House of the Dragon season 2 announced after record-breaking debut episode

HBO executives have announced the renewal of House of the Dragon for a second season after just one episode having aired.

The series, set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, launched its first episode on Sunday night (21 August).

Earlier this week, it was revealed that House of the Dragon was watched by nearly 10 million people in the US, making it HBO’s most viewed series premiere in the network’s history.

Following the early success of the programme, a second season seemed inevitable and was confirmed by the network on Friday (26 August).

“We are beyond proud of what the entire House of the Dragon team has accomplished with season one,” said Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO Programming, said in a statement.

“Our phenomenal cast and crew undertook a massive challenge and exceeded all expectations, delivering a show that has already established itself as must-see-TV.”

The statement went on to thank the author of the books, George RR Martin, and showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik for “leading us on the journey”.

In conclusion, the message read: “We couldn’t be more excited to continue bringing to life the epic saga of House Targaryen with season two.”

The first episode received many positive reviews and made headlines for a particularly graphic birth scene.

House of the Dragon continues in the UK on Sky Atlantic on Monday 29 August at 2am, before repeating at 9pm later that day.