Why HBO’s House of the Dragon suffered sophomore slump as feud between show’s creators is exposed

Season two of HBO’s Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon wasn’t as well received as the first, and now we may know why.

According to Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin, he’s been in an ongoing clash with House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal over the direction of the hit series.

In an eye-opening interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Martin, 77, described his relationship with co-creator Condal as ‘abysmal’ and said that Condal, 47, started ignoring his notes during production of the second season.

‘I hired Ryan,’ Martin told the publication. ‘I thought Ryan and I were partners. And we were all through the first season. I would read early drafts of the scripts. I would give notes. He would change some things. It was working really well — I thought.’

The author said that things seemed to take a turn in their working relationship following a clash between Condal and former co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik towards the end of the first season, which led to Sapochnik exiting the show. 

‘Then we got into season two, and he basically stopped listening to me,’ Martin claimed.

‘I would give notes, and nothing would happen. Sometimes he would explain why he wasn’t doing it. Other times, he would tell me, “Oh, OK, yeah, I’ll think about that.”

‘It got worse and worse, and I began to get more and more annoyed. Finally, it got to a point where I was told by HBO that I should submit all my notes to them and they would give Ryan our combined notes.’ 

This led to Martin sharing a controversial blog post on his official website in 2024, in which he went into detail about how the show’s second season had deviated from the source material, before sharing spoilers about the future of the series. 

In the post, he revealed that he’d argued with Condal about the choice to omit the toddler-aged son of Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) and King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), fearing that it could impact the final two seasons of the prequel.

He also said that certain scenes in his book were stronger than the television series.

‘And there are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if HOUSE OF THE DRAGON goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons 3 and 4,’ he warned.

Martin had originally prefaced his rant days earlier by stating that he said he would write ‘about everything that’s gone wrong with House Of The Dragon.’

Soon after Martin’s post went up, HBO released a statement defending the changes made by showrunner Condal and his team.

‘There are few greater fans of George R.R. Martin and his book Fire & Blood than the creative team on House of the Dragon, both in production and at HBO,’ the network said.

‘Commonly, when adapting a book for the screen, with its own format and limitations, the showrunner ultimately is required to make difficult choices about the characters and stories the audience will follow,’ it continued. 

‘We believe that Ryan Condal and his team have done an extraordinary job and the millions of fans the series has amassed over the first two seasons will continue to enjoy it.’

Despite HBO backing Condal, the critical reception for season two of House of the Dragon was somewhat weaker than the first.

The first season boasts a 90% ‘fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 84% for season two. 

The first season also picked up a Golden Globe win for Best Television Series in the drama category, along with a prestigious Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series. 

While season two was also heavily nominated, its nominations focused on the technical aspects of the show, like the costumes and special effects, instead of the acting and writing. 

Daily Mail has contacted HBO for comment.

Despite the drama behind-the-scenes, the third season of House of the Dragon is still set to premiere some time this year.

Before that, Game of Thrones fans will be treated to the spin-off series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which premieres January 18.