If you just watched Fahrenheit 451 on HBO and feel confused because you thought it was supposed to be a TV series and not just a movie, you’re not alone. A lot of people are saying that they remember hearing this was a series. But instead, a complex plot has been turned into an hour-and-45-minute movie, and viewers aren’t sure what to think. What happened? Were the plans changed?

It’s unclear why so many people think Fahrenheit 451 was originally a series. But a lot of people did. So many, in fact, that a few people on Reddit were wondering aloud if this was some kind of Mandela effect.

We looked back on early news about Fahrenheit 451 and couldn’t find any references to the movie originally being considered as a series. Back in 2016, it was already being billed as a “film adaptation” on HBO. So it was never originally intended to be a series and then changed to a movie. It was always supposed to be a movie.

Perhaps they’re getting it mixed up with another series. Handmaid’s Tale, for example, is a dystopian series on Hulu. And The Dark Tower has been all over the news lately as a new series that might be coming in the near future. HBO was also working on a dystopian series called Confederate, but that might have been shelved due to controversy.

Or maybe it’s because there was originally a bidding war over Fahrenheit 451 for the TV rights. Hulu and Legendary wanted the property, but HBO made the biggest bid.

Or maybe everyone is just so used to hearing lately that HBO’s original productions are series, not movies, that they just assumed this one was a series too. Back when news about the movie was posted on Reddit, some people still mistakenly thought it was a series (even when the articles and headlines revealed it was a movie.) In this thread, one commenter wrote: “It bums me out that there’s a series coming because one of my dreams was to make a movie about it.” Another person wrote, “I hope the series does justice to what I remember to be some really eerie stuff.” So it’s possible that some people just got the wrong idea based on comments written by others.

Now that people know it’s not a series, they’re posting online that they wish it really was a series.

Well, @HBO's #Fahrenheit451 isn't awful, but it's definitely all smoke and no flame. I wish it had been conceived as a ten-episode limited series, or something, so the plot and characters could've had room to breathe and naturally develop.https://t.co/CqyCrlDYmP — Michael Cook, Jr. (@thoroughlyme) May 20, 2018

I think the new Fahrenheit 451 would have been more interesting as a mini series. Ended with a bunch of unfinished story lines that could have been cool. — Adam Brodowski (@Brodowski) May 20, 2018

Did you think the movie was going to be a series? Or do you think it should have been a series? Let us know in the comments below.