House of the Dragon season 2 showrunner doesn't feel the pressure of following the controversial Game of Thrones season 8: "Our challenge comes from within"

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Exclusive: Ryan Condal talks House of the Dragon expectations

House of the Dragon
(Image credit: HBO)

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:

Molly Edwards
Molly Edwards
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.