Viewership for House of the Dragon continues to climb even as the latest episode took a considerable time jump. The Game of Thrones spinoff has been an instant hit, recording the biggest HBO series premiere ever for its first episode. House of the Dragon takes place 200 years before the events in Game of Thrones and features the civil war that broke up House Targaryen. Episodes 1-5 saw Milly Alcock and Emily Carey portray Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Lady Alicent Hightower, respectively, while Episode 6 introduced Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke in the grown-up version of those roles. Fans let House of the Dragon know that a change in actors isn’t enough to stop them from tuning in.
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Variety reports Episode 6 of House of the Dragon, titled “The Princess and the Queen,” had 3% more viewers than Episode 5. This is the third consecutive week House of the Dragon viewership has increased from the previous episode, with Episode 4 growing by 5%, followed by Episode 5 increasing by 3%. These measurements are taken from HBO’s Nielsen ratings on Sunday night across four airings, along with viewers streaming on HBO Max and other platforms the same night. Warner Bros. Discovery has not confirmed the total amount of viewers House of the Dragon had, but the popular series is averaging 29 million viewers per episode in Season 1.
House of the Dragon is losing a few faces behind the scenes that have helped bring the show to life. Executive producer Jocelyn Diaz will not be returning to House of the Dragon for Season 2, and showrunner Miguel Sapochnik is also not returning, with Ryan Condal serving as the sole showrunner for Season 2.
“I mean, look, I don’t know,” Condal told Variety when discussing the possibility of young actors returning to House of the Dragon. He also confirmed writing has begun on Season 2, but the younger Rhaenyra and Alicent “are not a part of the story that we’re telling, yet. That’s not a thing that we’re doing right now.”
However, all hope is not lost. Condal admitted that while “Game of Thrones was not a flashback show,” House of the Dragon can get “a little bit more fancy” with how it wants to tell its story. So if House of the Dragon decides to travel back to the past in future episodes, then Milly Alcock and Emily Carey could return.
“There are things that we haven’t fully sorted out,” he said. “I’m not closing the door on anything. So there, how’s that for an answer?”
