We have yet to see a single fire-breathing frame of House of the Dragon Season 2, but HBO has already announced that the acclaimed series will return for at least one more round of incestuous intrigue and angry flying lizards.
In what’s become an industry-wide trend, the Game of Thrones spinoff received an early renewal just days before its upcoming season premiere.
It’s the execs’ way of drumming up free publicity by expressing their confidence in the slate of episodes that debuts on Sunday.
The problem is, they do this with, like, every show now, so it’s not the attention-grabbing stunt that it used to be.
But hey, they can always change their minds if the new season turns out to be a flop!
Anyway, the HoD renewal announcement comes courtesy of Francesca Orsi, HBO’s Executive Vice President of Programming, who shared the news with The Hollywood Reporter today.
Related: House of the Dragon Season 2 Fan Theories: Who Is Cregan Stark, and Why Does He Matter?
“George [R.R. Martin], Ryan [Condal], 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,” Orsi 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.
“We could not be more thrilled to continue the story of House Targaryen and watch this team burn bright again for season three.”
Yes, the dragon and fire puns come fast and furious whenever HBO discusses this show — but we’re cool with it.
They’ve earned the right after the first season, which came as a pleasant surprise at a time when the network was sorely in need of a prestige hit.
Related: House of the Dragon: Will a Nearly Two-Year Hiatus Leave Fans Uninterested In a Return to Westeros?
With Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav taking the company in a more populist (read: low-brow, pandering) direction, HoD feels like a throwback to a time when the HBO brand was synonymous with top-tier television.
And as a bonus, the show pulls off some rare spinoff feats — namely, it doesn’t require any knowledge of its predecessor series, and it has its own style, which enables it to function as a standalone work of art.
Of course, the first season of House of the Dragon also had a wildly intricate plot.
So the show might struggle to recapture viewers’ interest after an unusually long hiatus caused by the dual writers and actors’ strikes.
But the Game of Thrones brand has survived worse, and any adaptation of a George R.R. Martin book comes with a built-in audience.
In short, HBO probably won’t regret this renewal.
What do you think, TV fanatics? Are you all fired up for a new season of HoD?
Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!
Tyler Johnson is an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic and the other Mediavine O&O sites. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, cooking, and, of course, watching TV. You can Follow him on X and email him here at TV Fanatic.