Summary
WithHouse of the Dragon’s third season still a year and a half away, if recent rumors are to be believed, the season will likely toe the line of the preceding season in terms of its episode count.
House of the DragonSeason 2 premiered in the summer of 2024, continuing the dramatic tale of the Targaryen Civil War, known as the “Dance of the Dragons.” However, the season fell short of expectations, receiving lower ratings from both critics and fans compared to its predecessor. Among themost significant criticisms ofHouse of the DragonSeason 2was the season finale, “The Queen Who Never Was,” which many described as disappointingly anticlimactic. Fans largely attributed the season’s lack of impact to its reduced episode count of just eight, which they argued led to rushed pacing and underdeveloped plotlines. Despite these grievances, there was hope that the third season 3 would return to the longer episode format to properly address the major events left hanging.
However, according toHouse of the Dragons on X—a reliable source unaffiliated with HBO—House of the DragonSeason 3will maintain the format of the previous season with an eight-episode count. This is coming off the back ofan update from actor Rhys Ifansthat the third installment of theGame of Thronesprequel will “start shooting this year.”
If the rumors aboutHouse of the DragonSeason 3 are true, it will continue a disappointing trend that started withGame of Thrones' penultimate seasonand extended into its prequel. The first six seasons ofGame of Throneseach featured ten episodes, as did the first season of House of theDragon; however, Seasons 7 and 8 andGame of Throneswere significantly shorter, with just seven and six episodes respectively. A recurring pattern lies in these seasons with the less-than-expected episodes: they have lower ratings than their predecessors.House of the DragonSeason 2 was notably snubbed from the Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.
WhileGame of Thrones’trimming could be somewhat justified—writers were short on source material as creator George R.R. Martin was, and is still, yet to wrap upThe Winds of Winter—House of the Dragonpushing back a major battle from Season 2 to Season 3 was needless. Showrunner Ryan Condal, in an interview withDeadline, cited narrative “rebalancing” as a major reason for this change. There’s some truth to this.Fire & Blood, the source material on whichHouse of the Dragonis based, is not quite as long asGame of Thrones’A Song of Ice and Fireand is less so if just the Dance of the Dragons is considered. Thus, writers had to expand it to fit into four seasons. Asides the manytweaks that George R.R. Martin warnsare “larger and more toxic, there’s also every reason to believe that budget constraints share part of this blame. Given that Season 3 would feature multiple Dragon-on-Dragon and Dragon-on-army battles, all of which can only be done by CGI,House of the Dragonsequel seasons are obviously going to be expensive as they go on.
Whatever happens, the grandeur and brutality of the upcoming battles in Season 3 ofHouse of the Dragon—which would likely begin with the impending battles in the Reach and the Riverlands and Tyland Lannister’s quest to undoCorlys Velaryon’s blockade of the Gulletwith the help of the Triarchy fleet—is almost certainly on the list of things fans of the epic fantasy show don’t want to be compromised.
Source:House of the Dragons/X
