HBO says new Harry Potter show doesn’t support | TV Shows

HBO’s chief content officer, Casey Bloys, is pushing back against claims that the upcoming Harry Potter TV series will carry J.K. Rowling’s personal views on transgender issues.

In a recent episode of The Town podcast, Bloys addressed fan concerns, saying: “Harry Potter is not secretly being infused with anything. And if you want to debate her, you can go on Twitter.”

Bloys pointed out that this isn’t the first time HBO has worked with Rowling, citing the long-running crime drama C.B. Strike, produced in collaboration with the BBC.

“The decision to be in business with J.K. Rowling is not new for us. We’ve been in business for 25 years,” he said.

Rowling has faced significant backlash over her posts on X, formerly Twitter, which many see as transphobic.

Fans reacted to Bloys’ statements on social media, with one fan posting: “What I always want to ask is how? How are they separating the art from the artist? What are the concrete actions they’re taking? Lay it out, step by step. They can’t, because they’re treating ‘separate the art from the artist’ as a magical spell that absolves them of responsibility.”

“We’re going to continue to see interviews of people involved with the show pretending to ‘miss the point.’ It’s purposeful. They’re trying to move the goalposts,” another accused.

“I hope this show fails HARD,” another critic said. One pointed out: “It’s not political, it’s hate.”

The controversy comes as HBO announced  select cast members for the upcoming spin-off. This includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore.