HBO is well aware of House of the Dragon‘s big problem, and it is actively working to fix it with the Game of Thrones franchise’s latest release. Game of Thrones ended after eight seasons, and even though the fantasy series’ finale was disappointing, interest in the world that author George R. R. Martin created has not waned. Multiple Game of Thrones spinoffs are in development.
The first of those to be released was House of the Dragon, which returns with season 3 later this year. The second series is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which is currently airing its first season and has become a major hit on HBO Max. With its spinoffs, the Game of Thrones franchise has both encountered a problem the original show did not have and worked out a solution.
House Of The Dragon Suffers From A Problem Game Of Thrones Didn’t
Game of Thrones is one of the best TV shows of all time. One of the fantasy series’ strongest elements that helped it achieve that status was how it was consistently at the forefront of viewers’ minds. What I mean by that is how Game of Thrones managed to not only release solid seasons for several years, but did so in an annual fashion.
The only 2-year gap between Game of Thrones seasons came between seasons 7 and 8, at the very end of the show. House of the Dragon has sadly expanded on that practice, with two-year gaps becoming the norm for every season of the show. With House of the Dragon season 3 set to release in 2026, it has become evident that the release plan has negatively impacted the show.
Long waits between seasons lead to a decrease in interest, which the Game of Thrones spinoff’s viewership numbers make clear. According to Warner Bros. Discovery, House of the Dragon season 2’s premiere amassed 7.8 million viewers across HBO and HBO Max, falling short of season 1’s 10 million viewers. The season 2 finale also ranked lower than season 1’s, with 8.9 million viewers versus 9.3 million viewers.
HBO’s New Game Of Thrones Series Fixes House Of The Dragon’s Release Problem
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Dunk and Egg books
House of the Dragon’s long gaps between seasons have diminished interest in the show, but that will not become the norm for all Game of Thrones series. Thankfully, the second Game of Thrones spinoff is confirmed not to face that problem, as HBO boss Casey Bloys told Deadline that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ seasons will release annually.
In fact, while A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 is currently airing on HBO, production has already begun on season 2, ensuring that the HBO series’ new batch of six episodes will be ready to go for a 2027 release.
The series’ release plan is exciting, as it allows the young Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) to grow in real time before the audience’s eyes. It avoids House of the Dragon’s viewership problem from repeating itself with another Game of Thrones series.