Despite Game of Thrones becoming the biggest HBO show of all time, receiving both critical acclaim and worldwide popularity, the final season left a sour taste in a lot of people’s mouths. Over a million viewers signed a petition to have season 8 remade “with competent writers” and people completely swore off the franchise. Even when we started to hear about the planned spinoffs, there were plenty of former fans who said they would never, ever watch another Game of Thrones show.
Well, House of the Dragon, the first spinoff that’s made it to air, proved those claims wrong.
House of the Dragon is one of the best shows of 2022, and the fans know it
House of the Dragon, based on the book Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin, is set over 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones. It revolves around members of House Targaryen back when it was at the height of its power. King Viserys sits on the Iron Throne. Without a son to name his successor, he chooses his daughter Rhaenyra as his heir. The first season spans around two decades as we learn about the catalysts for the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.
Though many were cautiously optimistic about House of the Dragon and others still swore not to watch it, there’s no doubt people were talking about it even leading up to the premiere. The official trailer on HBO Max’s YouTube account has a whopping 23M views, so it’s safe to say people were curious about the show, even if they said they weren’t interested. And once the series came out, the numbers speak for themselves.
Nearly 10 million people tuned in for the first episode of House of the Dragon on August 21, breaking the record for HBO’s biggest premiere ever. The finale, which pulled in 9.3 million viewers, became the second-biggest HBO finale ever, right after the Game of Thrones series finale. And there are still some who say people no longer care about Game of Thrones. Riiiiiiiiight.
Not only were the ratings good for House of the Dragon, but it was really all anyone could talk about on social media week after week. The live-tweeting was so fun for the fandom, as were the many, many hilarious memes to come out of each episode. TikTok exploded with actor interviews, reactions to big moments, and theories. Who could ever forget Emma D’Arcy becoming a meme for talking about her favorite drink, a negroni sbagliato with processo in it? Bartenders around the world rued the day that video came out, and now the TikTok remix is stuck in my head.
The Game of Thrones fandom might not have loved everything about the first season of House of the Dragon, but the passion was undoubtedly there. The fans of George R.R. Martin’s universe, both old and new, showed up for the prequel in full force. If House of the Dragon proved one thing, it’s that fandom isn’t coming; it’s here.
House of the Dragon is FanSided’s Fandom of the Year! Read the 2022 list here.
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