Season one of House of the Dragon set up yet another epic war in Westeros, as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (played by Emma D’Arcy) vied for dominance against her cutthroat family. Despite treating fans to a gripping 10 episodes of the Game of Thrones prequel last year, HBO will be cutting the runtime considerably when the George RR Martin-inspired drama returns.
House of the Dragon’s second season will consist of just eight episodes, HBO has confirmed.
Following the success of the 10-part follow-up to Game of Thrones last year, Deadline has reported the next outing will be cut down by two episodes.
Production on the second season is about to begin in the UK and is expected to premiere in the summer 2024.
While fans are eager to see the critically acclaimed spin-off return, many were frustrated with the decision and questioned whether eight episodes will be long enough to tell the full story.
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On Twitter, @GOThistorian insisted: “Eight episodes is insufficient to truly tell this story correctly.
“Season one was too short. A lot of important content was cut. How can they possibly convey what happens in just eight episodes?”
@1Hard2decipher said: “Two years, eight episodes? We’d better be getting a good two hours of footage for each episode.”
@FernandaSalcido fumed: “Enough. I’ve had it and the season hasn’t even filmed yet.”
Over on Reddit, one user commented: “I understand why, but I am so bummed most seasons of big shows are 8-10 episodes every two years.”
u/Horvat53 added: “TV show seasons have gotten way too short. I know budget is an issue, but damn.”
And u/fcocyclone said: “Three year gaps while also being short as f***k seasons.
“Yes, 25 episode seasons like we used to have are too much, but we need to settle on a happy medium, like 12-15.”
Many more fans have also expressed disappointment with HBO making fans wait two years or more for increasingly shorter seasons.
However, others argued cutting the season down means the showrunners can ensure consistent quality across the board.
Deadline’s report claims the series was initially meant to return with another 10-episode arc before plans changed.
There have since been some major rewrites, with some huge plot points being moved to the third season.
This reportedly includes a massive battle scene, which could now kick off the third instalment instead of capping off the second.
After the changes, House of the Dragon is now more likely to run for four seasons, though this has yet to be officially confirmed.
Season three has reportedly been mapped out, and is currently awaiting the greenlight from HBO.
House of the Dragon is available to stream on HBO Max in the USA and Sky Go and NOW in the UK.
