Warner Bros. Discovery has confirmed that 9.99 million viewers tuned in for the House of the Dragon premiere on HBO and HBO Max (via Comicbook.com). It’s a stunning update considering that the first episode of Game of Thrones had 4.2 million viewers on HBO in 2011. That means The Heirs of the Dragon actually had more than double the number of people who tuned in for Winter is Coming. It’s not exactly a huge surprise considering that House of the Dragon has a major advantage by being available on a streaming platform. With that in mind, the success could confirm that the Game of Thrones spin-offs are going to do well with the help of HBO Max.
House of the Dragon Episode 1 opens with a flashback as the first Great Council is called by King Jaehaerys Targaryen to determine his heir. Although his granddaughter Rhaenys Targaryen had a stronger claim, the king chose his grand nephew Viserys I Targaryen to be his heir because there has never been a female ruler. The problem with heirs continues with King Viserys as he later loses his wife and son during a difficult birth. Without a male heir, Viserys is forced to choose between his daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen and his brother Daemon Targaryen to be his heir. Considering that Daemon is an unpredictable individual, Viserys ultimately chose Rhaenyra, making her the first potential queen of Westeros. The first episode of House of the Dragon is titled The Heirs of the Dragon and is now available on HBO and HBO Max. Episode 2 is titled The Rogue Prince and will premiere on Sunday, August 28, 2022.
