New J.K. Rowling Miniseries 'The Casual Vacancy' Is DEFINITELY Not About Hogwarts

published 3 February 15

Set to a hymn that progressively becomes more distorted as people start dropping dead, crying, day-drinking, and being confronted by their menacing tattooed boyfriends, the teaser for the BBC adaptation of J.K. Rowling's novel The Casual Vacancy is decidedly…not about Hogwarts anymore.

Beardless Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) makes an appearance, though, saying ominous words in his deep Dumbledore voice as the cracks start to show in Pagford, a storybook village like the one from the opening scene of Beauty and the Beast.

"Behind the pretty façade," according to the BBC's official description (opens in new tab), "is a town at war: rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils. Pagford is not what it first seems." Ooooh.

The Casual Vacancy, which is both Rowling's first book post-Harry Potter and her inaugural foray into television, will air Feb. 15 on BBC One.

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Chelsea Peng

Chelsea Peng is a writer and editor who was formerly the assistant editor at MarieClaire.com. She's also worked for The Strategist and Refinery29, and is a graduate of Northwestern University. On her tombstone, she would like a GIF of herself that's better than the one that already exists on the Internet and a free fro-yo machine. Besides frozen dairy products, she's into pirates, carbs, Balzac, and snacking so hard she has to go lie down.