HBO is developing a decade-long ‘Harry Potter’ television series

'Harry Potter’ follows a young wizard’s battle against evil

The seven-book series traces Harry’s journey from an orphan discovering his magical heritage to confronting the dark wizard Lord Voldemort. Alongside friends Hermione and Ron, he faces loss, power, and moral choice in a world divided between good and evil.

'Harry Potter’ transformed the young adult publishing industry

The series’ success reshaped the market for youth fiction. In 1997, about 3,000 young adult titles were published annually. By 2009, that number soared to 30,000 as publishers chased the next major phenomenon.

'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ became an award-winning stage play

Premiering in 2016, the play continues the story beyond the original books and has run in London’s West End and on Broadway, winning nine Olivier Awards and six Tony Awards, including best play.

Read JK Rowling's original 'Harry Potter' pitch that a dozen publishers rejected

Rowling claims 12 publishing houses rejected the pitch first written in 1995—which contained this letter and the story's first few chapters—before Bloomsbury accepted it.

Hogwarts Legacy was 2023’s bestselling video game

Set a century before the books, Hogwarts Legacy lets players explore an open-world version of the wizarding world. Released in 2023, it sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, topping global sales charts.

Go behind the scenes of the making of the ‘Harry Potter’ films

See a rare look at how the beloved series was brought to life—from set design and visual effects to interviews with cast and crew who shaped the wizarding world on screen.

JK Rowling first thought of 'Harry Potter' on a delayed train in 1990

The idea for a young boy discovering he was a wizard came to Rowling during a train ride from Manchester to London. Over the next seven years—while facing personal loss and financial hardship—she completed the first book as a single mother living on welfare.

The ‘Harry Potter’ franchise is valued at more than $32B

Combining book sales, films, theme parks, and merchandise, Harry Potter ranks among the world’s highest-grossing media franchises—estimated at more than $32B in total value, alongside giants like Star Wars and Marvel.

Four directors shaped the evolving tone of the ‘Harry Potter’ films

Across eight movies, Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, and David Yates each brought a distinct vision—from early wonder to darker maturity—charting the series’ shift from children’s fantasy to coming-of-age epic.

'The Wizarding World of Harry Potter' brought the books to life in theme parks

Opened in 2010 at Universal Orlando, the immersive attraction recreates Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Additional Wizarding World lands now operate at Universal parks in Japan, Hollywood, and Beijing.

Translating ‘Harry Potter’ required creativity across 60+ languages

This Vox video explores how translators adapted JK Rowling’s wordplay, invented spells, and cultural references—reimagining names and magical terms while attempting to preserve humor, rhythm, and meaning for readers around the world.

Listen to an academic analysis of the 'Wizarding World of Harry Potter'

Potterversity examines the Harry Potter series through an academic lens—inviting scholars from diverse fields to uncover new interpretations and deeper meanings within the book series.

JK Rowling’s comments on transgender issues have sparked controversy and boycotts

Since 2019, Rowling’s public statements on gender and trans issues have prompted widespread backlash, leading many fans to attempt to distance her views from the Harry Potter series.

'Harry Potter’ inspired a real-life version of Quidditch

Created by college students in 2005, the broomstick-based sport became an international phenomenon with organized leagues and World Cup tournaments. Now called Quadball, it’s played in more than 40 countries worldwide.

MuggleCast is the original ‘Harry Potter’ fan podcast

Launched in 2005 by the creators of MuggleNet, MuggleCast offers weekly discussions, news and fan theories on Harry Potter. It quickly became one of the internet’s major fandom podcasts and still runs today.

'Fantastic Beasts' expanded the film franchise with mixed results

Warner Bros. launched the "Fantastic Beasts" prequel series in 2016 to explore the wizarding world’s earlier history. Despite strong openings, later films saw declining box office returns and lukewarm critical reception.

The network’s early days were focused on movies and sports

HBO launched in 1972, with an initial focus on commercial-free movies and sports events. The network’s first-ever broadcast was an NHL game between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks, signaling its commitment to premium, live content.

The 'Wicked' movie is based on several previous ‘Oz’ adaptations

Gregory Maguire's novel "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," published in 1995, is based on"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." It offers an adult-oriented retelling of the Oz story, focusing on Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. The book was then adapted for the stage, which premiered on Broadway in 2003. The Broadway musical was then adapted for the screen—the first film in the series debuted in 2024.

Season 11 of ‘SNL’ is known as the ‘Weird Year’

After several years of middling material and low ratings, showrunner Lorne Michaels returned in 1985 and brought a cast of Hollywood A-listers, including Anthony Michael Hall and Robert Downey Jr. The season is now called the “Weird Year" due to the use of more established actors, whose connection with the audience was limited.

See this ranking of the top 10 medical shows on television

The Hollywood Reporter created this 2025 ranking of 10 television shows from around the world that focus on medicine. Candidates included "Grey's Anatomy," "The Pitt," "New Amsterdam," "ER," and more. The publication warns that its ranking is a living document that may change with time—and that its explanations include show spoilers.

A Hitchcock film has been adapted for a new demographic: smartphone users

Hitchcock's "The Lodger," a silent film from 1927, has been adapted for Tattle TV, a video app featuring "vertical microdramas" aimed at smartphone users looking for bite-sized stories.

Dolly Parton produced the original 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' movie

Parton’s Sandollar Entertainment company was responsible for the 1992 film, which eventually led to the television series of the same name—a pop culture sensation that inspired spin-offs and a devoted fanbase. Although Parton was not listed as a producer for the show, some believe showrunner Joss Whedon paid homage to her by making the titular character’s birthday the same as Parton’s.

Why a 'Simpsons' super fan believes the show should end

In 2025, Fox renewed "The Simpsons" through 2029 and announced a new movie. But one super fan echoes what many of the legendary show's audience have been saying for years: The series' best days are in the very distant past.

Voyager Station, the world's first space hotel, is planned for 2027

The structure spans 488 meters in diameter and will rotate to simulate one-sixth of Earth's gravity while circumnavigating the planet every 90 minutes. The Voyager Station is designed to accommodate 450 guests and 150 crew members, providing amenities such as restaurants, a sports hall, and a movie theater.

Barbara Kingsolver's 'Demon Copperhead' reframes Dickens for the opioid crisis

The 2022 novel is a retelling of Dickens' autobiographical coming-of-age novel "David Copperfield." Kingsolver moves the story from Victorian England to contemporary Appalachia, where the opioid crisis is raging. The book won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

According to the physics of black holes, our 4D reality may be a hologram—a projection of information coded on a 2D surface on the edge of the universe.

In 2025, four executives from large tech companies were given positions in the US Army Reserves—including Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar, which reinforced Palantir's ties with the US military and its role as a leading defense partner.

Explore a list of the 100 best novels of all time, compiled by some of the world's best living writers, including Salman Rushdie, Stephen King, and Jennifer Egan.

The distributor behind 'Rocky Horror' pulled the film from its scheduled national release, believing it would be a failure, though it eventually amassed a dedicated fanbase through midnight showings, a trend that continues over 50 years later.

Search a massive database of over 4 decades of clues from the TV quiz show 'Jeopardy!'

In 2009, the nation was gripped by the story of a missing young boy who was believed to be floating over Colorado in a homemade balloon, until it was revealed that he was at home the whole time.

Walt Disney's early film 'Alice's Wonderland' was a groundbreaking innovation in the silent film era

Visualize the path of every solar eclipse from 1900 to 2099 and see what each looks like when observed from different locations on Earth.

Roughly 43 million US borrowers owe roughly $1.7T in student debt, the second-largest source of consumer debt behind mortgages.

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

Comedy legend Catherine O'Hara, star of 'Schitt's Creek' and 'Home Alone,' quit 'Saturday Night Live' after just one week to return to her old job.

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

Children are now three times more likely to say they want to be a YouTuber when they grow up than an astronaut, with some even attending 'YouTube camps' that teach kids how to create content for the platform.

An Ebola vaccine was developed during the 2018 west African Ebola outbreak, but the 2026 Ebola outbreak is with a different species of the virus, not the one that the vaccine is approved to treat.

'Shogun,' a 1980s TV series, helped popularize sushi in the US by stimulating an American interest in Japanese culture.

Hear about the 250-year history of the United States Postal Service, complete with some of its strangest deliveries, important innovations, and the figures that made it an American institution.

See these 16 pieces of art evoking phobias of snakes, flying, spiders, and more. 

Scientists testing how climate change affects plants found, in a years-long simulation study, that poison ivy grew 70% faster with the resulting extra carbon dioxide.

Take a 3D tour of the Hajj, Islam's annual pilgrimage to Mecca, undertaken by over 1.5 million Muslims.

Exploring the Larry Bird punch that almost changed March Madness

The rivalry between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson centered on federalism—the question of how much power the federal government should hold relative to the states.

See this overview of the firework rules across all 50 states, ranging from a complete ban on non-professional fireworks in Massachusetts to states with more lax rules like Indiana.

An initial public offering or 'IPO' is the process of a private company becoming public by putting shares of the company on the stock market for purchase.

For centuries, it was common to sleep in two shifts: a few hours at the beginning of the night, and a longer period beginning around midnight

See how Budweiser's famous Clydesdales spend their days at Warm Springs Ranch, where roughly 70 to 80 of the beer brand's giant horses can be found at any given time.