The Harry Potter TV Show Needs to Get One of the Most Important Franchise Villains Right

With the announcement of the new Harry Potter series, fans finally have a reason to look forward to a deeper, more detailed version of the Wizarding World. But with all the buzz and speculation, one thing is clear: the show really needs to get it right when it comes to portraying characters who were seen as villains in the films, but are actually much more complex. Of course, the saga stretched across eight movies, but even that wasn’t enough time to truly invest in developing every character, which meant that some important scenes had to be left out. Now, however, there’s a real chance to portray the Dursley Family properly.

These characters, who appear from the very beginning as the ones making Harry’s life difficult, are often misunderstood and written off too quickly. If the new series really wants to stay true to the depth of the original story, it needs to portray the Dursleys as more than just flat antagonists. They were never just “annoying bad guys,” because throughout the books, we get to see what they think, how they feel, and why they behave the way they do. The movies simply didn’t have the time or depth to explore all of that.

Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley Dursley represent prejudice, ignorance, and fear of difference – but they’re also shaped by a rigid, narrow social environment that fuels their rejection and even cruelty. In the books, their hostility plays a key role in shaping Harry’s resilience from an early age, while also acting as a critique of the so-called “normal” world that fears what it doesn’t understand. The series, with more room to work with, now has a great opportunity to show who the Dursleys really are – complex individuals whose attitudes reflect their own insecurities and personal baggage.

One thing Harry Potter fans know, especially looking back after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, is that Dudley’s character arc was completely overlooked. After the DVD and Blu-ray release of the seventh film, the deleted scene where he makes peace with Harry became a fan-favorite bonus, and people still talk about how it should’ve made it into the final cut. In the original material, Dudley goes through genuine growth: he comes to recognize Harry’s courage and kindness, and during their farewell, he even shows concern and gratitude – a moment that humanizes him and challenges the idea that he’s just a one-note character.

[RELATED: Harry Potter Fans Have Perfect Casting for The Dursleys In HBO’s TV Reboot]

This kind of transformation is one of the most meaningful moments in the entire series because it shows that people aren’t beyond redemption, and that empathy and personal growth are possible, even for the least likely characters. That’s what Harry Potter is really about – love, loyalty, friendship, empathy, and forgiveness. If the new show is truly committed to honoring the heart of the story, then it needs to reintroduce that emotional moment and give Dudley’s development the attention it deserves, precisely because it reinforces the saga’s central themes.

Beyond that, the reboot should also take the opportunity to better explore the family dynamics of the entire Muggle household and how their relationship with Harry became so strained. Petunia, for example, harbors a deep and complicated resentment toward the magical world – not out of pure malice, but born from fear, jealousy of her sister Lily, and a limited worldview. Vernon, with his rigid and authoritarian personality, represents a kind of patriarchal figure who is afraid of what he can’t control, and channels that fear into his rejection of magic and Harry himself.

It would be valuable to explore their backstories (perhaps through flashbacks to their own childhoods or early lives) to show how they became so resistant to difference. Not to turn them into heroes, of course, but to provide a more nuanced and believable portrayal, avoiding the trope of the “villain without a motive.”

It’s also worth remembering that the Dursleys are the audience’s (and Harry’s) first real contact with the non-magical world. It’s no coincidence that the beginning of the first book is told from Vernon’s perspective. Their role is to illustrate that the magical world doesn’t exist in isolation – it lives side by side with real-world prejudices, limitations, and everyday struggles. So giving them more depth also helps ground the story in something more relatable, emotional, and realistic.

Another important aspect is the Dursley household itself, which in the books is described as an oppressive, overly tidy, and painfully dull environment. The series now has a great opportunity to use that setting as a clear visual and emotional contrast to Hogwarts – a place filled with wonder, mystery, and freedom. Emphasizing this contrast can enrich the storytelling and bring out the underlying social commentary in the books: being scared of what’s different, following the rules without thinking, and settling for a dull existence that many never question. That kind of subtlety is often lost in fast-paced, action-driven adaptations, but it could become one of the new series’ greatest strengths.

The success of the new Harry Potter show will depend largely on how it handles its key characters, and the Dursleys are a perfect example of why that matters. There are still mixed feelings about the reboot even happening, so now more than ever, it’s crucial to get things right. The original movies are still fresh in the minds of fans, and for this new adaptation to truly resonate, it has to move past simplistic portrayals and show that these characters are, above all, flawed human beings who are still capable of growth. If the series can accomplish that, it will definitely earn the respect of both old fans and new ones.

The Harry Potter TV series is currently in development, with no release date announced yet.