After years of anticipation, the Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon will finally premiere on Sunday, possibly ushering in a latest reign for HBO’s hit fantasy franchise over the realm of television.
Based on George R. R. Martin’s tome Fire & Blood, the spin-off focuses on House Targaryen roughly 200 years before the events in GoT. Though Daenerys and Jon Snow aren’t slated to look, their silver-haired ancestors will take center stage, including King Viserys (Paddy Constantine), Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), and Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith). Considering the contents of its source material, House of the Dragon is anticipated to cover an incredible Targaryen civil war called the Dance of the Dragons, so we will expect more GoT-style political sabotage, battles, betrayals, and power struggles.
George R. R. Martin Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before a Game of Thrones
Credit: Bantam
As with all things GoT, HBO stays tight lipped about plot points, but a deeper have a look at Fire & Blood and a number of HotD episode titles (those which have already surfaced on TV Guide) lend a number of hints on their very own.
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For instance, the premiere episode, “Heirs of the Dragon,” mirrors a chapter title in Fire & Blood: “Heirs of the Dragon – A Query of Succession.” As its name suggests, this chapter covers the naming of a successor for King Jaeherys (his nephew Viserys was chosen over Jaeherys’ own daughter, Princess Rhaenys). And the second episode’s title, “The Rogue Prince,” refers to Prince Daemon. It is the title of a novelette Martin wrote—that focuses on Daemon and his brother Viserys’ relationship—which is present in the 2014 Rogues anthology.
In fact, these just offer vague clues of where the incoming episodes are headed; and considering how A Song of Ice and Fire was adapted for TV, pieces of the story, or entire characters, may be modified for the screen. Martin continues to be listed as an executive producer, though, while Ryan Condal (Rampage, Colony) and Miguel Sapochnik (who directed famous GoT episodes like “Hardhome” and “Battle of the Bastards”) are showrunning.
We’ll see the way it all pans out starting Sunday, Aug. 21, when House of the Dragon premieres. Latest episodes drop Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on each television (HBO) and streaming (HBO Max). Take a have a look at the schedule below and plan your weekends accordingly.
- Episode 1: Sunday, Aug. 21 at 9 p.m. ET
- Episode 2: Sunday, Aug. 28 at 9 p.m. ET
- Episode 3: Sunday, Sept. 4 at 9 p.m. ET
- Episode 4: Sunday, Sept. 11 at 9 p.m. ET
- Episode 5: Sunday, Sept. 18 at 9 p.m. ET
- Episode 6: Sunday, Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. ET
- Episode 7: Sunday, Oct. 2 at 9 p.m. ET
- Episode 8: Sunday, Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. ET
- Episode 9: Sunday, Oct. 16 at 9 p.m. ET
- Episode 10: Sunday, Oct. 23 at 9 p.m. ET
HBO Max subscriptions are $9.99 a month with ads or $14.99 a month without ads.
To get your dragon fix throughout the week, you would at all times revisit episodes of Game of Thrones on HBO Max. All eight seasons are streaming on the platform.
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This story might be updated.
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There’s a 75 percent probability she’s listening to Lorde without delay.Â
