House of the Dragon

George R.R. Martin and Ryan J. Condal know it's horrific and disturbing. Here's why they say it was necessary.

It’s kicked off by him believing that he’s going to have a new male son after trying for years and years, and stillbirths and miscarriages, and all the hell that [his wife Queen Aemma] has been through as a mother. “A lot of people had things to say about the birth of Baelon, Prince Baelon,” Those two sentence have been expanded into a forced C-section, with Aemma screaming in anguish as she is held down and cut open by doctors and midwives who hope to save the breech baby even at the expense of her life. The death of the baby, and of the king's wife, Queen Aemma (Sian Brooke), during the botched birth, creates a void that other family members rush to fill, brandishing swords and fire-breathing monsters to gain the upper hand. [Fire & Blood](https://georgerrmartin.com/grrm_book/fire-and-blood/), which inspired the Game of Thrones prequel. The House of the Dragon pilot’s graphic birth scene caused a visceral response even at the show's gala premiere.

In the lavish Game of Thrones prequel, no one is immune to the toxic dynamics of the Targaryen family.

The dynamic between the adult Daemon and the 15-year-old Rhaenyra is immediately, grotesquely charged; they converse, intimately, in High Valyrian, and he looks at her with the loaded interest of a cat eyeing a bird. That seems to mean that, at least in the first six episodes made available to critics, virtually every plotline and motivation feels the same, and there may be no heroes, ultimately, to root for. By the end of the first episode, the grieving Viserys is also being comforted by Rhaenyra’s best friend, the teenaged Lady Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey), who has been compelled by her morose father (Rhys Ifans) to attend to the monarch despite her obvious reservations. On House of the Dragon, no primary relationship seems to be truly insulated from erotic desire, which is itself inextricable from the quest for power. An acknowledgment of the physically brutal and life-threatening reality of bearing children!) The show, based on a prequel history of the Targaryen family (which George R. It was present—most centrally in the sexual relationship between Jaime and Cersei Lannister, which Cersei justified by invoking the Targaryen tradition of marrying brothers and sisters—but not predominant until the final season, when Jon Snow and his aunt Daenerys made unfortunately literal the union of ice and fire. Or I will be”), and issue savage clapbacks (“And how have you served the realm, Lady Redwyne? Female characters school one another on patriarchal constraints (“Men would sooner put the realm to the torch than see a woman ascend to the Iron Throne”), affirm their authority (“I am the crown, Ser Criston. What was striking was the bifurcated way the person described the show’s framing for a post-#MeToo moment: conceding that there was “way less sex” in House of the Dragon than there could be in the good old tits-and-trebuchets days of yore, but also boasting that producers had cleverly adapted to the times by replacing sexual violence with barbaric renderings of childbirth. Martin published as Fire & Blood in 2018), begins 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Stormborn, the platinum-haired dragon queen in Thrones, and is in large part about the obstacles that stand in the way of women achieving and exerting power. But it also seems to strain at times with the possibly cynical effort of countering Game of Thrones’s Such “discomfort,” she explains, “is how [women] serve the realm.”) Think about this statement for a moment—that sexual violence is so fundamental to a franchise’s ethos that it has to be replaced with some other portrayal of primal female pain and suffering lest viewers lose interest—and your head might spin.

Sunday's long-awaited premiere aimed to create investment in a new royal power struggle while assuring viewers that this was still “Game of Thrones.”

[an interview](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/19/arts/television/house-of-the-dragon-ryan-condal-miguel-sapochnik.html)before the season, Sapochnik discussed the importance of making the dragons feel like real, organic parts of the world. “And the day grows ugly …” Rhaenys deadpanned as the crowd delighted in the brutality, which was one way to put it. That poor mid-coital couple frozen on the floor of the brothel. The scene was a somber counterpoint to the chaos and violent agony that had come before it, and Sapochnik wisely let the quietness build. But based on his unhealing lesions and their evidence that the throne doesn’t like him — as well as the fact that this is a succession story, and that monarchs need to die for games of thrones to go on — he seems unlikely to occupy it for long. Sapochnik, the director of “Thrones” spectacles like Martin](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/21/arts/television/george-rr-martin-house-of-the-dragon.html), the “Thrones” godhead, wanted to go with all along, which is what we got on Sunday, complete with the more hulking Iron Throne. Second: The patriarchal leaders of the realm will resist attempts to put a woman on the Iron Throne. [HBO’s efforts](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/10/arts/television/house-of-the-dragon-hbo-got.html), after the polarizing end of its biggest-ever hit, to keep the “Thrones” loot train going. “The childbed is our battlefield,” she said, and we saw how that turned out. (Though I admit that even in a more pensive register, the “duh-nuh-NUH-nuh” motif is very satisfying.) But it is fundamentally still the same ugly chair inspiring the same ugly feelings — anxiety, envy, power-lust, a willingness to betray friends and relatives.

Spoiler alert! The world of "Game of Thrones" returned to TV with HBO's "House of the Dragon" spinoff all about the Targaryens.

Otto chooses a meeting of the King's small council afterward to bring up the topic of succession, voicing his concerns about Daemon's temperament (and general hatred for the king's little brother). He also tells her about a prophecy their ancestor Aegon saw a hundred years ago, about the end of mankind starting with a great and terrible winter. Rhaenyra can fly on her dragon with her best friend Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey); Daemon can turn the City Watch into a murder brigade and creepily give his niece gifts; and Viserys can throw a jousting tournament in honor of his unborn sure-to-be son. He sends Alicent, his 15-year-old daughter, into the bedroom of the king, just to offer him some company, he says. He chooses the baby, and holds Aemma's hand while the medical "maesters" butcher her in a violent, bloody Caesarean section that leaves her bloody and dead on the bed. He has no time to discuss affairs of state with his Hand of the King, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) or potential war in the borderlands known as the Stepstones with Master of Ships Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint). So to set the scene for "Dragon" we start with a prologue: The good Targaryen King Jaehaerys ruled over Westeros during a half century of peace, but he has no sons to succeed him on the Iron Throne. It's a slice of the "Thrones" world, mostly within the walls of the Red Keep in King's Landing (that's the palace in the fictional nation's capital, if you've forgotten since [ "Thrones" ended in 2019](https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2019/05/21/game-of-thrones-tarnished-legacy-fan-anger-series-finale-iron-throne/3692682002/)). So he calls a great council to choose his heir, picking between his oldest descendent, Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best) and his oldest male descendent, Prince Viserys (Paddy Considine). So what to think of "Dragon" after the first hour? It is not, perhaps, as bombastic as many fans would hope and, worse, does little to establish the characters as sympathetic or even intriguing (a [weakness that doesn't go away](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2022/08/19/house-of-the-dragon-review-game-of-thrones-spinoff-disappointment/10331489002/), at least not in the first six episodes made available for review). It doesn't quite grab you the way its predecessor did, but perhaps all the dragon flying, nudity and dismemberment the pilot delivers will be enough to bring fans back for Episode 2.

The House of the Dragon premiere on HBO Max is crashing. Most of the reports come from users trying to watch on Amazon Fire Sticks, and some have been able ...

Still, they’ve generally held up well under the stress of premieres for content like Tenet, Wonder Woman, The Matrix, or Westworld, but for HBO there may not be anything like a [Game of Thrones](https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/12/8396301/hbo-now-game-of-thrones-season-5-premiere) premiere. In a statement emailed to The Verge, HBO’s Chris Willard said, “House of the Dragon is being successfully viewed by millions of HBO Max subscribers this evening. [unreleased](https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/2/23288198/batgirl-warner-bros-release-canceled-streaming-theatrical) and [disappearing](https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/19/23313356/hbo-max-sesame-street-removed-infinity-train-summer-camp-island) content, there have been plenty of complaints about the HBO Max streaming apps since they launched.

The 10-part Game of Thrones prequel takes us back 172 years to tell the story of Daenerys Targaryen's ancestors. Plus, Disability & Abortion.

Zuu is at his best here, opening his foodie world to Big Narstie – who has a new restaurant in Tenerife, so spicy, wrinkled potatoes are the dish of the day. And how do governing bodies tackle the matter in a meaningful way? In this complex documentary, actors Ruth Madeley and Ruben Reuter – who both live with a disability – listen to a range of perspectives.

Westeros is back, and with it, a slew of new contenders for the Iron Throne. The Seven Kingdoms' highest seat of power stays firmly within House Targaryen ...

It’s an act of kindness that flies not just in the face of Criston’s future as a knight of Westeros, but the entire series’ attitude toward its main cast. Above all these names, the most notable figure on the council is Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), Hand of the King to Viserys. Next up is Lyman Beesbury (Bill Paterson) as Master of Coin, a man who has little to do or say at this point in the story, but will eventually have an unforgettable role in the question of Rhaenyra’s succession. Game of Thrones had its Red Weddings and Stark beheadings aplenty, but House of the Dragon is waiting in the wings with big “hold my ale” energy. Sadly, the change in opinion extends to Otto’s daughter Alicent (Emily Carey), Rhaenyra’s best friend and closest confidant. “The Sea Snake,” as he’s known, is the most accomplished sailor in all of Westeros and likely well beyond it. Money aside, he commands the greatest fleet in the realm; what the Targaryens boast in air power through their dragons, Lord Corlys more than compensates with his command of the seas. the man on the throne at the very start of the premiere. Think of him as an Eddard Stark in a Targaryen suit; just as the late Lord of Winterfell was honorable but ill-fitted for the machinations of King’s Landing, so too will Viserys find himself overwhelmed by the dangers that come with sitting on the Iron Throne. Daemon’s cruel tactics and crude tongue get him in enough hot water that even his one true ally, Viserys, turns his back on him by the end of the premiere. But there’s an Arya Stark streak within her as well: she’s a fierce fighter in her own right who can (and, sadly, will) endure untold amounts of pain, and dish it back out in kind. Westeros is back, and with it, a slew of new contenders for the Iron Throne.

While we're at it, let's meet the other major players on Viserys' council: Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), who's married to Viserys' cousin Rhaenys, and ...

Meanwhile, Daemon is at a brothel and goes on a rant about Viserys and his dead son, who was the “heir for a day.” His insolence makes it back to Otto Hightower, who then tells Viserys, who is, understandably, not happy. He also namedrops their ancestor Aegon Targaryen, the upcoming Long Winter that may lay ruin to Westeros and “a song of ice and fire,” which is basically the entire plot of “Game of Thrones.” After officially naming Rhaenyra as next in line for the Iron Throne, the council and other lords of Westeros pledge fealty to her and Viserys. Also, her best friend is Alicent Hightower (played as a teen by Emily Carey), who’s the daughter of Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), the Hand to King Viserys. Desperate for a male heir, Viserys tells the maesters to operate on Aemma and remove the child. While we’re at it, let’s meet the other major players on Viserys’ council: Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), who’s married to Viserys’ cousin Rhaenys, and Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), Viserys’ trouble-making younger brother who rides dragons, leads the city watch and kills criminals in the streets. This time, instead of a sprawling tale across different families and cities, “House of the Dragon” mostly centers on the royal Targaryen family in King’s Landing.

When is episode 2 of House of the Dragon Season 1 airing? Where can you watch this fantasy drama? Here's everything we know:

House of the Dragon is available to watch on the HBO channel and HBO Max. House of the Dragon is the long-awaited prequel to Game of Thrones, taking place 200 years before the War of the Five Kings. What do you hope to see as the series progresses?

We wanted it to be difficult to watch”: Co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik and actor Sian Brooke break down the series premiere's most brutal sequence.

Taken together, “the scene is meant to be a distillation of the experience of men and the experience of women during this time.” The director had two midwives on set during filming “to talk us through the reality of a Caesarean without anesthesia or modern instruments and medicine,” he said. Prior to filming, the actors also had a day-long rehearsal to make sure they were comfortable working with the prosthetics and other special effects that made the labor so viscerally lifelike. “It is the story’s inciting incident and needed to be strong and unflinching.” King Viserys and the Grand Maester never think to consult her, and so she is powerless over a decision about her own body.” Wade in June, “It feels more timely and impactful than ever,” said Sapochnik. And then within that, you’ve got this woman who’s at the mercy of a man’s decision.” Confused, then terrified, Aemma is pinned to the bed by a team of midwives as the Grand Maester makes an incision to her abdomen and removes the infant. The Grand Maester (David Horovitch) explains the predicament to Viserys: “During a difficult birth, it sometimes becomes necessary for the father to make an impossible choice: to sacrifice one, or to lose them both.” [the long-awaited spinoff “House of the Dragon”](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-08-19/house-of-the-dragon-review-hbo-game-of-thrones) opens with a death — two, actually — as memorable as they are poignant. The theme of this birth scene was ‘torture,’” co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik wrote in an email to The Times. “Each birth in this show has a theme, just as the battles I’ve filmed in the past have a central concept.

In House of the Dragon episode 1, now released on HBO and HBO Max, Rhaenyra Targaryen has to come to terms with how women are pawns in the games of powerful ...

With that in mind, House of the Dragon may be following a similar arc to Game of Thrones, where it breaks down its female characters in [order to build them back up later on](https://www.polygon.com/game-of-thrones/2019/5/20/18632523/game-of-thrones-finale-ending-sansa-queen-north). This is the norm in Westeros, a kingdom whose mores and attitudes are based on the similarly misogynist world of medieval Europe. It’s a decision that [sets the tone for not only the premiere](https://www.polygon.com/e/23051786) episode of [HBO’s Game of Thrones](https://www.polygon.com/game-of-thrones) [prequel](https://www.polygon.com/23292279/house-of-the-dragon-mushroom-canon), but for the fate of [the entire Targaryen dynasty](https://www.polygon.com/game-of-thrones/23058669/house-of-the-dragon-cast-characters-story-fire-and-blood-targaryens). It’s as dangerous as it gets […] We have a number of births in the show and basically decided to give them different themes and explore them from different perspectives the same way I did for a bunch of battles on Thrones.” Later in the episode, Viserys’ decision to make Rhaenyra his heir is motivated more by his anger towards his brother Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) than his faith in Rhaenyra’s abilities. [House of the Dragon](https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516586&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hbomax.com%2Fseries%2Fhouse-of-the-dragon%3Foffer_id%3D5%26transaction_id%3D102c87c7%255B%25E2%2580%25A6%255D4ed39326beedc6012ca%26utm_source%3DVox%2BMedia%26utm_medium%3Daffiliate&referrer=polygon.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.polygon.com%2F23315490%2Fhouse-of-the-dragon-episode-1-review) shows us what happens when women are treated as vessels and incubators. While Aemma attempts to deliver a baby who’s breeched (i.e., is turned with the feet downward instead of the head, a common and dangerous complication), the maester pulls the king aside and tells him it’s time to “make an impossible choice.” Who will live, and who will die? And so she ceases to be of value to the realm, as is illustrated in the bloodiest scene in an episode full of them. in recent months, where the repeal of Roe v. Director Miguel Sapochnik begins with a closeup of blood dripping from the maester’s hands, ramping up the gore as he cuts back and forth between the violence of Aemma’s murder-by-surgery and the bloodshed of the tournament happening outside the castle walls — a tourney put on, ironically enough, in the baby boy’s honor. In fact, she’s surprised and terrified when her husband kneels down beside her, strokes her hair and tells her not to be afraid, and nods to the maester to begin cutting. As Rhaenyra’s mother, Lady Aemma Arryn (Sian Brooke) tells Rhaenyra early on in the episode, “the childbed is our battlefield.” Aemma’s — and therefore her daughter’s — power lies in her capacity to get pregnant and bear a male heir.

Milly Alcock as Young Rhaenyra, Emily Carey as Young Alicent in "House of the Dragon." The following contains spoilers about the premiere episode of " ...

contained in Martin's writing and the earlier series. Martin's struggles for the Iron Throne, the producers were clearly mindful of early criticisms of "Game of Thrones." Her husband, King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine), is desperate for a son in order to secure a male heir to the throne, in accordance with tradition. That included incorporating people of color into the "House" cast and, as , fueling fierce debate about issues of forced birth and women's freedom to make their own healthcare choices. As

Thanks, Joffrey! Despite being set 200 years before, Game Of Thrones actually contains quite a few House of the Dragon spoilers.

So much so that the original series is peppered with references to what could now be considered major spoilers for House of the Dragon (which we’re publishing below, so be warned). [House of the Dragon](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/house-of-the-dragon-game-of-thrones-prequel-reviews) may be the successor to [Game of Thrones](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/game-of-thrones-franchise-george-rr-martin), but it takes place around 200 years prior to the adventures of Ned Stark, Tyrion Lannister, and Daenerys Targaryen. Better Call Saul found novel ways to root the prequel into the world of Breaking Bad (including roping in Heisenberg himself for a cameo in the final season) while [Star Wars](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/john-boyega-interview-2020) prequels like Solo and Rogue One were conceived as ways to fill in plot holes like: why is the Death Star like that?

HBO Max crashed repeatedly for many viewers during the premiere of the streaming platform's highly anticipated “Game of Thrones” prequel on Sunday night, ...

The prequel, helmed by different directors than its predecessors, could provide a comeback of sorts for HBO. “House of the Dragon is being successfully viewed by millions of HBO Max subscribers this evening,” HBO said in a statement provided to multiple media outlets Sunday. The crashes introduced a technical hiccup into one of HBO’s most hotly awaited shows in years.

The Game of Thrones prequel shows patriarchy at its most dehumanizing — but in a post-Roe world, it was effective.

The prequel arrives more than three years after the last episode of “Game of Thrones.”

in New York, just as “House of the Dragon” was released. [release](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-01/stranger-things-4-finale-netflix-crashes-after-fans-overwhelm-streaming-service) of the season finale of “Stranger Things” sent [Netflix](https://fortune.com/company/netflix) Inc.’s platform crashing. [Discovery Inc.](https://fortune.com/company/discovery), the parent of HBO, said in a statement.

Richard Lawson and Josh Wigler break down the return to Westeros, the cost of all that violence, and why it might be fair to read a little into that moment ...

[recap](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/house-of-the-dragon-season-1-episode-1-recap) as well as [his guide](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/house-of-the-dragon-characters-whos-who) to telling all those silver-haired Targaryens apart. Anthony Breznican [also caught up](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/house-of-the-dragon-birth-scene) with series creator Ryan Condal and book author George R.R. But, as hosts Richard Lawson and Josh Wigler discuss on this week’s Still Watching, the real world has changed a bit since Game of Thrones ended in 2019, and what viewers expect has probably changed too.

House of the Dragon introduced House Stark with Rickon Stark swearing fealty to Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. Here's what to know about Rickon Stark.

Cregan will likely become Lord of Winterfell by the time of the civil war. It’s fitting that House Stark is shown swearing fealty in this moment; House Stark and House Targaryen will eventually unite to defeat this threat, the Starks' past loyalty to the Targaryens perhaps one small signal of this future alliance.) [ 200 years before Ned Stark is named Hand of the King](https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a40896343/house-of-the-dragon-setting-time/)—the first season of Game of Thrones. We, of course, know this threat to be the White Walkers and the (One house swearing fealty before Stark: “Baratheon,” the surname of King Robert who rules the Seven Kingdoms at the start of Game of Thrones.) The name “Rickon” will also seem familiar, as this is the name of Eddard (Ned) and Catelyn Stark’s youngest child, who died at 11 during the Battle of the Bastards.

The 'Game of Thrones' prequel drew impressive numbers for HBO, becoming the year's most-watched premiere on premium cable and streaming.

And with [HBO Max preparing to combine with Discovery+](https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/04/hbo-max-and-discovery-will-combine-into-one-streaming-service/), big numbers from a franchise become even more critical as HBO tries to make its value clear to its new owners at Discovery. Now I write and edit for businesses... With more and more streaming services joining the fray, the TV landscape has transformed over the past three years. All the streamers are [searching for ways to stand out](https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonifitzgerald/2022/08/12/5-lessons-from-disneys-successful-challenge-to-netflix/?sh=216bbff18abc) amid the [fight for eyeballs](https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonifitzgerald/2022/08/06/streaming-wars-latest-chapter-plays-out-on-out-of-home-ads/?sh=763e978f4260). “Just as Stranger Things’ most recent season four, volume two drop surpassed its volume one audience, HBO must look to innovative marketing that drives incremental audience growth to break through today’s saturated content marketplace.” households, according to Samba TV, a technology company that provides real-time audience analytics, including viewers who watched the show from 9 p.m.

George RR Martin's world struts its way back on to our screens with utter confidence and brio. As captivating as it is gruesome, it's like a greatest hits ...

There is a specificity that both works in its favour and occasionally weakens its impact. There is a lot of dialogue. I’d argue that Game of Thrones thrived on the strength of its villains, far more than the virtues of its heroes, and A prequel to Game of Thrones, it begins 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen, and it chronicles the fall of the Targaryen dynasty, though after watching the first six episodes of squabbling and scheming, the real question is how it can possibly take two centuries to collapse. [House of the Dragon](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/house-of-the-dragon) (Sky Atlantic) is simply spectacular. It is a greatest hits playlist of Westeros at its meatiest.

The network said viewership for the “Game of Thrones” spinoff was the biggest start for a series in its history.

Martin ](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/21/arts/television/george-rr-martin-house-of-the-dragon.html)— were concerned that the backlash would turn off viewers from giving “House of the Dragon” a chance. [people associated ](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/10/arts/television/house-of-the-dragon-hbo-got.html)with the show — including the writer who created the “Thrones” universe, [George R.R. That episode, which aired in December, averaged 1.7 million viewers, a record for “Succession,” the network said. “House of the Dragon,” which benefited from a lavish marketing campaign, has nine more episodes this season. A strong debut from “House of the Dragon” is a source of comfort to HBO executives, and may be evidence that viewers are craving more stories from Westeros. “Game of Thrones,” the cable network said on Monday.

"House of the Dragon" — the highly anticipated "Game of Thrones" prequel — brought in roughly 10 million viewers for its first episode across linear and HBO ...

More information about [cookies](/cookie) [cookies](/cookie), [revised Privacy Policy](/privacy)and [Terms of Service](/terms). [House of the Dragon](http://www.cnn.com/2022/08/22/entertainment/house-of-the-dragon-recap/index.html)" — the highly anticipated " [Game of Thrones](http://www.cnn.com/2022/08/21/entertainment/house-of-dragon-what-to-know-cec/index.html)" prequel — brought in roughly 10 million viewers for its first episode across linear and HBO Max platforms in the US on Sunday night, the network said on Monday.

The prequel to HBO's hit fantasy program “Game of Thrones” also enjoyed the largest series launch on the company's HBO Max streaming service globally. Fans ...

Thousands of US customers The prequel to HBO’s hit fantasy program “Game of Thrones” also enjoyed the largest series launch on the company’s HBO Max streaming service globally. HBO’s “House of the Dragon” drew 9.9 million viewers on traditional TV and online on Sunday, making it the best-ever series debut in the network’s history.

Matt Smith would like Daemon to be played by Big Bird, but Milly Alcock thinks Count Von Count is more fitting. Here's all the Sesame Street characters the ...

“He’d be Balerion the Black Dread,” says Condal, referring to one of the most monstrous dragons in Westerosi history. [ this blog](https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/#196d790943ab) for all my TV recaps and reviews including every episode of House of the Dragon and the upcoming Rings of Power. “I think we need to be Statler and Waldorf,” he says, referring to himself and co-showrunner and Game Of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik. Corlys is certainly a grouch, but once again Milly Alcock has a better idea: “Oscar the Grouch” she said, should “play Rhys.” She’s referring to Rhys Ifans who plays the ever-gloomy Otto Hightower, Hand of King Viserys, in the show. Some House Of The Dragon stars wanted the same Sesame Street character to play different House roles in this hypothetical parody. In the sketch, the lords and ladies of Jesteros need to figure out who will be the next King and to do so they play a game of chairs. At this point a red-haired Muppet pops up and says “The monster is blue and full of errors.” Olivia Cooke, who plays the grownup version of Alicent Hightower, isn’t much better when it comes to Sesame Street trivia. “He’s like a vampire when he counts.” To be fair, Daemon is definitely more of a vampiric character in the show—ruthless, white-haired and pale. It’s musical chairs, of course, which is basically as sensible a means to determine who gets to be king as picking the next spoiled—likely developmentally stunted—male brat in line based entirely on luck, age and Y chromosomes. The chairs the game is actually played with include a Baseball Bat Throne, a Ping Pong Paddle Throne and a Nine-Iron Throne. House Of The Dragon is a very, very dark and disturbing grimdark fantasy show, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun.

The network said viewership for the “Game of Thrones” spinoff was the biggest start for a series in its history.

[people associated ](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/10/arts/television/house-of-the-dragon-hbo-got.html)with the show — including the writer who created the “Thrones” universe, [George R.R. Martin ](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/21/arts/television/george-rr-martin-house-of-the-dragon.html)— were concerned that the backlash would turn off viewers from giving “House of the Dragon” a chance. That episode, which aired in December, averaged 1.7 million viewers, a record for “Succession,” the network said. “House of the Dragon,” which benefited from a lavish marketing campaign, has nine more episodes this season. A strong debut from “House of the Dragon” is a source of comfort to HBO executives, and may be evidence that viewers are craving more stories from Westeros. “Game of Thrones,” the cable network said on Monday. In early September, Amazon will premiere its own splashy fantasy series, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” [interview last month.](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/10/arts/television/house-of-the-dragon-hbo-got.html) “But it will have to do the work on its own to bring people in and to sustain the viewership.” Stories like this are possible because of our deep commitment to original reporting, produced by a global staff of over 1,700 journalists who have all dedicated themselves to helping you understand the world. [five other “Thrones” spinoff](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/10/arts/television/house-of-the-dragon-hbo-got.html) ideas in development. [House of the Dragon](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/house-of-the-dragon-hbo),” the much-anticipated “Game of Thrones” spinoff, was the most-watched episode of an HBO series since … The network said viewership for the “Game of Thrones” spinoff was the biggest start for a series in its history.

The network reported that it's the largest audience for any new original series in its history.

Three years ago, Game Of Thrones came to a controversial end that underwhelmed some fans. The premiere of House Of The Dragon drew nearly 10 million viewers on Sunday (Aug 22) on television and the HBO Max streaming service, the largest audience for any new original series in the history of network, HBO reported. Anticipation for the series, set 200 years before HBO's Game Of Thrones, fanned conversation on social media, where "House of Dragon" remained a top trending topic on Twitter for 14 hours, HBO said on Monday.

The first episode of "House of the Dragon" was seen by 9.986 million viewers across linear and HBO Max platform Sunday night, the largest audience of any ...

"House of the Dragon" tells the story of the Targaryen civil war that took place about 200 years before the events portrayed in "Game of Thrones." "House of the Dragon," only the second entrant in its Game of Thrones franchise, has a lot to prove, and to live up to. This is the largest audience of any new original series in the history of HBO, the company said. Discovery revealed that 9.986 million viewers across linear and HBO Max platforms tuned in to watch the first episode of the prequel series Sunday night. It seems, fans of the high fantasy series were at least intrigued enough to settle in to watch the first episode of the series, leading to HBO's biggest series premiere in its history. - The first episode of "House of the Dragon" was seen by 9.986 million viewers across linear and HBO Max platform on Sunday night.

The prequel to HBO's hit fantasy programme Game of Thrones also enjoyed the largest series launch on the company's HBO Max streaming service globally. Fans ...

In New York, you're never truly alone, even if you're at home on the couch watching TV. Need proof? TikToker Brett Hanfling (@brettybuckets) shared a video of a ...

Even now, with so many cable news options on election nights and pausing and fast forwarding during the Super Bowl, seeing so many New Yorkers simultaneously engage in the same Sunday night ritual is a rare and special sight. Clearly, plenty of people planned to be home for the series' first episode on Sunday, August 21, as evidenced by the TikTok of TV screens in a building lighting up at the same time, as soon as the episode dropped. TikToker Brett Hanfling (@brettybuckets) shared a video of a New York apartment building in which several tenants (and perhaps their guests) were encapsulated watching the same show at the same time.

Nearly 10 million people tuned in to the Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon Sunday, making it the most watched series premiere in HBO and HBO Max ...

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HBO's “House of the Dragon” scored nearly 10 million viewers in the U.S. on Sunday, setting a viewership record for the debut of an HBO original series.

film and TV studio and the dumping of a nearly completed HBO Max movie “Batgirl.” Discovery staff two days before the premiere, Chief Executive David Zaslav signaled his company’s lofty goals for “House of the Dragon,” when thanking the team at HBO. “It was wonderful to see millions of ‘Game of Thrones’ fans return with us to Westeros last night,” Casey Bloys, HBO and HBO Max chief content officer, said in a statement. Martin’s “Fire & Blood” book, is set in the fictional Westeros about 200 years before the “Game of Thrones” mayhem. The original series, “Game of Thrones,” steadily grew into HBO’s biggest series ever. on Sunday, setting a viewership record for the debut of an HBO original series.