How Many Seasons Will House Of The Dragon Have?

How many seasons will House of the Dragon run for? The Game of Thrones prequel brought proved the franchise credentials of Westeros, getting audiences back onside after the controversial ending to its parent show. That’s important for HBO, since the cable outfit has multiple Game of Thrones spinoffs planned – including a Jon Snow sequel, a Corlys Velaryon spinoff, an adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s The Tales of Dunk and Egg, and a show based around Princess Nymeria of Dorne. House of the Dragon‘s success helps the chances of all those, but also guarantees its own future too.

Indeed, House of the Dragon season 2 was confirmed shortly after season 1’s premiere. The show will likely return to HBO in Summer 2024, and with the Dance of the Dragons set to fully begin after House of the Dragon season 1’s ending, it should be even bigger when it does return. However, there is also the question of just how many seasons House of the Dragon will have. Although there isn’t a confirmed number as things stand, there is a very likely answer based on both Martin’s book, Fire & Blood, and comments from the author himself.

House Of The Dragon Will Likely Have 4 Seasons

Assuming all goes according to plan, then House of the Dragon will have four seasons in total, each made up of 10 episodes. Indeed, George R.R. Martin himself thinks House of the Dragon needs four seasons to properly tell its story and, based on season 1 and where the show is going, that does make a lot of sense. While House of the Dragon‘s timeline in season 1 covered around three decades, the Dance of the Dragons itself is far more condensed, taking place over just two years in the book. That means events will be coming thick and fast, even as House of the Dragon expands the source material.

Related: Who Wins The Dance Of The Dragons? It’s Complicated

House of the Dragon having four seasons would allow it to cover everything from Martin’s book with extra detail and then some, and allow a clear narrative progression for the war to come. House of the Dragon season 2 can be the opening battles of the war, season 3 can delve further into the casualties and power changes, and season 4 can bring the story to a close with the end of the war and set up for what comes next. Fewer than four seasons would likely be rushing things, especially as the show can add in its own character development and plot twists, but more would risk stretching it out too much.

When Will House Of The Dragon End?

With House of the Dragon season 2 likely to arrive in the second half of 2024, then that also helps to provide a blueprint for the future. Assuming House of the Dragon‘s remaining seasons have a similar timeframe – which seems reasonable, since it’s hard to imagine production getting any quicker – then that would mean releasing a season every two years. That would mean House of the Dragon season 3 releasing in 2026, and then House of the Dragon season 4 – and the show’s ending – coming in 2028.

Why House Of The Dragon Will Be Much Shorter Than Game Of Thrones

The reason behind House of the Dragon having four seasons compared to Game of Thrones‘ eight seasons is a matter of source material and story. As mentioned, the timeline of the Dance of the Dragons is not a broad one, despite the amount of time covered in House of the Dragon season 1. Game of Thrones covers less time in total, but is otherwise more expansive, especially beyond season 1, with around six-seven years for its main story. It also focuses on more characters and locations in detail, with several houses at its center, whereas House of the Dragon‘s focus is squarely on House Targaryen.

This difference is made even clearer by comparing the books on which the two shows are based on. Fire & Blood is 736 pages total, and the parts that make up House of the Dragon‘s story cover approximately 250 pages. In contrast, A Game of Thrones alone is 694 pages, and that’s the shortest of the novels. The longest A Song of Ice and Fire book is A Dance with Dragons, at 1056 pages, and The Winds of Winter will likely be even longer. With that, then it’s no surprise House of the Dragon will be a lot shorter than Game of Thrones.