HBO's Harry Potter series: release date, cast and how to watch
The new Harry Potter series starts on Christmas Day 2026 on HBO and HBO Max. Here's who's in it, what the first season covers, and how to watch it with friends.
Premieres 25 DecemberHBO is making Harry Potter into a TV series, and it's coming sooner than expected. Here's what we know so far.
When does it come out?
The first season premieres on Christmas Day, 25 December 2026, on HBO and HBO Max.
That's earlier than expected: the show had been pencilled in for 2027. The first trailer came out on 25 March, and a second followed on 2 September.
What is the first season about?
Season one adapts the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Sorcerer's Stone in the US): Harry finds out he's a wizard, arrives at Hogwarts, and makes friends with Ron and Hermione.
The plan is one season per book, seven in all. That makes it a show that should run for around ten years.
Who's in the cast?
The three leads are new faces:
- Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter
- Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger
- Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley
And the teachers:
- John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore
- Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape
- Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall
- Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid
- Luke Thallon as Professor Quirrell
- Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch
- Warwick Davis as Professor Flitwick, the one actor coming back from the films
Who's making it?
Francesca Gardiner is the showrunner. Mark Mylod, who directed many Succession episodes, directs and executive produces.
Is it a remake of the films?
No. It goes back to the books, so there's room for scenes and characters the films had to cut. The cast is new, apart from Warwick Davis.
How to watch it together
Christmas Day is made for watching something as a group. If your family or friends are spread across different houses, you can still press play at the same moment.
- Start a room on filmkorner and send the link to everyone.
- Each person opens HBO Max in Chrome, Edge or Brave with the free extension.
- Press play once, and it plays for everyone at the same time, with voice and chat in the room.
Everyone needs their own HBO Max account. More on that in our HBO Max watch party guide.
We'll update this post as HBO shares more, like the episode count and how often new episodes come out.
Harry Potter is a trademark of Warner Bros. Entertainment. filmkorner isn't affiliated with or endorsed by HBO or Warner Bros.; the trailer above is theirs and plays from their official channel.