Season 1 of "House of the Dragon" concluded on October 23, 2022, after breaking viewership records with its premiere episode. A prequel to "Game of Thrones" set nearly 200 years before the main series, "House of the Dragon" depicts the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of Dragons, where the last dragonlords of Old Valyria fought each other for the Iron Throne of Westeros.
HBO announced a second season midway through Season 1's release. Based on author George RR Martin's Targaryen history book "Fire and Blood," there is plenty left from the source material for "House of the Dragon" showrunner Ryan Condal to adapt beyond the first season. The story of Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock/Emma D'Arcy), for example, remains mostly untold. Season 1 uncovers the events that led to the Dance of Dragons, but audiences have yet to see some of the most brutal moments written in the "Game of Thrones" universe. Promotional Itesm
Season 2 of "House of the Targaryen" will reportedly feel similar to the middle seasons of "Game of Thrones" (via Entertainment Weekly) thanks to its "scope and breadth and the number of characters." Viewers can expect to see several returning fan-favorite characters — as well as some new ones.
An exact release date for Season 2 of "House of the Dragon" is currently unknown, though YouTube host Grace Randolph announced on Twitter that filming for Season 2 begins in March 2023, with HBO presently casting for new characters. Some of those new characters will likely include Daeron Targaryen, the youngest of Viserys (Paddy Considine) and Alicent's (Emily Carey/Olivia Cooke) children who George RR Martin confirmed spent Season 1 off-screen in Oldtown, as well as Cregan Stark, the Lord of Winterfell, and Aemond Targaryen's (Ewan Mitchell) paramour Alys Rivers.
The frosty reception to Season 8 of "Game of Thrones" is, likely, to blame for HBO's delay in greenlighting Season 2 of "House of the Dragon." Panned by fans and critics, the final season of "Thrones" included several controversial moments, from Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) killing the Night King (Vladamir Furdik), to Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) destroying King's Landing. HBO likely wanted to wait to gauge fan interest before moving ahead with Season 2 of the "Thrones" prequel. The studio currently has other spin-off projects in development, including an epic of Nymeria's voyage and a prequel centering on "House of the Dragon's" Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussant).
Emma D'Arcy is set to reprise their role as Rhaenyra Targaryen alongside Matt Smith's Daemon Targaryen. Eve Best and Steve Toussant will return as Rhaenys Targaryen and Corlys Velaryon, chief lieutenants for the Blacks. Meanwhile, Tom Glynn-Carney will feature as Aegon II, while Phia Saban stars as Aegon's sister-wife, Queen Helaena. Olivia Cooke's Alicent Hightower remains a central figure for the Greens, as well as Rhys Ifans as Alicent's father (and the Hand of the King) Ser Otto Hightower, and Fabian Frankel's Ser Criston Cole.
Viserys Targaryen's death in Season 1, Episode 8 "The Lord of the Tides" means that Paddy Considine will be absent from future seasons of "House of the Dragon." Milly Alcock and Emily Carey will also be absent, having portrayed younger versions of the princess and the queen (unless Season 2 includes flashbacks to Rhaenyra and Alicent's youth). However, new cast members are set to debut in their place. Harry Collett's Jacaerys Velaryon travels to the north in Episode 10 to negotiate with the Starks: "Thrones" fans can expect to return to Winterfell during "House of the Dragon's" second season.
Also reprising his role from Season 1 is Ewan Mitchell, who portrays the dastardly Aemond Targaryen. Aemond will likely have a larger impact during Season 2 as dragon fights dragon for supremacy of Westeros, while Bethany Antonia and Phoebe Campbell are set to reprise their roles as Daemon's daughters, Baela and Rhaena Targaryen.
Showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik (who directed several "Game of Thrones" episodes including "The Battle of the Bastards") spearheaded Season 1 with author George RR Martin credited as an executive producer. Sapochnik announced his departure from the series in 2022 (via The Hollywood Reporter), leaving Condal as the driving force behind "House of the Dragon."
Condal will be joined by Alan Taylor as director and executive producer for the series' second season. Taylor previously worked on "Game of Thrones," directing episodes such as Season 1's "Baelor." The director also helmed the 2013 MCU instalment "Thor: The Dark World," though he looks forward to returning to the world of "Thrones."
"It's a pleasure and an honor to be back at HBO, immersing myself in the world of the Targaryens," Taylor told THR. "I look forward to working closely with Ryan as House of the Dragon grows into its second season. Ryan, Miguel and George have launched an extraordinary story, in a rich and fascinating world. Returning to Westeros will be a huge undertaking and I'm looking forward to the challenge."
"House of the Dragon" Season 1 is currently available to stream on HBO Max for $14.99 per month, along with the entire "Game of Thrones" series, as well as being available on HBO with a cable subscription. UK viewers can catch both shows on Sky Atlantic if they are Sky customers, or can stream "House of the Dragon" and "Game of Thrones" on NOW TV for £9.99 a month.
Binge-watchers beware: "House of the Dragon" airs weekly every Sunday evening, following in the footsteps of "Game of Thrones," so missing any Season 2 installments live means you'll be subject to potential spoilers. IEach episode premieres at 9pm. UK viewers can view the episode on Sky Atlantic at the same time around 2am if they want to embrace a late night, or can catch Monday's rerun of the episode. Alternatively, HBO Max and NOW TV are the go-to homes of "House of the Dragon." (HBO Max won't be available in the UK until 2025.)
Season 2 of "House of the Dragon" will be rated R, like its previous season as well as its predecessor series "Game of Thrones." The world of Westeros is a far cry from the peaceful Shire from J RR Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" universe. "House of the Dragon" and "Game of Thrones" are both chock full of explicit scenes of a sexual and violent nature, with plenty of fiery battle action and complex relationships within the house of the dragon. Needless to say, young audiences should not be tuning in.
"House of the Dragon" is officially rated TV-MA for violence, language and nudity. The prequel series admittedly tones down the excessive graphic scenes that "Game of Thrones" was well-known for, though there are still multiple scenes unsuitable for children, including graphic depictions of childbirth (Episode 1, "The Heirs of the Dragon," features a particularly traumatic depiction of childbirth as Queen Aemma Arryn languishes in labor), incest, nudity and gore.
"House of the Dragon" is the second series in the "Game of Thrones" universe, taking place nearly two centuries before the births of "Thrones" favorites like Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage). Season 1 cements its place in the HBO franchise's canon by directly referencing the events of the main series.
Viserys tells Rhaenyra about Aegon the Conqueror's prophecy in Episode 1, which foretold the White Walkers from the far north descending on Westeros. The king's dragonglass blade is the same dagger Arya Stark uses to kill the Night King in Season 8 (via Entertainment Weekly). With Aegon's prophecy being referred to as the "song of ice and fire," it looks like "House of the Dragon" is trying to bridge the gaps between the HBO series' and their source material, George RR Martin's "A Song of Ice And Fire" novels. Like "Game of Thrones," "House of the Dragon" has plenty of devastating scenes up its sleeves, based on Martin's work on "Fire and Blood" (which serves as the show's source material).
Promo Companies In an interview with Extra TV, Corlys actor Steve Toussant teased "all-out war" for the Targaryens during Season 2. All things considered, it looks as though the dragons will truly be dancing when fans return to Westeros for Season 2 of "House of the Dragon."