It sounds like House of the Dragon season 3 will repeat this disappointing trend

Ever since the enormous success of Game of Thrones, studios and streamers have tried to create their own epic fantasy hits, from The Wheel of Time to The Witcher to The Rings of Power to House of the Dragon, itself a Game of Thrones prequel. But one thing that's consistently annoyed fans is that while each new season of Game of Thrones had 10 episodes and came out once per year (at least until the last couple of seasons), all of the other shows I mentioned generally have around eight episodes per season, with those seasons coming out multiple years apart. It feels like we're waiting longer for less.

House of the Dragon is one of the better post-GoT fantasy series, but it's also fallen prey to this issue. The first season, which aired in 2022, ran a full 10 episodes and generally was received very well. The second season came out in 2024, only had eight episodes, and was received less well. While I wouldn't put the show's problems down to the reduced episode count, it didn't help. In particular, the season 2 finale felt weirdly empty and anticlimactic; it was obvious that more episodes were planned but that something happened behind the scenes that forced the producers to alter course.

Production on the third season is due to start up soon. For a while, I've suspected that we're again only going to get eight episodes; showrunner Ryan Condal hinted as much before season 2 started airing. "I would just anticipate the cadence of the show, from a dramatic storytelling perspective, will continue to be the same from Season 2 on," he said. Now, a fan account on X called @HouseTheDragons is reporting that season 3 will indeed have eight episodes, citing their "inside sources."

Now, this isn't the same thing as an official confirmation from HBO, but @HouseTheDragons has been pretty reliable in the past, and this fits with what we've heard about the new season. Frankly, it makes me a little nervous for what's to come. House of the Dragon is based on the book Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin, and there is a lot of story left to cover if HBO wants to wrap the show up in four seasons like it plans. At least one major battle was pushed from the end of season 2 to the beginning of season 3, and there's lots to come after that, including several huge events in King's Landing and clashes throughout the Seven Kingdoms, not to mention a sizable epilogue. It's hard to see how Condal and his team could cram all that into two more eight-episode seasons without major cuts or big changes.

House of the Dragon has already shown itself willing to make huge changes to the source material, and I'd argue that the more it changes, the weaker the show has become. George R.R. Martin seemed to be fed up with it, taking the surprising step of speaking out against the direction of the show publicly and warning of "more toxic" changes potentially to come. On the other hand, at least this year, Condal and company will know ahead of time that they're only getting eight episodes to work with and can plan the story with that in mind, rather than having the episode count reduced mid-production.

Cregan Stark actor Tom Taylor (maybe) preps for House of the Dragon season 3

In less stressful news, star Tom Taylor — who plays the lord of Winterfell Cregan Stark — shared on his Instagram Stories that he was back at a boxing gym called Hurricane Training UK, above. This might mean nothing more than that Taylor likes to exercise...but it could also mean that Cregan Stark will feature more in the upcoming season! We only saw him the once in season 2, for a fleeting moment right atop the Wall in the season premiere.

Whatever it looks like, House of the Dragon season 3 will likely premiere on HBO and Max sometime in 2026. In the meanwhile, there's a new Game of Thrones prequel called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms coming out later this year.

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