While fans eagerly await the Season 2 premiere on HBO this Sunday, the pay cable network has pushed forward with another season.
HBO announced on Thursday that it was renewing the Game of Thrones prequel for a third season, according to a network press release.
The new season has already earned rave reviews from critics, currently at an 86% “Fresh” rating from the critics at Rotten Tomatoes.
The series is set 200 years before the events of the flagship series Game of Thrones, based on author George R.R. Martin’s book of the same name.
The series follows House Targaryen, over 100 years into their rule over Westeros on the strength of their dragons.
While fans eagerly await the Season 2 premiere on HBO this Sunday, the pay cable network has pushed forward with another season.
HBO announced on Thursday that it was renewing the Game of Thrones prequel for a third season, according to a network press release.
Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films, praised the work of Martin and showrunner Ryan Condal.
‘George, Ryan, and the rest of our incredible executive producers, cast, and crew, have reached new heights with the phenomenal second season of House of the Dragon,’ she said.
‘We are in awe of the dragon-sized effort the entire team has put into the creation of a spectacular season two, with a scope and scale that is only rivaled by its heart,’ she added.
‘We could not be more thrilled to continue the story of House Targaryen and watch this team burn bright again for season three,’ she concluded.
The first season followed the plights of two best friends – Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) and her best friend Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey).
Rhaenyra was the daughter of King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) and Alicent the daughter of his Hand of the King, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans).
The first season primarily dealt with the succession of the Iron Throne as King Viserys fell ill, with a big time jump that saw Emma D’Arcy joining as the adult Rhaenyra and Olivia Cooke as the adult Alicent.
The season ended in quite the shocking manner – with the brutal death of one of Rhaenyra’s sons – which set the stage for the Civil War between the Targaryen’s and the Hightower’s that would follow between what has been dubbed Alicent’s ‘Team Green’ and Rhaenyra’s ‘Team Black.’
Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films, praised the work of Martin and showrunner Ryan Condal.
‘George, Ryan, and the rest of our incredible executive producers, cast, and crew, have reached new heights with the phenomenal second season of House of the Dragon,’ she said
The season ended in quite the shocking manner – with the brutal death of one of Rhaenyra’s sons – which set the stage for the Civil War between the Targaryen’s and the Hightower’s that would follow between what has been dubbed Alicent’s ‘Team Green’ and Rhaenyra’s ‘Team Black’
The first season was a huge hit, with the series premiere in August 2022 the most-watched in network history with just under 10 million viewers
The first season was a huge hit, with the series premiere in August 2022 the most-watched in network history with just under 10 million viewers.
The show managed to maintain most if not all of its audience throughout the season, with the Season 1 finale pulling in 9.3 million viewers, the biggest HBO finale since the Game of Thrones series finale in May 2019.
The first season averaged a whopping 29 million viewers per episode on both HBO and its Max streaming service.
Returning from Season 1 are Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, Rhys Ifans, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall and Matthew Needham.
New characters introduced in Season 2 are Abubakar Salim (Alyn of Hull), Gayle Rankin (Alys Rivers), Freddie Fox (Ser Gwayne Hightower), Simon Russell Beale (Ser Simon Strong), Clinton Liberty (Addam of Hull), Jamie Kenna (Ser Alfred Broome), Kieran Bew (Hugh), Tom Bennett (Ulf), Tom Taylor (Lord Cregan Stark) and Vincent Regan (Ser Rickard Thorne).
