After the utter disappointment that was Game of Thrones Season 8, it’s surprising viewers warmed so quickly to House of the Dragon, the series’ first spinoff.
With House of the Dragon Season 1 delivering bumper ratings and giving us some of the best Game of Thrones content, all eyes are on the second season.
But what do we know about House of the Dragon Season 2?
House of the Dragon Season 2 Renewal Status
HBO officially renewed House of the Dragon shortly after the series premiered in August 2022, citing strong TV ratings.
“We are beyond proud of what the entire HOUSE OF THE DRAGON team has accomplished with season one,” said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President of HBO Programming.
“Our phenomenal cast and crew undertook a massive challenge and exceeded all expectations, delivering a show that has already established itself as must-see-TV.
Related: Stranger Things Season 5: Everything We Know
A huge thank you to George, Ryan, and Miguel for leading us on this journey. We couldn’t be more excited to continue bringing to life the epic saga of House Targaryen with season two.”
So, there we have it. House of the Dragon Season 2 is official.
House of the Dragon Season 2: How Many Episodes Have Been Ordered?
When the season got a pickup, it was set to span 10 episodes, in line with House of the Dragon Season 1.
However, news broke months later that the episode order had been cut to just eight episodes.
At the time, a reason wasn’t given for the decision, but Orsi later told Deadline that it was driven by the middle of the season “treading water.”
“There was some question about the narrative shape of Season 2,” Orsi told the outlet.
“We were developing it with Ryan Condal and [EP] Sara Hess, and we realized that we were sort of treading water narratively in the middle of the season,” Orsi said.
“So it just felt much more rigorous, more urgent emotional arc for our characters if we compressed the season,” she added, revealing that the resolution of the season was changed in the process, as well as the starting point for House of the Dragon Season 3.
We must stress, though, that the series hasn’t been officially picked up for Season 3, but things are moving in the right direction.
The show could lose a lot of ground in the ratings in Season 2 and still be considered a lock for renewal. It’s that big.
House of the Dragon: Will it End After Season 2?
Since the series was announced, there’s been a big debate about when the source material would run out.
In the aforementioned interview with Deadline, Orsi seemed to believe that the show would likely end after three or four seasons.
“It hasn’t been finalized yet, it’s still under discussion,” Orsi said about about the length of the series.
“George and Ryan are going to meet after the writers strike.
They had originally planned to meet before the strike took place and that was to figure out at what point the series itself was going to end. Is it four seasons?
I don’t think from where I sit at this point will be any less than four. But could be more. We’ll see.”
House of the Dragon Season 2 Cast: Who’s In?
The confirmed names for House of the Dragon Season 2 so far include:
– Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen
– Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen
– Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower
– Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower
– Eve Best as Rhaenys Targaryen
– Steve Touissant as Corlys Velaryon
– Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole
– Matthew Needham as Larys Strong
There is a chance that Milly Alcock and Emily Carey could return as young Rhaenyra and Alicent, respectively.
Related: Wednesday Season 2: Everything We Know
It will all come down to whether the creatives see the value in going back to the past with the story.
Of course, plenty of new faces will join the cast, but HBO is staying quiet about them for now.
We’ll update this post as casting news is revealed.
House of the Dragon Season 2 Plot: What’s About to Go Down?
House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 10 concluded with the war between Rhaenyra and Alicent in full swing after Vhagar devoured Lucerys and Arrax.
The final scene of the finale found Rhaenyra hearing the news of her son’s demise, setting the stage for the mother of all wars on House of the Dragon Season 2.
The most exciting aspect of the series is that it gives us a different perspective on the source material, so we’re sure there will be many big swings in the storytelling department.
We spent 10 episodes learning the finer details of what pushes these two sides to war, and we expect the second season to be filled with drama as the fight gets well and truly underway.
House of the Dragon Season 2: Has Filming Started?
While many shows are in flux right now due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, House of the Dragon completed production on its second season in September 2023.
Related: The Last of Us Season 2: Everything We Know
The news means that the show has managed to complete production without hiccups.
House of the Dragon: When Does Season 2 Premiere?
HBO’s plan for House of the Dragon has been to have it return at some point in 2024, and as of now, there’s a very good chance of that premiere window being met.
The big question is which part of the year we’ll have fresh episodes.
It’s easy to assume that it would be the first half of the year, but with some of the most extensive VFX on the small screen, there’s a chance the wait could be a bit longer.
No expense was spared in bringing House of the Dragon Season 1 to life, and it should be a similar case for the second season.
HBO wants to get this right, so all we can do is await word on a premiere date.
House of the Dragon: Is There a Season 2 Trailer?
Despite filming being complete, we don’t have any footage to share because HBO will hold on to that until we approach a premiere date.
Bookmark this page, and we’ll update it with a promo when we have one.
Where Can I Watch House of the Dragon?
House of the Dragon is an HBO exclusive, so episodes are available on the premium cabler and its streaming sibling, Max.
What are your thoughts on everything we know about House of the Dragon Season 2?
Hit the comments.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.