Harry Potter TV series: 4 key changes Harry Potter TV show has already made to the films
Filming has begun for Harry Potter TV show - and you can spot a few changes already 👀
- Filming has begun for the Harry Potter TV series.
- The first season is set to adapt the Philosopher’s Stone.
- A few differences from the films have already been spotted.
It might feel like only yesterday that the Harry Potter films were released in cinema, but a reboot is already on the way. After the big casting announcements, production has begun on HBO’s adaptation of the beloved children’s books.
Filming has started and pictures from the set have begun to emerge. Hungry fans looking for any details might have spotted some of the changes - including a shift in time period.
But what other differences to the films have been noticed so far? Here’s all you need to know:
Harry Potter TV show looks to be a period piece
The books were set between 1991 and 1998, however the films did not particularly channel the 90s aesthetic. Released between 2001 and 2011, the scenes set outside Hogwarts look more like the 2000s than the previous decade - Harry wearing a hoody in 2007’s Order of the Phoenix for example.
Early set pictures from the upcoming TV show seem to be channelling the 1990s much more. Period appropriate cars have been spotted as well, while the costumes snapped so far definitely feel more 90s appropriate.
Dursleys have had a redesign
The first official set photos included Dominic McLaughlin in costume as Harry Potter as well as Nick Frost dressed as Rubius Hagrid. Both character designs looked extremely similar to their movie counterparts - give or take.
However, the Dursleys on the other hand seem to have had a dramatic redesign for the show. Given it appears to be set in the 1990s, early set pictures show the new actors in costumes inspired by the fashion of the era.
In the original films, the Dursleys had a more classic ‘Middle England’ look to them. But now Dudley is dressed in a shell suit, while Pertunia has a Princess Di-esque blonde hair-do.
Cut characters have been added for season one
The original film is a mostly faithful adaptation of the book, but some minor characters were missing back in 2001. For example Dudley’s friend Piers Polkiss - who has been added back in for the new TV series.
Mickey McAnulty plays the minor role and he has also been pictured on the set of the show in July 2025.
Hogwarts outfit has been tweaked
The costume for Harry Potter does look mostly on a par with the character’s original cinematic outing. But there are some subtle changes, at least in the first image of Dominic McLaughlin released by HBO.
In the photo, Harry’s griffindor tie has been slightly tweaked and has a subtler hue of yellow compared to the original films which was more evenly split between red and yellow. The jumper is also a darker colour in the initial set picture, compared with the grey used for the movies.
Obviously the show is still in production so the costuming could change between now and when it begins in 2027.
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