Harry Potter: Books vs Series

Books vs Series · The unofficial guide to HBO's Harry Potter

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Seasons

HBO’s Harry Potter will adapt the seven books, one per season.

When the series was announced, HBO said that “Each season will be authentic to the original books” [source]. Season 1, Philosopher’s Stone, has eight episodes [source].

Season 1Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997)Premieres 25 December 2026
Season 2Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)Filming
Season 3Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)Not yet in production
Season 4Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)Not yet in production
Season 5Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)Not yet in production
Season 6Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005)Not yet in production
Season 7Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)Not yet in production

How long between seasons?

HBO has not announced a date for season 2. HBO’s chief content officer, Casey Bloys, said in March 2026: “Our goal is to not have a huge gap, you know, especially because the kids are growing.” He added: “It’s not going to be an annual; the show is too big and too massive.” [source]

See also: episodes, release date and every difference from the books.

Premiere

25 Decon HBO Max

Books vs Series

Difference 001 of 15

Snape’s skin colour

Books: Snape has “sallow skin” (PS, ch. 7).

Series: he is played by Paapa Essiedu, a Black British actor.

All 15 differences »

Posters

Harry character poster, HBO's Harry Potter
Harry

All posters »

Latest updates

9 November 2026
New difference: Ron’s eye colour. J.K. Rowling has said Ron’s eyes are blue; in his character poster they are brown. More »

9 November 2026
Character posters of Harry, Hermione and Ron, added to the posters page and their character pages. More »

8 November 2026
New: a page for each episode of season 1, with the chapters it is likely to cover, and an About page. More »

8 November 2026
New pages: characters, seasons, episodes, where to watch, posters, official images, creative team, FAQ and news. More »

All news »

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Book references are to the UK editions: PS = Philosopher's Stone, CoS = Chamber of Secrets. · About this site · Page updated