Game of Thrones which was adapted from a series of fantasy novels by George R.R Martin titled A Song of Ice and Fire, took the world by storm by becoming one of the most popular television shows of all time. The series ended its 8th season with a staggering 10 million viewers tuning in to HBO. The mammoth success of the show prompted the creators to delve into the narrative’s past with House of The Dragon.
The prequel which is based on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire and Blood is set around 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones and traces the history of the Targaryen family. The first season aired on HBO in August 2022 and was one of the most-watched web series thanks to the hype created by Game of Thrones. With talks of the show entering into multiple seasons, the creators have announced a few changes that will enhance the viewership even further.
House of The Dragon Season 2 Will Have Fewer Episodes
With the stupendous reception that House of the Dragon received in its debut season, the creators and HBO are looking to maintain the hype by making a few key modifications to the show as it enters its second season. One of these changes includes cutting the series from its original 10-episode length to 8 episodes. According to sources, this decision was purely story-driven one and not influenced by cost concerns.
With news that House of The Dragon will go into 3 or 4 seasons, executive producer Ryan Condal along with author and executive producer George R.R. Martin are reportedly viewing the plotlines of Season 2 objectively. The ultimate goal is to find the best way to break up the stories season-to-season to ensure optimum impact in the narrative including tighter and more potent battle scenes. The change in the number of episodes could also be a result of the feedback received for the 7th and 8th seasons of Game of Thrones which had only 7 and 6 episodes respectively.
Fans react to House of Dragons Season 2
With news of HBO’s House of the Dragon Season 2, fans of the Game of Thrones prequel have expressed their views about the series being shortened to 8 episodes from the original 10-episode format. While some viewers supported the change saying that it would lead to a more gripping narrative, others were not so enthusiastic. In addition, George R.R. Martin was also reported to have been keen on the show working with 10 episodes a season. The author was quoted saying,
“I am thrilled that we still have 10 hours every season to tell our tale. I hope that will continue to be true. It is going to take four full seasons of 10 episodes each to do justice to the Dance of the Dragons, from start to finish.”
Season 2 of House of the Dragon is due to air in the summer of 2024 with filming scheduled to begin this year. With a good deal of time to go, there could be lots more information regarding changes to the nuances of the script and the length of the episodes.
House of the Dragon Season 1 can be streamed on HBO.
Source: Twitter
