Harry Potter season 2 gets fresh update from HBO boss following TV series' record-breaking trailer
"It’s not going to be an annual; the show is too big and too massive."
Interest in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series is swirling, following the release of the show's first trailer last week, and now, we've got an update on the series's future.
While season 1 will arrive on HBO Max over Christmas 2026, as was revealed in the trailer, Casey Bloys (chairman and CEO, HBO and Max Content), has given The Times an update on season 2.
He told the publication: "Our goal is to not have a huge gap, you know, especially because the kids are growing. It’s not going to be an annual; the show is too big and too massive. But… they’re writing the season 2 now."
The trailer, which was released on Wednesday 25 March, amassed more than 277 million organic views, making it the most-watched trailer in HBO and HBO Max history, doubling the previous record.
Bloys recently confirmed to Radio Times that while plans for the mainline series are continuing on apace, there are currently no plans for the Harry Potter series to get any spin-offs or a wider, extended universe.
"First of all, we'll be so busy… adapting the books is going to be a long process," he said. "So, no, the idea is not to go into this and turn it into, you know, a DC or a Marvel, or anything like that. The idea is to go in and do the books.
"The opportunity, the creative opportunity, is to spend more time to spend more time with the books than an arbitrary two-hour runtime of a movie."
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Harry Potter author JK Rowling has faced backlash in some quarters due to her views on transgender rights. In 2020, she published a lengthy statement detailing her stance on sex and gender debates – the essay was criticised and disputed by LGBTQ+ charities including Stonewall.
Rowling has also shared her views on social media, including in a 2024 post on X (formerly Twitter), in which she insisted that “there are no trans kids” and opposed the idea that a child can be “born in the wrong body”.
In May 2025, Rowling set up the JK Rowling Women’s Fund, which describes itself as offering legal funding support to “individuals and organisations fighting to retain women’s sex-based rights”.
Harry Potter actors including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, have distanced themselves from Rowling's views and have issued statements supporting the transgender community. Others, including Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Jim Broadbent, have defended the author from the criticism she has received.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone arrives on HBO Max over Christmas 2026.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
