HBO’s Harry Potter remake will bring Hogwarts to the small screen for the first time, following up on another fantasy TV show that provided a perfect example of the magical school trope. Of course, Harry’s story will typically be the first thing that comes to mind when considering a fictional academy for magically inclined students. Hogwarts is essentially a character all its own in the Harry Potter series, and the remake is an excellent opportunity to explore the castle further. Still, this series won’t be the first to bring a magical school to the world of television.

Most recently, we’ve seen a Hogwarts-like school brought to the screen in Netflix’s Wednesday. Nevermore Academy has that ancient, magical feel, but the show’s story doesn’t revolve around the school in the same way Harry Potter does. Netflix also featured this trope in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina with the Academy of Unseen Arts. Unfortunately, that project was canceled, ultimately failing to demonstrate the necessary magic. This leaves only one TV show that has done this trope right.

The Magicians Is The Perfect Example Of The Magical School Trope In A TV Show

The Magicians, which premiered in 2015 and came to a close with season 5 in 2020, managed the magical-school trope perfectly. The fantasy series revolves around grad student Quentin Coldwater, who attends Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy. We see some influence from the Harry Potter books here, as the school has a fully detailed history and a variety of intriguing secrets. However, the TV format is a significant advantage here.

The stories revolving around Brakebills University allowed The Magicians to achieve something that few TV shows can boast—all five seasons of this series have exceptional Rotten Tomatoes scores. The lowest-ranked installment in The Magicians is season 1, which has a 74% rating. From that point onward, the magical series maintained critic scores of 90% or above, even hitting a perfect 100% twice. It’s the sort of success that HBO’s Harry Potter TV show would surely aspire to.

What HBO’s Harry Potter Can Learn From The Magicians

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It’s easy enough to see the parallels between Harry Potter and The Magicians. J.K. Rowling pushed the magical school trope into the mainstream when she published Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in the ’90s, so the very existence of The Magicians likely comes down to Harry Potter‘s success. Still, this fantasy series was the first to bring a magical school to the small screen while maintaining consistent success. HBO must take notes.

The primary difference between Brakebills University and Hogwarts is maturity and realism. The Magicians follows older characters than Harry Potter, so its themes are darker and more mature. This is reflected in the school itself, which serves as an eerie backdrop as The Magicians explores depression, nihilism, and trauma. Therefore, while the story revolves around a magical school, it remains relatable and applicable to life in the real world.

HBO has promised a somewhat darker tone for its Harry Potter series than Warner Bros’ movies. If the TV show delivers, combining a more eerie look at Hogwarts’ secrets while still capturing that child-like wonder, it may be on the right track to duplicating The Magician‘s unique success. Only time will tell.

Release Date

2015 – 2020-00-00

Showrunner

Sera Gamble

Directors

Chris Fisher, James L. Conway, Joshua Butler, John Scott, Carol Banker, Scott Smith, Guy Norman Bee, Rebecca Johnson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Meera Menon, amanda tapping, Bill Eagles, Jan Eliasberg, Kate Woods, Shannon Kohli

Writers

John McNamara, Henry Alonso Myers, David Reed, Noga Landau, Christina Strain, Leah Fong, Alex Raiman, Elle Lipson, David Reed

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  Olivia Taylor Dudley

  Alice Quinn

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  Jason Ralph

  Quentin Coldwater