Netflix's Harry Potter Replacement Sets Up The Fantasy Streaming Battle Of The Decade

Published Aug 10, 2026, 6:02 PM EDT Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020. While HBO’s Harry Potter reboot is set to be one of the biggest streaming shows in history, Netflix already has a fitting replacement for the franchise. HBO’s Harry Potter show needs to be massive considering the amount of money and marketing that has been invested into this re-imagining of the children’s book series. Ever since 2011’s Game of Thrones season 1, big-budget, ambitious fantasy shows have dominated streaming and cable TV alike. However, from Outlander to the Critical Role shows The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein, to The Witcher franchise, to AMC’s Interview with the Vampire, almost all of these shows have the same thing in common. Like Game of Thrones and its spinoffs, House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, these hits are all unapologetically R-rated. HBO’s Harry Potter reboot aims to buck this trend with a hugely expensive show aimed primarily at children. The first eight-episode outing of HBO’s reboot, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, will be released in December 2026. Readers can reasonably assume that HBO’s Harry Potter show will then go on for several years on HBO, since the network has already announced plans to adapt all seven novels in the series and the show has entered production on its next season. However, the anime adaptation One Piece will get to do the same on Netflix, and may even beat HBO’s show where it matters most. One Piece Can Rival HBO’s Harry Potter Reboot With Its Longevity Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece tells the surreal story of the cursed pirate Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates. Mixing elements of action, adventure, fantasy, and horror, One Piece’s original manga is a cartoonish thrill ride full of colorful characters and charming comedy. With 114 volumes and counting, 14 animated feature films, an OVA, and now a Netflix live-action series that began in 2023, One Piece is one of the most popular manga franchises in the medium’s history. The show also has more lore than Lord of the Rings, let alone the Harry Potter franchise. The manga set the Guinness World Record for "most copies published for the same comic book series by a single author” years ago, and its world has only expanded since then, creating one of the largest and most immersive fictional universes ever. Netflix’s One Piece Has Something HBO’s Harry Potter Series Is Missing This means that Netflix’s live-action adaptation has the potential to outlast HBO’s Harry Potter reboot series thanks to its unprecedented longevity. While HBO’s Harry Potter show will undoubtedly be big, the series also already has a defined ending. There are seven original Harry Potter novels and, while the movie series has already split the last book in two to make the most of the franchise, its story still ends with the ending of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In contrast with HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter show, Netflix’s One Piece could last decades if the show continues to adapt the original manga at its current pace, and even longer depending on how long the manga itself continues to publish new volumes. One Piece also has another edge over its HBO competitor, since the show’s source material is less familiar to mainstream audiences in the west, allowing the series to garner a larger fan base without needing to rely on existing fans. Not only will HBO’s reboot be relying on existing fans of the Harry Potter franchise to watch the expensive series, but its first season, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, is based on the most familiar book in the series. Harry’s first year at Hogwarts is an adventure many viewers have already seen many times before, meaning One Piece could outdo HBO’s Harry Potter series when it comes to providing a fresh new story for its audience. Release Date August 31, 2023 Network Netflix Showrunner Matt Owens, Steven Maeda, Joe Tracz Cast Iñaki Godoy Monkey D. Luffy Directors Tim Southam, Marc Jobst, Josef Kubota Wladyka Writers Tiffany Greshler, Diego Gutierrez, Allison Weintraub, Lindsay Gelfand Franchise(s) One Piece Creator(s) Matt Owens, Steven Maeda, Eiichiro Oda