J.K. Rowling's 'The Casual Vacancy' BBC Premiere Impresses, Excites Fans

In 2012, J.K. Rowling stepped away from her potions and cauldrons to release her new novel The Casual Vacancy.

Since its release, the novel has become a three-part television adaptation, which premiered on BBC One over the weekend exciting fans all around the world. (Trailer below)

The Casual Vacancy is a novel that circles around the death of the fictional town of Pagford's beloved Parish Councillor Barry Fairbrother. The seat on the council is vacant, and conflicts arise as the town elects his successor.

Those who are running for his place soon find their secrets revealed on an online forum, thus ruining their campaign and disrupting the election.

Being the first book Rowling published since the Harry Potter series, fans went ballastic, landing the novel as the United Kingdom's fastest selling novel in three days.

Now, the first episode of the television series released on February 15, 2015 averaged 6.6 million viewers, according to an article on HollywoodReporter.com.

"Our three-part adaptation of @jkrowling's #TheCasualVacancy starts Sunday 15th February at 9 p.m. on @BBCOne," said BBCOne's Twitter page. Rowling retweeted the tweet to her 4.4 million followers.

Our three-part adaptation of @jk_rowling's #TheCasualVacancy starts on Sunday 15th February at 9pm on @BBCOne. https://t.co/PLLkWEYNpd

-- BBC One (@BBCOne) February 5, 2015

Rowling then tweeted that she has seen the TV adaptation and that she is "trilled with it."

To all asking whether I've seen the @BBC adaptation of #TheCasualVacancy, the answer is yes and I'm thrilled with it!

-- J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 12, 2015

Fans from the UK shared their reactions to the episodes via Twitter, claiming their likes and dislikes on the first episode.

That's the way to do it! Terrific adaptation of #TheCasualVacancy on BBC. I loved book + its characters + now am loving it all over again!

-- Matt Cain (@MattCainWriter) February 15, 2015

I can't manage another episode, too many hateful characters! #TheCasualVacancy

-- Jane Hill (@JaneHillNews) February 15, 2015

The first episode of #TheCasualVacancy was OK (too Brit), but it took me a while to remember the characters from the book.

-- Magno Lima (@magnolesco) February 17, 2015

I thought that was a really good adaptation of the book. The cast is wonderful. #TheCasualVacancy

-- Lindsay (@_beetrix) February 17, 2015

Over the Valentine's Day weekend, the drama starring Michael Gambon (who played Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter films 3-8) ranked as "the highest-rated show in the 9 p.m. time slot for the day," according to HollywoodReporter.com. Fans in the United States, however, will be able to make their mark soon.

According to HBO's Twitter page, the series is said to premiere on HBO at the end of April.

The Casual Vacancy will make its way to HBO on April 29 (Part 1 & Part 2) and April 30 (Part 3), according to HBO's Twitter, which was also retweeted by Rowling.

From @JK_Rowling, #TheCasualVacancy airs 4/29 at 8PM (Parts 1 & 2) and 4/30 at 8PM (Part 3) on #HBO. pic.twitter.com/WSmWQyYWbo

-- HBO (@HBO) February 4, 2015

J.K. Rowling's work will continue to show on our big screens within the next few years. The first of three films based off her short stories "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is said to arrive in theaters on November 18, 2016.