There appears to be some fight left in the Targaryens still. As of right now, HBO has confirmed that the debut episode of House of the Dragon, the much-anticipated prequel to Game of Thrones, has broken the network’s premiere episode rating record. This past Sunday night, the inaugural episode was seen by 9.986 million people in the United States alone, between the traditional HBO platform and HBO Max. The novel Fire & Blood, written by George R.R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire), was the inspiration for the show House of the Dragon. This book chronicles the bloody, vengeful, and long-lasting rule of the Targaryen family over the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.
Aside from two exiled heirs, the Targaryen family name had effectively died out by the time of the events of Game of Thrones. Daenerys Targaryen, one of the few who survived the massacre, would go on to play a pivotal role in the series, exemplifying for viewers what it means to govern with blood and fire. And it’s only a taste of the heat that the white-blond, fiery dynastic dynasty has delivered to Westeros. Given that the series will focus on a time of civil war among the squabbling family of dragon-riding royals, who knows what kind of mayhem House of the Dragon will bring? Furthermore, it appears like House of the Dragon has rekindled fans’ interest in the original series. The most popular ever week of Game of Thrones on HBO Max has just ended. In addition, the seven weeks preceding the launch of the prequel series saw an increase in viewership of Game of Thrones.
The average weekly viewers for Game of Thrones in August are almost 90% more than in June, and the audience is up about 50% from July. It was amazing to see millions of Game of Thrones fans return with us to Westeros last night,” said Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer of both HBO and HBO Max, in reference to the record-breaking numbers for House of the Dragon. All of us at House of the Dragon are overjoyed by the great reception the film has received from audiences since it contains an exceptionally talented cast and crew who gave their all to the project. Critics have been quite kind to House of the Dragon as well, complementing the new series for its magnificent visuals and deep fantasy aspects. “The courtroom politics and the intrigue of shifting dynamics are enough to keep you fascinated,” Therese Lacson said in her review of the show.
Co-creator and executive producer George R. R. Martin is a fan favourite. Co-creator and executive producer Ryan Condal works closely with Martin on the show. Alongside Miguel Sapochnik, the show’s executive producer and director, Condal takes on the additional role of co-showrunner. Sara Hess, Jocelyn Diaz, Vince Gerardis, and Ron Schmidt are among the show’s other executive producers. Matt Smith, Milly Alcock, and Emma D’Arcy are just a few of the actors featured in House of the Dragon. House of the Dragon airs new episodes every Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO. HBO Max subscribers will also be able to watch each new episode as it is released. On October 23, 2022, viewers may catch the season finale.