Topline
HBO’s popular “Game of Thrones” spinoff series “House of the Dragon” will end after four seasons, the showrunner has confirmed—and the third season, which is currently being written, will go into production early next year.
Clinton Liberty, Harry Collett, Emma D’Arcy, Bethany Antonia, Kieran Bew, and Tom Bennett in “House … [+]
Key Facts
One day after the second season’s finale, showrunner and co-creator Ryan Condal confirmed during a press conference there will most likely be two more seasons of the popular show before it goes off the air.
He also said the next season is currently being written and will go into production in “earlyish 2025.”
The show is based on the “Dance of the Dragons” story from George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood” book, and the author previously said he thought it would take four seasons—half as many as “Game of Thrones”—to properly tell the story.
Viewership numbers have not yet been released for the Season 2 finale, which aired Sunday.
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Big Number
7.8 million. That’s how many people tuned in to watch the Season 2 premiere of “House of the Dragon” on the HBO cable channel and Max streaming service in June. The premiere represented a 22% drop in viewership from the 10 million that tuned into the series premiere two years ago. Despite the drop, it was still the largest single day audience for Max to date, according to Warner Bros. Discovery.
Tangent
At the same press conference, Condal also addressed fans’ frustration that the second season ended moments before a highly anticipated action sequence, pushing the awaited Battle of the Gullet to Season 3.
Crucial Quote
“Nobody has infinite time and resources,” Condal said. “When you’re trying to mount the show, which requires a tremendous amount of resources, construction, armor, costumes, visual effects … we are trying to give The Gullet, which is arguably the second most anticipated action event of “Fire & Blood,” trying to give it the time and the space that it deserves.”
Key Background
The events of “House of the Dragon” take place 200 years before “Game of Thrones” and focus on the rivalry between two perceived heirs, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and her half brother, Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). Fans of the show have divided themselves into two camps—Team Black (Rhaenyra’s supporters) and Team Green—after an ultra successful marketing blitz from HBO ahead of the second season. The “Raise Your Banners” campaign saw massive flags representing each side fly from the Empire State Building, New York Stock Exchange, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal and Citi Field in New York City.
Further Reading
Mary Roeloffs is a Forbes reporter who covers breaking news with a frequent focus on the entertainment industry, streaming, sports news, publishing, pop culture and climate change. She joined Forbes in 2023 and lives in Dallas. She’s covered Netflix’s hottest documentaries, a surge of assaults reported on social media, the most popular books of the year and how climate change stands to impact the way we eat. Roeloffs was included on Editor & Publisher Magazine’s “ 25 Under 30” list in 2023 and worked covering local news in the greater Boston area from 2017 to 2023. She graduated with a double major in political science and journalism from Northeastern University. Follow Roeloffs for continued coverage of streaming wars, pop culture news and trending topics.
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