After years of hoping to have the Weasley twins brought back together on screen, I never thought it would be in the form of a themed baking competition. While I have never been a Potterhead (one who is knowledgeable on the basis of all that is Harry Potter), the books were a staple in my childhood, and I find a certain thrill in competitions involving food. That’s why I couldn’t think of a better way to enjoy myself on a Saturday night than to watch a combination of the two. Unfortunately, I was left pretty disappointed.

HBO Max’s “Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking” is a slow-paced competition show where 9 randomly selected pairs bake Potter-themed desserts in order to win a feature in a new Harry Potter themed cookbook and a “coveted” trophy. The pilot episode premiered on November 12 with one episode scheduled to release on a weekly basis. Hosted by none other than James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley), the show is filled with surprise judges, including some of the notable actors from the franchise, and incorporates footage from the films in order to enhance the viewing experience.

The baking itself was the highlight of the show because of the overwhelming creativity and thought that went behind the creations. There was an amazing amount of time and detail that went into creating the tiered masterpieces, which kept me in my seat for the end results. However, the actual cooking process was edited together too quickly where the magic of baking lost its wizardly touch. 

I was impressed by the light-hearted atmosphere that was fostered throughout the first episode, even while the contestants were competing to win. However, there were a variety of Potter-themed jokes that just fell flat for me and even seemed forced at times. For example, there’s only so many times you can reference platform 9 ¾ before the show goes off the rails. I would’ve liked to get more responses about what makes the Harry Potter stories and characters so personal that allows this show to even exist. After all, one of the things that I was looking forward to the most was acknowledgement of the fantasy world I fell in love with as a little girl.

I wish I could say I’ll continue the season, but I probably would refrain from doing so because the show did not set up a strong connection between the participants and the audience. The introductions were too rushed, each individual barely providing a detailed sentence about why they are participating in a Harry Potter baking show. The whole point of baking shows is for the audience to find someone to root for because of their baking skills and also their personality. It would’ve been sweet if the episode expanded more on the love of the franchise that brings all of us fans together in the first place. While this was only the first episode, I hope that the rest of the show highlights these bakers for more than just their amazing talents in the kitchen. 

While “Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking” was a great way to revive the love of the original books, the premiere was a bit too long and somewhat drawn out with repetitive jokes. I do believe it shows promise as a series, but in the end, I would need the confundus charm to convince me to continue watching.