With storytelling being around for centuries, there are tropes that are impossible to avoid. The Harry Potter series has included these as well, with the novels and films employing them at their leisure. Things like Harry’s role as the hero, the conflicts he undergoes, and the overall presentation of Hogwarts have been both praised and criticized for using the main characters in regard to these tropes.
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With a TV series adaptation in the works, it needs to bring forward elements from the books and the film series in a way that tells the story right but doesn’t overstuff the tropes. Harry’s journey needs to come across as authentic, and there are certain tropes that will work while others won’t fit.
Incorporate: Catchphrases
Catchphrases are an easy way to make characters memorable, as these are associated with their personalities and usually garner a reaction from viewers. In the Harry Potter series, these have even become memorable quotes, which is why this trope should be retained.
The TV series should incorporate more of the catchphrases of the characters from the novels, as the movies only spared a few moments to lines like Ron’s “Bloody hell!” or Malfoy’s “My father will hear about this!” This is one trope that can’t go wrong if used at the right moments.
Avoid: Adaptational Heroism
This is a trope that was used in abundance for the movies, to the point where arguments are made in favor of Malfoy not being a villain. It’s a tired trope found in novel adaptations that has to go, as painting clearly villainous characters in a positive light undermines the value of the protagonists and their sacrifices.
It’s also inappropriate given that Malfoy clearly hadprejudiced views against Muggleborns and used derogatory terms toward them while attempting to stop Harry from beating Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts. The TV series should keep villains as they were in the novels to bring their true characterizations forward.
Incorporate: Book-Ends
It’s tempting for developers to make parallels between what happened at the beginning of a series and repeating it at the end. Book-ends bring in the nostalgia factor, something that is well deserved, especially in a story as long as Harry Potter.
There are creative ways to mix this up, such as utilizing the soundtrackorcalling back to a scene that happened right at the start, among other techniques. In a TV series setting, book-ends will come across even better since the episodic format will have stretched the story out.
Avoid: One-NotePersonalities
This is a mistake from the movies the TV series needs to avoid, as the films turned the characters solely into their one-note qualities. It’s a trope found in cinema and TV in general, as characters end up devolving into their primary characteristics rather than being fully layered.
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Making Hermione only smart or limiting Ron to comedic relief would be the wrong way to go, which is why making them one-note charactersneeds to be ruled out completely. In its place, the series should incorporate the nuances of the characters’ personalities so that their best qualities and even their flaws are highlighted.
Incorporate: Focus On The Scenery
Movies and shows prefer to highlight the backdrop in a number of ways, from transitional cuts to shots that focus on the scenery to add to the aesthetic quality. Since there are a number of locations at Hogwarts the movies didn’t show, the TV series should incorporate this trope.
It’s entirely justified as well, seeing as Harry’s narration in the books had him marvel at the gorgeous vistas that Hogwarts provided. It would also establish Hogwarts and every area that Harry visits according to the thematic value they bring if the scenery is highlighted.
Avoid: Fridging
This is a tricky thing to tackle since Lily’s death was what prompted Snape to be the hero he became. However, the actual fridging took place in the movies where Lily wasn’t given any real characterization andher role only servedto further the plot for Harry and Snape.
The TV series needs to avoid incorporating this trope the way the movies did, as placing Lily as a prize that Snape couldn’t acquire before her death is the wrong way to portray her character. Instead, Lily should be given her full backstory as in the novels so that her death comes across as the sacrifice it was rather than her falling under the fridging trope and becoming the Lost Lenore.
Incorporate: Eureka Moments
Although it can be argued that sudden and incredible ideas are a lazy way of bailing characters out, it does work onscreen since the characters’ thoughts can’t be revealed to the audience the way they are in the narration of the novels.
To this end, watching them come up with solutions on the fly makes for great viewing since the audience doesn’t know the intention behind their moves. This worked well with Hermione’s plans in the movies and should do the same in the TV series.
Avoid: Characters Disappearing Without Explanation
There are characters in Harry Potterwho deserved more, especially those of color. Due to this, the trope of characters disappearing without explanation— also known as the Chuck Cunningham Syndrome— shouldn’t be used as a way of writing them off.
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This happened in both the books and movies to the likes of Crabbe, most of the D.A., Cho Chang, and a lot of others whose absence was pretty striking. The TV series should at least give valid explanations to the whereabouts of characters who don’t show up for a while, as the disappearing trope has been used too many times to ignore.
Incorporate: Grand Conclusion
This is the most frequent trope used in all forms of media, and one that doesn’t need to go away either. The TV series will do well to incorporate an epic conclusion, with it being preferable to even swap some things out from the books to make climactic moments grander.
After all, a show that tells the story of all the Harry Potter books in an episodic format just won’t feel right if the ending is all talk and less impact. For this reason, the grand conclusion trope needs to be embraced for the series to last in fans’ memories.
Avoid: Villains Chewing The Scenery
This is a trope that’s generally used in spy films or comic book movies, yet was very much present in the Harry Potter film series in Voldemort. It’s just not a trope that’s aged well, as viewers don’t take hammy villains seriously or even kindly anymore, especially for someone like Voldemort.
The TV series should avoid giving Voldemort any comedic elements, be they intentional or unintentional. Voldemort also doesn’t need to flop around or make funny noises to make his villainy known, not when the book interpretation of his snakelike mannerisms and fear factor are better alternatives to incorporate.
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