image by SR Editor Harry Potter season 1's runtime was recently revealed, and it seems as though the first outing will be eight hours long. That means season 1 will probably be around eight episodes, which is becoming the standard for many streaming shows. Although HBO hits like Game of Thrones used to boast 10-episode seasons, eight or nine episodes is now the new norm. Some series even go down to six or seven episodes, making their shows feel more like extended movies.
Although eight hours isn't the shortest runtime Harry Potter season 1 could have, it's still somewhat disappointing.
Although eight hours isn't the shortest runtime Harry Potter season 1 could have, it's still somewhat disappointing. With Harry Potter being a proven franchise — and with the newest adaptation having plenty to cover and expand on — a 10-episode outing feels more fitting. Eight is slightly less than many fans hoped for, but there's a silver lining: Harry Potter season 1 can still successfully adapt Sorcerer's Stone in eight hours. It's the later books we have to worry about.
Harry Potter's Remake Should Have No Problem Adapting Sorcerer's Stone In Season 1
The Movie Was Pretty Faithful With 5 Fewer Hours
Although an eight-episode season feels underwhelming after the wait for HBO's Harry Potter remake, it will be more than enough to adapt Sorcerer's Stone. The first Harry Potter book is the shortest in the series, clocking it at a little over 300 pages. While season 1 needs to establish the characters and Wizarding World properly, the story is short enough to get through in eight hours. The Sorcerer's Stone movie does it effectively, and it's barely three hours long.
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10 Harry Potter Side Stories That Deserve Full Episodes In HBO's Remake
Many side stories in Harry Potter are told secondhand, but audiences of HBO's TV remake deserve full episodes that dive into the nitty gritty.
Of course, the first Harry Potter movie cuts a few things, like Peeves the Poltergeist and Snape's potions trial. An additional five hours should be able to make up for those omissions, however, and even expand on certain elements of the novel. The bigger concern is whether the Harry Potter TV show will continue releasing eight-episode seasons as time goes on. Eight hours might be sufficient to do Sorcerer's Stone justice, but the later books — especially Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows — deserve at least 10.
Harry Potter is HBO's remake of the iconic Wizarding World film series that consisted of eight films between 2001 and 2011. Each season adapts a book from JK Rowling's popular series and provides more book-accurate details than the movies did. Upon the announcement of the Harry Potter TV show, the series received harsh criticism for the involvement of Rowling and for many thinking a reboot was unnecessary.
Main Genre Adventure
Seasons 1
Directors Mark Mylod
Showrunner Francisca Gardiner
English (US) ·