Why Daniel Radcliffe May Not Watch HBO's Harry Potter TV Series
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Will Daniel Radcliffe watch the new Harry Potter TV show on HBO with his family? It seems like he'll be skipping it.
"I don't know if I will [watch], honestly," Radcliffe told the Associated Press (via Deadline). "I've watched, I've been in a lot of Harry Potter already ... and also I don't watch any TV."
That latter claim seems unlikely when you consider that Radcliffe has appeared in a handful of really good TV shows, including one that's running now and happens to be one of the best comedy shows of the year. He brought receipts for this claim, though. "I haven't seen 'Breaking Bad.' I haven't seen 'Mad Men.' I haven't seen some of the like the real classics. So, you know, eight hours is a lot of anything to watch."
Let's be fair: If Radcliffe is being truthful here, he does have some important homework to do. (If he really hasn't watched any television, I'd add some other picks to his queue like "Veep," "Succession," "Vanderpump Rules," and "Fleabag," just to cover a few vital bases.) This also does line up with Radcliffe's apparent attempts, over the years, to distance himself from the wizarding world that made him famous; for those who may not know, the actor played the titular Harry Potter in the original film franchise. In February of 2026, Radcliffe told Parade he wouldn't consider returning to the Harry Potter universe in any way:
"[Potter] was great to do, but I don't want to go back to it. Honestly ... I feel like, in the same way that I feel about like all the jobs I've done, I loved doing them, and I hold the memories of them very, very precious and treasure them, but like I wouldn't want to go back tomorrow ... There's a lot more to do."
Does Daniel Radcliffe have any advice for the new Harry Potter, Dominic McLaughlin?
In that same conversation with the Associated Press, Daniel Radcliffe was asked if he has advice for the new actor playing the Boy Who Lived in HBO's series, which aims to devote one season each to all seven books from the original novel series. (The first season, accordingly, is titled "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.") Dominic McLaughlin will portray Harry; he's joined by Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton taking over the roles of Harry's two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, from actors Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.
Radcliffe demurred yet again. "I'm really truly in the business of not giving Dominic advice. He's got it. He doesn't need any advice from me," Radcliffe said, pretty reasonably. "If I say something to you, then the next interview people have with him, they'll be like, 'Oh, and Dan said you should do this,' and I'm like, I don't want to haunt this poor child through interviews."
The Tony winner continued: "So I have no advice for him. He's going to be amazing, and you know, I hope that I will, I think I will, get to meet him someday — and I'm very excited about that."
So what has Radcliffe been up to since he hung up his Gryffindor cloak and put away his magic wand for good? Quite a lot, actually!
Daniel Radcliffe has shown off his considerable range as an actor since growing up as Harry Potter
People can get pigeonholed into roles, and being a child star is exceptionally difficult. Somehow, Daniel Radcliffe managed to overcome both of those hurdles and become one of Hollywood and Broadway's most exciting and audacious performers. (I say "somehow" even though Radcliffe has been pretty open about how his parents helped shield him from some of the most difficult parts of fame at a young age — but still, it's impressive!)
Even during the original run of the Harry Potter films, Radcliffe worked extensively on stage in daring projects like "Equus" (a seriously dark drama that requires full nudity and allowed Radcliffe to act alongside Sir Richard Griffiths, who played his evil Uncle Vernon in the Potter films) and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Despite his apparent aversion to television, Radcliffe has also turned in excellent performances on shows like "A Young Doctor's Notebook" (where, hilariously, he plays a younger version of "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm) and "Miracle Workers," and as far as films go, he's pushed himself in comedies like "Weird" and "The Lost City."
I'm most excited, though, about Radcliffe's starring role alongside Tracy Morgan on "The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins." As Morgan's former football player Reggie tries to restore his reputation and potentially get voted into the NFL Hall of Fame, Radcliffe's Oscar-winning documentarian Arthur Tobin chronicles his life ... and the two are a perfect pair. I hope that Radcliffe has at least watched Morgan on "30 Rock" — but in any case, you can stream "Reggie Dinkins" on Peacock now, and "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" premieres on HBO on Christmas Day.