The upcoming Harry Potter series is proving almost as contentious as the film franchise was celebrated during the 2000s.
Author J.K. Rowling’s views on transgender rights, race-bending casting, and muted VFX have remained at the center of the controversy surrounding the HBO-backed production, however, on Thursday, September 3, a netizen uncovered another troubling detail.
Showrunner Francesca Gardiner is now facing scrutiny over her grandfather’s political ideology, adding another layer to the growing backlash surrounding the wizarding-world adaptation.
“Controlled by literal N***. Not surprising at all,” a fan wrote.
The Harry Potter TV adaptation is being scrutinized over its showrunner’s family history
Francesca Gardiner has written for acclaimed shows such as His Dark Materials, The Rock, and The Man in the High Castle, while also serving as a consulting producer on Emmy-winning drama series Succession and a co-executive producer on another Emmy favorite, Killing Eve.
Her connection to Rolf Gardiner, highlighted by an X user via a screenshot of her family tree on Wikipedia, has, however, overshadowed all her achievements in the eyes of some outraged Harry Potter fans.
Rolf is recognized for helping revive folk-dance traditions, including Morris and sword dancing, and for founding groups that played a significant role in the history of British organic farming. But he was also known to have sympathized with Germany’s ultranationalist policies.
Following World War II, he remained in contact with Richard Walther Darré, the country’s food and agriculture minister, who was one of the leading proponents of the ideology.
He reportedly expressed antisemitic views as early as 1933 and later joined the New Pioneer, a news organization that has been described as pro-German and judeophobic.
Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for HBO Max
“Yikes. This is like the third or fourth biggest reason to not watch this show,” a netizen wrote in response.
“When you think it can’t get worse, it still does,” remarked another.
Some fans argued that the showrunner cannot be blamed for the views of a grandfather she never even met
Rolf Gardiner passed away 12 years before Francesca’s birth in 1983.
Fans used this fact to argue that she should not be held responsible for the beliefs of a relative she never personally knew.
“You people are stupid. The man d**d a decade before she was even born. In what world do you think that means she’s also a N***?” one asked.
“Saying she is evil in her blood and blaming her for the belief of a relative, isn’t it!” added another.
“I’m uncomfortable with the reasoning, and you should be too,” asserted a third, while a fourth noted, “She can’t help where she came from. Let’s use logic here.”
A fifth dismissed the argument as “anti-Harry Potter activism” losing “its mind.”
The new Harry Potter trailer faced criticism for lacking the whimsy fans associate with the franchise
A day before fans discovered Francesca Gardiner’s grandfather, HBO dropped a brand-new trailer for the first season of Harry Potter offering a closer look at Hogwarts, Quidditch, and several familiar magical moments.
However, its darker visuals left Potterheads unconvinced.
“The magic is totally gone. Everything feels grim. It doesn’t have the same warmth and delight the first two movies specifically had with Chris Columbus directing,” one expressed.
“This feels like a cosplay of the originals,” added another.
Others were more specific in pointing out where the makers fumbled.
“The Hogwarts dining hall lighting went from warm flames to LED battery candles,” a third wrote.
“As soon as the AI-generated food popped on the table, I stopped watching,” announced the next.
The franchise’s wider controversies also resurfaced in the comments
Zak Hussein/Variety via Getty Images
“Just a reminder that supporting this series supports anti-trans legislation and the marginalization of trans people,” a fan opined.
This referenced J.K. Rowling, who has repeatedly argued that biological gender is distinct from gender identity and has disputed the idea that the two should be treated as interchangeable.
She has also criticized hormonal treatments for minors and questioned the concept of transgender children, writing on social media in December 2024 that “there are no trans kids” and that no child is “born in the wrong body.”
Another fan took issue with the casting of Paapa Essiedu as Snape, accusing the show of rewriting the character “as black.”
“Biggest downgrade in history,” a separate user echoed.
“Trash all the way down,” a netizen said about the HBO series
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