It’s a good job, I’m not a betting man because House of the Dragon would have cost me a lot of money.
In the wake of the disastrous finale of Game of Thrones, an episode so bad that it ruined the entire series for many viewers (including yours truly), I really thought the series was dead. After the main series ended with such a whimper, I thought any spin-off was doomed to failure as audiences would likely avoid it out of disgust after the Thrones finale.
The first season of “House of the Dragon” made that viewpoint seem rather foolish, and new reviews for the sophomore season premiere have well and truly put the above argument to rest. The love of “Game of Thrones” is still alive, and the epic fantasy series remains a juggernaut.
diverse The first episode of House of the Dragon’s second season (titled “A Son for a Son”) reportedly attracted 7.8 million viewers across HBO and its sister streaming service Max. While that’s down from the 10 million who watched the season 1 premiere, it’s a very healthy number considering that season-to-season declines are expected for almost all TV shows.
These ratings were enough to secure Max’s biggest streaming day ever, though it’s worth noting that the metric is somewhat unreliable because it doesn’t take into account the period during which the platform was known as HBO Max. However, this is a clear sign that the Empire of Thrones is in control and that the audience loves the “House of the Dragon”.
“House of the Dragon” is what Thrones needed
The biggest compliment I can give “House of the Dragon” is that it harkens back to the glory days of the previous series, “Game of Thrones.”
“Thrones” went completely off the rails in the end, but I hope “House of the Dragon” can maintain its high level of quality. There is good reason for optimism. The story that was adapted was told in its entirety, while the “Thrones” showrunners overdid the source material and ultimately had to exit the book with poor results.
“House of the Dragon” delivers the same compelling mix of personal drama, big spectacle and unexpected twists that made the original “Thrones” series a smash hit, and it also contains some very strong performances with leads Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke. The driving force of the show. Not to mention all the great supporting turns including Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans and Steve Toussaint.
This spin-off series has managed to remind me, and apparently others as well, of what I loved about “Game of Thrones” in the first place, and has done an almost perfect job of bringing the franchise back into the good graces of previously rejected fans. Before its debut, I was skeptical, but it exceeded my expectations.
This won’t be the only spin-off we get either. HBO has confirmed that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is as well Now in full productionand will adapt George R.R. Martin’s novella “The Hedge Knight.” Additional reports It suggests that the previously canceled Ten Thousand Ships series is now being revived, and that a previously confirmed Jon Snow series may be on the ice. According to Kit Haringtonbut can also go back down the line.
It’s clear that the “Game of Thrones” universe is set to expand dramatically over the coming years. “House of the Dragon” won’t be the only spin-off we see. And based on the pace of projects that appear to be entering development, Thrones may soon challenge “The Walking Dead” for the most spin-offs.
Before “House of the Dragon,” I would have taken these series with a high degree of cynicism and assumed they were DOA, but I can admit when I’m wrong, and in this case, I was way off the mark. The “Game of Thrones” franchise is on the road to redemption, and over the next year it looks like it will erase any remaining taste from its poor final season.
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