Let’s be real for a second. If you were on the internet in 2010, specifically the corner of YouTube where theater nerds and fandom geeks collided, you remember the chaos. We all saw that low-res thumbnail of a guy in a messy black wig and a girl with a headband. A Very Potter Sequel wasn't just a follow-up to a viral hit; it was the moment StarKid Productions proved they weren't a one-hit wonder from the University of Michigan’s basement.
It’s been over fifteen years since Darren Criss first strummed those chords on a plywood common room set. Honestly, looking back at the 2010 release of the sequel, it’s wild how well it holds up despite—or maybe because of—the shoestring budget. While the first musical captured the novelty of "Harry Potter, but he’s kind of a jerk," the sequel leaned into something much weirder and more technically ambitious. It wasn't just a parody anymore. It was a genuine piece of musical theater that happened to be making fun of a global phenomenon.
The Weird Evolution of the StarKid Universe
Sequels are usually a trap. Most people expected more of the same, but the creative team, led by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden, decided to go backward to move forward. By making the show a prequel-sequel hybrid—using Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as the primary skeleton while jumping through time—they avoided the "sophomore slump" that kills most parody franchises.
It's actually pretty funny when you think about the stakes. They had more eyes on them than ever. The first show, A Very Potter Musical, had exploded. Now, they had better microphones, slightly better costumes, and a much more complex score. But they kept the heart of it: the DIY aesthetic. You’ve got Lucius Malfoy, played by the incomparable Joe Walker, literally sliding across the floor because he’s too "cool" to walk. It’s those specific, character-driven choices that made the sequel a standout.
Darren Criss, who we all know eventually went on to Glee and Broadway stardom, wrote the music for this one. You can hear the shift. The songs in A Very Potter Sequel are legitimately good. "The Coolest Girl" isn't just a funny song about Hermione; it’s a genuinely catchy pop-rock anthem that wouldn't feel out of place in a professional production. Then you have "Days of Summer," which somehow managed to make a bunch of teenagers and college kids cry over the end of a fictional school year.
Why the Humor in A Very Potter Sequel Hits Different
Parody is a dangerous game. It dates fast. If you make too many jokes about 2010 pop culture, the show becomes a time capsule that nobody wants to open. But the sequel mostly avoided this by focusing on the absurdity of the source material's internal logic.
Take the character of Umbridge. Played by Joe Moses in drag, the character is a terrifying, hyper-masculine gym teacher version of the pink-clad bureaucrat we know from the books. It shouldn't work. It’s absurd. Yet, it’s arguably the most memorable part of the show. By leaning into the "Redvine" jokes and the bizarre obsession with Zac Efron, StarKid created an alternate universe that fans cared about as much as the actual Wizarding World.
The Technical Leap (And Why It Matters)
If you watch the two shows back-to-back, the jump in quality is jarring. In the first one, you can barely hear the lyrics over the audience screaming. By the time they filmed the sequel at the University of Michigan's Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, they had figured out how to balance a live mix.
- The Lighting: They actually had a budget for gels and transitions. This mattered because the sequel had a "darker" tone, mirroring the shift in the later Potter books.
- The Choreography: It went from "we're all standing in a line" to actual staged numbers. "Guys Like Potter" is a great example of using the stage space to tell two stories at once.
- The Scripting: The joke-per-minute ratio is insane. They stopped relying on "look, it’s Harry Potter" and started relying on "look at how these characters interact."
The narrative also took risks. Dealing with Snape’s backstory and his weird, tragic rivalry with James Potter gave the show a layer of pathos that the first one lacked. It’s hard to make a joke about unrequited love and bullying while still keeping the audience laughing, but the "Guys Like Potter" number pulled it off. It’s sort of the secret sauce of StarKid: they make you care about the characters they are making fun of.
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The Cultural Footprint: More Than Just a YouTube Video
You can't talk about A Very Potter Sequel without talking about the fans. This was the era of Tumblr and early Twitter. The show didn't just exist on YouTube; it lived in memes, fan art, and gif sets. It was one of the first times we saw a "prosumer" project—something made by fans, for fans—reach the same level of cultural relevance as the thing it was parodying.
Even the actors became "internet famous" in a way that was new at the time. Lauren Lopez’s portrayal of Draco Malfoy became the definitive version of the character for a huge segment of the fandom. The floor-rolling, the obsession with Pigfarts (a school on Mars, obviously), and the constant bullying of Ron Weasley. It was a specific brand of humor that felt like an inside joke shared by millions of people.
There's a reason people still quote this show. "Totally awesome" isn't just an adjective; it’s a callback. "I don't find this surprising at all" is a mood. The sequel solidified these tropes. It turned a one-off viral video into a franchise that eventually led to A Very Potter Senior Year and an entire decade of original musicals like The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals and Starkid's Nightmare Time.
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The Legacy of the 2010 Premiere
Honestly, the way they released it was genius for the time. Breaking it into parts on YouTube created a "must-watch" event. People would wait for Part 4 to upload just to see the next song. It was appointment viewing before streaming services really took over our lives.
The sequel also showed the limitations of the medium. You can see the actors struggling with their mics sometimes. You can see the set wobbling when someone slams a door. But that's the charm. In 2026, where everything is polished by AI and CGI, there’s something incredibly refreshing about watching a group of talented friends put on a show with some cardboard and a dream. It feels human.
Common Misconceptions About the Production
Some people think the sequel was commissioned or supported by the official franchise. Nope. It was purely a fan project that operated under "fair use" as a parody. In fact, StarKid has famously had to navigate the legal tightrope of parody for years. They never sold the recordings of the Potter musicals; they put them on YouTube for free and made their money through original content and live tours. This "free-to-play" model built a level of trust with the audience that most production companies would kill for.
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Another myth is that it was a big-budget production. While it looked better than the first, it was still funded largely by the creators and the early ripples of what would become the crowdfunding movement. They were pioneers in showing that you don't need a Broadway house to have a Broadway-sized impact.
What You Should Do Next
If you haven't watched A Very Potter Sequel in a while, or if you've somehow missed this corner of internet history, go back and watch the remastered versions. They’ve cleaned up the audio and video over the years.
- Watch for the subtle character work: Notice how Lauren Lopez (Draco) never stays still. It’s a masterclass in physical comedy.
- Listen to the score: Pay attention to how Darren Criss weaves themes from the first show into the second one. It’s surprisingly sophisticated.
- Check out the original work: After you finish the Potter trilogy, look at StarKid’s later shows like Twisted (a parody of Aladdin from Jafar’s perspective). You can see the DNA of the Potter sequel in everything they do.
The era of the "fan-made viral musical" might have changed, but the sequel remains the gold standard for how to honor a franchise while absolutely ripping it to shreds. It’s a reminder that sometimes the best way to show love for a story is to laugh at it with your friends.
To dive deeper, look for the "behind the scenes" documentaries StarKid released. They show the grueling rehearsal process and the sheer amount of work that went into making something look that effortlessly chaotic. Exploring their official website or YouTube channel gives you a direct line to the creators who changed how we consume musical theater in the digital age.