House of the Dragon Sets New HBO Premiere Record; Renewed for Season 2
House of the Dragon, the prequel series to Games Of Thrones has been renewed for a second season just five days after its recording-breaking premiere. The first episode which premiered on August 21 was watched by more than 20 million people and attracted the biggest audience of any new original series in all of HBO’s history.
Based on George R R Martin’s Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon picks up 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and follows House Targaryen deciding on the heir of the Irom Throne. It depicts Viserys Targaryen just before the “Dance of the Dragons,” which is when he names his successor.
The civil war that resulted in the demise of House Targaryen, the forebears of Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen will the main focus of the show. The first season of House of the Dragon will have ten episodes.
Comments on the series’ renewal for a second season, Francesca Orsi, Senior Vice President of HBO Drama Series commented “We are beyond proud of what the entire ‘House of the Dragon’ team has accomplished with season 1. Our phenomenal cast and crew undertook a massive challenge and exceeded all expectations, delivering a show that has already established itself as must-see-TV … We couldn’t be more excited to continue bringing to life the epic saga of House Targaryen with season 2.”
With House of the Dragon being renewed for a second season, it seems inevitable that HBO will capitalize on the Games of Thrones brand to create more spinoffs – similar to Disney’s strategy with Star Wars. Author George R. R. Martin has stated in interviews that there are more than half a dozen new projects in various stages of development, and HBO is now working on a Jon Snow sequel series with Kit Harrington returning.
Considering the immense popularity of Game of Thrones and its 164 Emmy nominations, it’s no surprise that House of the Dragon has been renewed for a second season. With GOT fans crawling back in significant numbers to the premiere, the series will have to meet mixed expectations to succeed. With Netflix cancelling multiple shows in 2022, it’s relieving to see shows being renewed.
On the other side, the Netflix original show Resident Evil has been cancelled less than two months after its debut on the streaming platform. This cancellation has largely been attributed to the lacklustre critical and fan reaction to the series’ outrageous adaption of Capcom’s Resident Evil franchise.
