"House of the Dragon" returns but fails to match the initial buzz

On June 17, the first episode of the second season of "House of the Dragon" appeared on the Max platform. It didn't wow the viewers or ignite emotions. The times of "Game of Thrones" seem unlikely to return with this series, and the viewership of "House of the Dragon" leaves much to be desired.

"Game of Thrones" is one of the most significant pop culture phenomena of recent years. So it’s no wonder that after its huge success, HBO decided to continue benefiting from George R.R. Martin's work. In 2022, we saw the first season of "House of the Dragon," set roughly 200 years before the events of "Game of Thrones." The series' plot is based on a royal chronicle that describes the history of the Targaryen family, titled "Fire & Blood."

The first season of "House of the Dragon" became a hit, although it didn’t recreate online and social media interest and fascination with the story and its characters, as with "Game of Thrones." "House of the Dragon" also received mixed reviews. HBO executives attempted to appease viewers by emphasizing their commitment to prioritizing high-quality scripts. They stated that they focus not on producing a specific number of seasons annually but on developing series that genuinely excite them through exceptional writing.

We also had to wait two years for the second season of "House of the Dragon." HBO once again prepared a dark fantasy featuring nudity, incestuous relationships, and a solid dose of brutal scenes. However, viewers were much less eagerly anticipating this spectacle than before. This is evidenced by the viewership numbers of the first episode (titled "A Son for a Son"), which premiered on June 17.

In North America, 7.8 million users of the Max platform watched it on the day of its premiere, which is a 22 percent drop in popularity compared to the first episode of the first season of "House of the Dragon." Meanwhile, the final episode of the first series reached 9.3 million views.

Samba TV also published viewership results based on Smart TVs available in the United States. These are much less favourable than those published by Warner Bros. Discovery. According to Samba TV, the premiere episode of the second season of "House of the Dragon" generated 50 percent less viewership (1.3 million households) than the premiere episode of the first series (2.6 million households).