House of the Dragon

:

Season 1
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Aug 21, 2022
Season #: 3, 2, 1
User Score
5.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 615 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 318 out of 615
  2. Mixed: 43 out of 615
  3. Negative: 254 out of 615

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User Reviews

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  1. farukh
    Aug 22, 2022
    0
    knowing that Bran is still going to be a king makes this all thing meaningless
  2. Trunkis
    Aug 22, 2022
    0
    More liberal garbage ruining beloved series
    Same liberal nonsense that is present in every single piece of media produced in the last few years. Black characters that make no sense. Men bad, women good. Teenage girls that are stronger and smarter than men. Just one episode in, and I already know what the main focus and theme is.
  3. Rooseweld
    Aug 21, 2022
    10
    Amazing First Episode, Reminded me of the early seasons of game of thrones, can't wait to see how the rest of this season progress.
  4. OlivierPiel
    Oct 5, 2022
    2
    Onanism in all its inane yet arrogant cultural form. Welcome to the streaming wars for the degenerates!
    Gratuitous brothel scenes for woke hypocrites, childish dragons and wizardry. Gore, guts and sword fights for overweight armchair generals.
    There is a real war for democracy and our civilisation going on, you say? The plebs are not interested. Panem et circenses!
  5. iandizion713
    Aug 30, 2022
    10
    The battle of the throne is back and better than ever. Gonna be so epic watching Dragon riders duke it out.
  6. ULTERIUS
    Nov 18, 2022
    0
    Ruined beyond.......the whole thing is a joke.
    Does not deserve a 75 characters long review. Save your time and watch something else.
  7. Yanni_
    Oct 17, 2022
    10
    Absolute joy and pleasure. Adapting Fire and Blood is extremely hard yet they managed to do it greatly. The casting is excellent, the costumes are somptuous, it needs a slow start to expose everything and understand the plot but the more this serie advances the more mindblowing it is. One of the greatest
  8. MarkoD
    Oct 25, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Definetly must see!!! After game of thrones we have new masterpiece. I agree that in some way there is too much time jumps but thats ok… Expand
  9. Daimonion
    Sep 7, 2022
    10
    A well made show, not as good as the original GoT but a masterpiece in comparison to Rings of Power
  10. ByteMyPixels
    Sep 1, 2022
    7
    Lets get this straight, it is not as good as the first few season of the original, but so far it is better than seasons 7 and 8. It doesn't feel phoned in either, and I am willing to admit I might be carrying some unfair baggage from the last season, but I am going to stick around for this.

    AT LEAST IT ISN'T NETFLIX ADAPTATION QUALITY!!!
  11. samusmaster64
    Aug 21, 2022
    10
    Despite the initial apprehension, “House of the Dragon” has succeeded at being a true adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s work. The scale has been peeled back, abandoning long battle sequences for biting words, political intrigue, and character drama. It may take viewers who enjoyed the spectacle of later seasons of “Game of Thrones” a while to get on board, but fans of Martin’s books andDespite the initial apprehension, “House of the Dragon” has succeeded at being a true adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s work. The scale has been peeled back, abandoning long battle sequences for biting words, political intrigue, and character drama. It may take viewers who enjoyed the spectacle of later seasons of “Game of Thrones” a while to get on board, but fans of Martin’s books and the lore of Westeros are in for a treat.… Expand
  12. Tvlovr702
    Aug 22, 2022
    1
    I watched the first episode and was underwhelmed. The dialogue was mediocre, the characters were not interesting, the plot was simplistic and dull, and it is devoid of humor. The theme, which permeated the entire first episode, was that women are perpetual victims of men who are either all evil, all brutes, or all weak-willed idiots. It lacked the excitement, expanse and awe of GoTI watched the first episode and was underwhelmed. The dialogue was mediocre, the characters were not interesting, the plot was simplistic and dull, and it is devoid of humor. The theme, which permeated the entire first episode, was that women are perpetual victims of men who are either all evil, all brutes, or all weak-willed idiots. It lacked the excitement, expanse and awe of GoT along with interesting and witty characters such as Tyrion, Littlefinger, Varys, and Arya. Daenerys had more personality in her little finger (no pun intended) than Rhaenyra has in her entire body. I was incredibly bored watching it and do not feel compelled to watch any more. It's sad that this show doesn't seem intent on giving us the cerebral dialogue I loved between Varys and Littlefinger or the humorous insights of Tyrion. Very disappointing. I guess that is the problem when the source material is basically a history book and not a novel.… Expand
  13. Lookingforheart
    Aug 23, 2022
    0
    What the heck happened? I have to say first and foremost that I loved GOT; the storytelling, world building, acting, and production were excellent. That said, the final season was terrible without the guidance of the books, and the series probably had one of the absolute worst finales i've ever seen in my life. Total rubbish. This is why it puzzles me: George is the co-creator of this andWhat the heck happened? I have to say first and foremost that I loved GOT; the storytelling, world building, acting, and production were excellent. That said, the final season was terrible without the guidance of the books, and the series probably had one of the absolute worst finales i've ever seen in my life. Total rubbish. This is why it puzzles me: George is the co-creator of this and it is based on his work. House of The Dragon is shallow, ugly, and completely illiterate compared to the original books/shows. i did not need to see Dr. Who make his porn debut, and the gratuitous awfulness only escalates all within the first episode. The worst things you saw in GOT are here, right in the first episode, and they seem to just be ramping it up, but not in a campy, Dead Alive way. The dragons are still cool, but i don't care one whit about the characters. Not an iota. Very uncomfortable with the depictions/sexualization of underage girls, even if the actresses are technically of age.

    There were moments in GOT where i thought they'd gone too far in their visual representation, the books were mature, yes, but you can do these things artfully and gracefully. House of Dragons is some weird breed of torture porn crossed with fantasy with none of the outstanding narrative of GOT, and I am not going to watch any further episodes. Disappointing on too many levels to count. Sorry George, but this is ****. You've lost a fan.

    Additionally, my rating is just for the production values, they are good. There is nothing else redeemable about this series. If J.R.R Tolkien were alive in a time he'd seen his work realized this way, he probably would have quit writing. Trash. And if they wanted to tell this story, maybe they should have just told the prequel of Khaleesi. Just awful, truly.    … Expand
  14. NicoTacos
    Aug 21, 2022
    10
    Westeros is finally back. This was such a great start, we can truly see there's so much potential in this show, I had chills.
  15. Mosimores
    Aug 27, 2022
    9
    Very good for first episode Thank you HBO for producing this series
    Please be good to end of it
  16. alpha404
    Aug 25, 2022
    10
    I find the episode of the House of the Dragon series, a wonderful first episode, introducing us to the characters and their political orientations in the world of Westeros. The transitions between scenes are wonderful, shocks in the first episode, and fateful decisions that affect future events. I consider this amazing.
  17. mikep22
    Aug 27, 2022
    8
    It was an interesting start, but without any of the slow character build up that A song of Ice and Fire had, you really are flung in very quickly. There is plenty of potential here for a high quality series, and like the original series, there are no "good guys or bad guys" and all the characters seem to have varying flaws - which should make for interesting watching.
    It will be cool to    It was an interesting start, but without any of the slow character build up that A song of Ice and Fire had, you really are flung in very quickly. There is plenty of potential here for a high quality series, and like the original series, there are no "good guys or bad guys" and all the characters seem to have varying flaws - which should make for interesting watching.
    It will be cool to see how closely it matches its source material "fire and blood" as it progresses.    … Expand
  18. Oldstuff667
    Sep 1, 2022
    9
    Honestly I’ve very much enjoyed the first two episodes and look forward to seeing the dragons as the season goes on. Not going to be as good as got I think, but overall happy with the pacing and acting.
  19. CKhound
    Oct 27, 2022
    10
    A great show that really does take some of the bad tastes out of the last season of Game of Thrones. This is a bit of a different beast though. I love Game of Thrones. And possibly love it slightly more than House of the Dragon, but this is a much different told story. Essentially, where it focuses on one family and one rather small group of main characters that are regularly in contactA great show that really does take some of the bad tastes out of the last season of Game of Thrones. This is a bit of a different beast though. I love Game of Thrones. And possibly love it slightly more than House of the Dragon, but this is a much different told story. Essentially, where it focuses on one family and one rather small group of main characters that are regularly in contact with one, it gives a much different vibe from the Game of Thrones storytelling that has characters that are much removed from one another for seasons, or maybe never met at all. Overall, this has a lot of very good storytelling through character development, and some truly great environment and CGI (the dragons look amazing!). Be careful though, if you are looking for nonstop action, this isn't that. I love action as much as the next person, but this is a season built primarily of story/world building. Be prepared for dialogue, intrigue, and yes, some action. Overall, a perfect show.… Expand
  20. Prosmooth
    Aug 23, 2022
    7
    Was a solid first episode. Surprisingly focused. Has a different feel than GOT, but that's not a bad thing since the last 2 seasons of GOT were awful.
  21. Nietzschebot1
    Aug 21, 2022
    6
    It was just okay. Where GOT attempted to insert as much violence, sex, and general mayhem as it could get away with (at least in the first few seasons), HOD seems as if it is trying to have as little violence, sex, and general mayhem as it can get away with (while still appearing to be edgy). We are in a new moral age, and this series seems to be made in the wake of that age. It mayIt was just okay. Where GOT attempted to insert as much violence, sex, and general mayhem as it could get away with (at least in the first few seasons), HOD seems as if it is trying to have as little violence, sex, and general mayhem as it can get away with (while still appearing to be edgy). We are in a new moral age, and this series seems to be made in the wake of that age. It may prove me wrong, but everything about it so far is much too clean. This, of course, also hurts the drama. Nothing about it provokes winces or shock. And (perhaps consequently), there was also an absence of awe.… Expand
  22. Mathias01
    Aug 22, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Well... after watching the first episode I can already see where this show is going so I might end up not finishing the season. I'll give it another couple of episodes but this start was not a good one. Yeah seeing dragons flying around was cool but some of the characters were a little too tropey. And I saw some hints at wokeness here and there. Subtle but there. And (as was the case for GoT) the violence depicted so far was one sided. During the scene where people were being beaten and rounded up by soldiers one man would say "thief" and a man has his hand cut off. The same man said "rapist" and another man was castrated. Yet no women were accused of anything. Why? Only men are bad? This is a continuation of a disturbing trend in films and TV shows of today.… Expand
  23. Arcadiuz
    Aug 23, 2022
    9
    The first episode is a strong start in the season. I hope HBO can keep the quality.
  24. Irfanullah86
    Aug 25, 2022
    10
    First Episode seems the best. I hope rest of the episodes follow the same path. The pacing was great. VFX and Dolby Atmos support was top notch. The story build up is great. Can't wait for rest of the episodes.
  25. moioiwe
    Aug 30, 2022
    1
    not fun
    what happened with the witty conversation with impressing character?
    dull dull dull
    this is no got
  26. WatchinMovies
    Aug 23, 2022
    5
    The sets and visuals are very nice. The acting is ok but not too convincing. The story is typical of an unfinished work where the writers make up drama that is a caricature of drama. I'm not into gruesome but the "raw" scenes seem all contrived without much real humanity (good and bad) in them. It's not so much the actors that are overacting it's the written scenes. Our recommendationThe sets and visuals are very nice. The acting is ok but not too convincing. The story is typical of an unfinished work where the writers make up drama that is a caricature of drama. I'm not into gruesome but the "raw" scenes seem all contrived without much real humanity (good and bad) in them. It's not so much the actors that are overacting it's the written scenes. Our recommendation is "eh, don't waste much time watching this."… Expand
  27. Drael6464
    Aug 21, 2022
    6
    First episode at least, very mediocre by comparison to GoT. Sound engineering is awful, CGI looks cheap, costuming looks very clean and new, music is unoriginal. The acting is competent, but the story starts very slowly, and there's really only one compelling scene. Few characters stand out as interesting. Targaryen's come across less like a golden age empire, and more like the any otherFirst episode at least, very mediocre by comparison to GoT. Sound engineering is awful, CGI looks cheap, costuming looks very clean and new, music is unoriginal. The acting is competent, but the story starts very slowly, and there's really only one compelling scene. Few characters stand out as interesting. Targaryen's come across less like a golden age empire, and more like the any other house with blond wigs (literally). Pacing is also quite wack.… Expand
  28. Luke9648
    Aug 21, 2022
    4
    One of the worst trends in reboots/remakes/sequels is to rehash too many of the same things from the original. Some of the fan service is just goofy. OH! SHE SAID THE THING!!! One of the other off-putting trends is to make the villain, just, basically, white men in general. I hate the term "woke" but the people claiming wokeness aren't exactly wrong. There's a balance. To life, to theOne of the worst trends in reboots/remakes/sequels is to rehash too many of the same things from the original. Some of the fan service is just goofy. OH! SHE SAID THE THING!!! One of the other off-putting trends is to make the villain, just, basically, white men in general. I hate the term "woke" but the people claiming wokeness aren't exactly wrong. There's a balance. To life, to the human race. Sometimes shows these days seem to just send the message that men are bad. Like we all need to learn our lesson for being evil oppressors of everyone that isn't a white man. It feels like that's where this show is going. I think i could probably map out some basic plot points of where this is going after 1 episode. Another fault is that GoT had what, 25 compelling characters, and this show.... hopes to have some? Eventually? The only real highlight to me is that Matt Smith seems to have the potential to be the next great villain. I doubt i'll stick around.… Expand
  29. teatom
    Sep 1, 2022
    0
    And now Metacritic are going in and changing the wording of peoples reviews.
    How much are HBO paying for that service?
    5th review, deleted by Metacritic 4 times, re-worded by staff once. Horrible behaviour from site admin. The show itself is genuinely bad, though. It's very similar to many Disney/Marvel movies, in that it's massively formulaic and by the numbers. It's as if they took    And now Metacritic are going in and changing the wording of peoples reviews.
    How much are HBO paying for that service?
    5th review, deleted by Metacritic 4 times, re-worded by staff once. Horrible behaviour from site admin.
    The show itself is genuinely bad, though.
    It's very similar to many Disney/Marvel movies, in that it's massively formulaic and by the numbers.
    It's as if they took a questionnaire asking what 16 year-old boys liked about GoT and decided that word was God, and allowed it to dictate what was made.
    Nudity, gore, swearing, cartoonishly bad villains, dragons and pubescent girls on a heros journey.
    Check, check, check, check. check.
    Dull, dull, dull, dull, dull.
    Awful to watch. I sincerely hope the show is cancelled before the second season, to make sure HBO understand that this is such an awful way to make anything that should be driven by creativity, not by some shallow laundry list of what teenagers liked about the last show.    … Expand
  30. danzam
    Sep 3, 2022
    0
    A Game of Thrones Prequel that is a pale reflection of the original: The prequel is so afraid to offend the vocal twitter crowd, it lacks edge, imagination, a compelling story, and memorable characters.
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Most Discussed TV Season of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 43 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 43
  3. Negative: 1 out of 43
  1. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Sep 9, 2022
    70
    Though the acting is exemplary, this grim, glum prequel sorely lacks a Tyrion, an impish jester to puncture the portentousness. [12 - 25 Sep 2022, p.11]
    Read full review
  2. Sioux City Journal
    Reviewed by: Bruce Miller
    Aug 24, 2022
    70
    It’s mainstream fantasy, blessed with sumptuous costumes, compelling settings and those “Avatar”-like swooping dragons. Dragons, in fact, turn up just when the plot needs them most. When the house seems like it’s going to fall, they’re there to shore it up. ... It’s good; it still has time to be great.
    Read full review
  3. Salon
    Reviewed by: Melanie McFarland
    Aug 23, 2022
    60
    "House of the Dragon" takes about five episodes to warm up, which corresponds to the amount of time that we spend with the younger actors playing key roles before a time jump necessitates a casting change. ... Rhaenyra is not Daenerys. She doesn't have a hype squad cheering on her murderous inclinations – yet – or an unearned sense of destiny. She's learning the price of capability and lessons about what it means to be a Targaryen, and a woman, from noble sources and unseemly ones. That combination of influences makes her an enigmatic guide back to a land we haven't forgotten, yet aren't entirely sure we've missed very much.
    Read full review
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