House of the Dragon season 2 has garnered impressive reviews ahead of its release, cementing Westeros' comeback story after the controversial Game of Thrones season 8 finale.
When we sat down with showrunner Ryan Condal to discuss the upcoming new season of House of the Dragon, we asked whether the conversation surrounding the prequel series as a redemption for the original show and its much-discussed finale is ever something that's on his mind.
"We're our own story," he says. "Myself and all of the creative people that make the show, the team of writers around me, and HBO for that matter: our challenge comes from within. And we know that, now that we've made this series that people have really engaged with, the expectation will just keep getting higher and higher to keep topping ourselves and delivering more unexpected twists and turns as we go along, and also a very satisfying character story. All that pressure is quite enough, for me and for us. And that's also the thing that we can control to an extent, is how well we do internally on delivering on expectations and evolving the story and all the things that challenge us day in and day out on this. So, that's what I'm focused on."
House of the Dragon season 2 will focus on the next chapter in the bloody Targaryen civil war, which became known as the Dance of the Dragons. Expect plenty of fire and blood, then.
The new season launches on Sky and NOW on Monday 17 June in the UK, and HBO and Max on Sunday 16 June in the US. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming new TV shows to get excited about.
For more from Condal, check out our pieces on:
- House of the Dragon season 2 showrunner on why Blood and Cheese is nothing like Game of Thrones' Red Wedding
- House of the Dragon showrunner teases season 3: "You don't want to end up in that place where you're doing the same thing again and again"
- House of the Dragon season 2 showrunner breaks down the complicated relationship between Daemon and Rhaenyra: "Conflict is the order of the day"
- House of the Dragon season 2 showrunner says Rhaenyra and Alicent's bond is still the heart of the show: "We understand that these two women are connected"
