Daenerys looking to the side in Game of Thrones
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Lewis Glazebrook
Published 56 minutes ago
Lewis is a Lead Writer for Screen Rant and has written for the site since 2022. This has allowed Lewis to explore a vast array of films, TV shows, books, comic books, and games from across the mainstream world of pop culture, reflecting his lifelong love of all media and typifying his experience in the world of fiction storytelling. To top this off, Lewis graduated from Northumbria University with First Class Honours in Film & TV Studies, truly exemplifying his experience in the medium.
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Thanks to a recent update, it has become clear that House of the Dragon is officially fixing Game of Thrones season 8. House of the Dragon was the first Game of Thrones spin-off, looking to capitalize on the popularity of the latter show. However, despite the peak of the HBO epic being incredibly high, Game of Thrones' ending was divisive.
The show's final two seasons were considered rushed, ending years-long plot threads and character arcs unsatisfyingly. As House of the Dragon season 3 looms, many are hoping that the HBO spin-off will not suffer the same fate. Thankfully, due to a recent update about House of the Dragon's production, the show is officially fixing Game of Thrones' mistakes.
House Of The Dragon Won't Have To Rush Things Like Game Of Thrones Season 8
On November 20, 2025, months before House of the Dragon season 3's summer 2026 release date, HBO renewed the show for season 4. This renewal came with the recap that showrunner Ryan Condal once claimed House of the Dragon would end after four seasons. That said, a new update about this has come to light.
As reported by Deadline, the news from HBO about House of the Dragon's season 4 renewal did not make any mention of it being the final season. The sources used for the report indicate that Condal is still in the midst of writing the show's fourth season, and that this could change whether it is the final installment of House of the Dragon.
Reportedly, Condal is set to make a decision on when to end House of the Dragon after completing the initial scripting process for season 4. What this means is that House of the Dragon will have the freedom of when to finish. Condal is not rushing into things by blindly sticking to the initial plan that four seasons will be enough to end the show.
Instead, Condal will let the writing do the talking, thus indicating when House of the Dragon should end naturally. As opposed to rushing to an ending that may not be satisfying, à la Game of Thrones season 8, House of the Dragon's creator will make an informed decision based on where the story of season 4 ends up.
Game Of Thrones' Final Two Seasons Were Not Enough For A Satisfying Ending
King Bran at the end of Game of Thrones
This raises the unfortunate truth that Game of Thrones' final two installments were simply not enough to conclude the show in a rewarding way. After six seasons, each containing 10 episodes, Game of Thrones' creators, David Benioff and Dan Weiss, reduced season 7 to seven episodes and the show's final season to six episodes.
At the time, the duo insisted this was enough to finish the story they envisioned for Game of Thrones, but the divisive reaction to seasons 7 and 8 said otherwise, at least in the eyes of audiences. Ultimately, Game of Thrones was deemed to have one of the most disappointing endings in TV history.
This was primarily due to how quickly plot points spread across multiple seasons, like the Night King's invasion, were concluded, as well as how character arcs were either drastically reduced in importance or completely cast aside, such as Jon Snow's status as the true heir to Westeros.
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Posts 3Arguably, a big reason for all of this was the rigidity about the show ending after eight seasons. Reports indicated that HBO offered Benioff and Weiss several more seasons and episodes to conclude Game of Thrones as it deserved, but that the creators insisted on only two more seasons of seven and six episodes, respectively.
As it turns out, House of the Dragon will not have this problem.
Condal's indecision about whether season 4 of the show will be its last is actually a good thing, as it proves the show could continue beyond that, if necessary. Seemingly, House of the Dragon's story is being positioned as the main factor in the decision to continue the show beyond season 4 or not.
Why House Of The Dragon Might Need More Than 4 Seasons
The freedom that Condal has with House of the Dragon is promising, especially because the show may need more than four seasons to wrap up its story. The original story for House of the Dragon season 2's ending included two more episodes that were eventually cut and moved to the beginning of season 3.
This means that, in terms of how the story was initially planned, season 3 will not technically start until a few episodes into the next installment. If HBO continues to push for eight episodes going into House of the Dragon seasons 3 and 4, the show may have to continue beyond the latter.
If this is the case, a fifth season to wrap up any lingering plot threads could be necessary. If so, it seems as though Condal will be able to commit to House of the Dragon season 5.
House Of The Dragon Can Save Game Of Thrones' Legacy
Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones
By rectifying the biggest problem with Game of Thrones' enduring legacy, its ending, House of the Dragon can save the franchise. House of the Dragon season 1 was considered a return to form after Game of Thrones' finale, but season 2 of the former received a slightly more negative response.
Evidently, House of the Dragon is not without its own issues, but it has remained consistently enjoyable thus far. If seasons 3 and 4, and, indeed, any potential installments beyond that, continue to be so and House of the Dragon ends in a way that satisfies, the bad taste that still lingers years later from Game of Thrones' ending could be washed away.
Adding to this, the potential of other Game of Thrones spin-offs, such as 2026's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and the legacy of the franchise could be saved. Gone will be the notion that Game of Thrones is dominated by its poor ending. In its place will be House of the Dragon with its own satisfying conclusion, having fixed Game of Thrones season 8, and other enjoyable adventures in Westeros.
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House of the Dragon
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Drama Action Fantasy Release Date August 21, 2022 Network HBO Directors Clare Kilner, Geeta Patel Writers Gabe Fonseca Franchise(s) Game of Thrones
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Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) in armor in House of the Dragon season 2
Rhaenyra wearing a crown and looking sad in House of the Dragon
Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) in a green dress in House of the Dragon season 2
Sam c Wilson in House of the Dragon
ryam redwyne leading a group in house of the dragon
Matt Smith as Daemon placing his hand on the weirwood tree while Alys River stands behind him in the House of the Dragon season 2 finale
Alyn (Abubakar Salim) in armor sails out to the fleet in House of the Dragon season 2 Episode 8Image via Max
Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) standing on Dragonstone with Syrax, Vermithor, and Silverwing in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7
Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) covered in ashes after the dragon attack in House of the Dragon season 2 episode 4
Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen's baby sons in House of the Dragon season 2 episode 2Image via MaxClose
Cast
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Matt Smith
Prince Daemon Targaryen
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Fabien Frankel
Ser Criston Cole
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