The season two finale of Game Of Thrones spin-off House Of The Dragon was watched by fewer people than some season one episodes.
According to IndieWire, the latest episode of the HBO show earned 8.9million viewers in the US last Sunday (August 4) when the season came to a close. It compares to 7.8million viewers for the first episode of the season.
However, this didn’t compare well to four season one episodes, which earned higher viewing figures. The first season premiere had 10million viewers, while the season one finale earned 9.3million viewers.
Likewise, season one episode two topped 10.2million, and episode six 9.3million.
It comes after some fans of House Of The Dragon expressed their disappointment at the lack of narrative progress in the finale of the show’s second season online.
Titled ‘The Queen Who Ever Was’, it saw Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) finally take back her throne, with her husband Daemon (Matt Smith) at her side.
After the episode, fans of the show took to social media to share their thoughts, with some stating that they felt underwhelmed by the climax and its lack of narrative closure.
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The third season of the show has already been commissioned by HBO.
“George [R.R. Martin], [showrunner] Ryan [Condal], and the rest of our incredible executive producers, cast, and crew have reached new heights with the phenomenal second season of House of the Dragon,” said executive vice president of HBO Programming Francesca Orsi in a press release.
“We are in awe of the dragon-sized effort the entire team has put into the creation of a spectacular season two, with a scope and scale that is only rivalled by its heart. We could not be more thrilled to continue the story of House Targaryen and watch this team burn bright again for season three.”
Before that arrives, another Game Of Thrones spin-off, Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, is expected to premiere in “early 2025”, with production rumoured to have already started.
Another prequel 10,000 Ships is also in development. The show would be set 1,000 years before the events of Game Of Thrones, and would follow the events of warrior princess Nymeria. It has been through several different writers, with the most up-to-date info suggesting that Pulitzer Prize–winner Eboni Booth is writing the pilot.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that House Of The Dragon will end with season four.
As per Variety, Condal said the third season was currently being written with plans to go into production early in 2025.
When asked about how long the new season would be, he explained: “I haven’t had discussions with HBO about it. I would just anticipate the cadence of the show, from a dramatic storytelling perspective, will continue to be the same from Season two on.”