House of Dragon made history when it aired on Aug 21 on HBO and HBO Max with 9.99 million viewers tuning in. Warner Bros Discovery said it was the largest ever in the network’s history.
The series is a prequel to Game of Thrones which aired in 2011 with 4.2 million viewers. However its final season saw that number increase to 17.9 million.
House of Dragon is largely based on the 2018 novel Fire & Blood from the series co-creator George R.R. Martin and is set 200 years before Game of Thrones.
It revolves around the House of Targaryen and the events leading up to and covering the the Targaryen war of succession, also known as the Dance of the Dragons.
The series received more than double the same day viewership of Netflix’s Stranger Things season 4 which was released on May 27.
“It was wonderful to see millions of Game of Thrones fans return with us to Westeros last night. House of the Dragon features an incredibly talented cast and crew who poured their heart and soul into the production, and we’re ecstatic with viewers positive response,” said HBO and HBO Max’s chief content officer Casey Bloys.
The lead characters in House of Dragon are King Viserys 1 Targaryen who is the fifth king of the Seven Kingdoms. He was chosen by a council of lords to succeed his father Jaehaerys and has the reputation of a good and decent king. Paddy Considine plays the King.
Next is Prince Daemon Targaryen played by Matt Smith. He is the younger brother of King Viserys. Emma D’Arcy is Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, King Visery’s eldest child. She is a dragon rider and pure blood Valyrian.
Olivia Cooke is Lady Alicent Hightower the daughter of Ser Otto Hightower, who is raised in the Red Keep and is a part of the King’s inner circle. She is also known as the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms.
The first season of the series comprises of 10 episodes.
See More News: Pierce Brosnan defends wife who is fat-shamed and told to get weight loss surgery