House of the Dragon Returns for a Second Season on the Max Platform

Joe Parker

house of the dragon return

After two years of anticipation, the hit series House of the Dragon is back for a second season, promising more blood, fire, and power struggles—the very elements that made its predecessor, Game of Thrones, a massive success. Starting June 17, French viewers can catch the new season on the Max platform.

Delayed But Highly Anticipated

The significant delays caused by the writer and actor strikes in the United States pushed the arrival of these eight new episodes back by several months. Set on the mythical continent of Westeros, the story takes place nearly two centuries before the events of Game of Thrones.

Max, which launched in France on June 11, is the new streaming giant with nearly 100 million subscribers worldwide. This debut was delayed due to the massive 2022 merger between WarnerMedia, the parent company of HBO and CNN, and Discovery (Eurosport). JB Perrette, the president of streaming activities for Warner Bros. Discovery, acknowledged the delay but expressed ambitions to quickly integrate Max into the top three paid platforms in France, where Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ currently lead the market.

A Rich Catalogue to Compete

Max is banking on its extensive catalogue, featuring prestigious HBO productions such as Game of Thrones, the Harry Potter franchise, and popular series like Friends and The Big Bang Theory, all of which will be exclusively available on Max for streaming. Alongside multiple distribution partnerships, notably with Canal+, Max aims to attract a substantial French audience.

Bigger and More Solemn

House of the Dragon picks up where the first season left off, with Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), daughter of the deceased King Viserys, vying for the throne against her newly crowned half-brother, Aegon (Ty Tennant). While the plot details of the second season are closely guarded, fans speculate from the circulating clips that women and dragons will play pivotal roles—dragons, which only featured in the later seasons of Game of Thrones, are set to be central from the start.

“Everything is bigger—there are more locations for the intrigues and battles,” said George R.R. Martin, the creator of this universe, in a promotional video. “It’s a very immersive world. Even though it’s thrilling and spectacular at times, I think the relationships between characters will keep viewers coming back,” Ryan Condal, the showrunner, told AFP.

A Darker Tone

Condal described House of the Dragon as darker and more “solemn” compared to Game of Thrones, which was known for its colorful characters, dark humor, and sometimes shocking scenes. “This series focuses mainly on the Targaryen family. However, we will introduce several new characters from less privileged backgrounds,” he explained. “A lot of the original series‘ humor came from the cultural clash between people from different walks of life.”

Unpredictable Power Dynamics

The show’s most unpredictable character remains Daemon (Matt Smith), Rhaenyra’s uncle and husband, who is loyal to his queen yet obsessed with the throne. “Daemon remains the most unstable character, but I hope there will be many more like him this season,” Condal affirmed.

“House of the Dragon can be seen as a metaphor for nuclear power. There are two superpowers, the House of Black and the House of Green, both with dragons. But these dragons are living beasts, and just because a human rides a dragon doesn’t mean they control it,” he elaborated. Excitingly, the writing for the third season is already underway.

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