'House of the Dragon' Season 4's 2028 Release Window Confirms the Show's Worst Fate Actorsvaultpro

House of the Dragon has been confirmed for a fourth and final season, but the positive update also comes with some upsetting news. Since Game of Thrones ended in 2019, expectations have been high for HBO’s first prequel series set in Westeros. Unlike A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which will be released in January, House of the Dragon bears the burden of narrative similarity to the original show, and given the disappointment surrounding Season 8, audiences have looked to the prequel for a second chance.

Expectations have always put Game of Thrones at a disadvantage, as the franchise grew to become one of the biggest shows of all time. The series reached a point where audience scenarios for how the show could end far exceeded the possibilities of a television season, even with the astounding resources behind it. Now, House of the Dragon delivers some of the most expansive, high-budget television audiences have ever seen, but the fatal flaw has been its two-year turnarounds for each season.

‘House of the Dragon’ Season 4 Will Take Another Two Years

House of the Dragon Season 3

HBO

House of the Dragon Season 2’s ending was extraordinarily frustrating for audiences who had waited two years to see the Dance of the Dragons unfold. After season 1 primarily focused on set-up, Season 2 had one battle, and ended with the notion of more set-up. Now, with another nearly two-year wait between Season 2’s finale and Season 3’s release date, expectations are higher than ever for House of the Dragon, which could be a make-or-break title for the Game of Thrones franchise’s longevity.

HBO renewed House of the Dragon for Season 4, but the caveat is the planned release date: 2028. Sure, House of the Dragon Season 3 is planned to have several battles, quenching audiences’ thirst for action, and that’s great. While I strongly disagree with the hypothesis that the lack of battles is the problem with House of the Dragon, I can certainly see where audiences are coming from, being frustrated about the extensive waits between seasons.

With House of the Dragon being renewed early, months before Season 3’s premiere, I simply don’t understand what’s stopping them from expediting the process and filming early. As soon as post-production is done on House of the Dragon Season 3, the series should launch into production for Season 4. Filming should begin in 2026 at the latest, but a 2028 release date implies they’ll be waiting until Spring 2027, the year before, to begin production again.

If the show ends up being great, delays in release won’t completely tarnish House of the Dragon’s legacy. However, if the show loses its viewership between seasons because audiences grow tired of waiting, there won’t be anyone to embrace that legacy. This is a real problem for many TV shows right now, and one of the worst trends Hollywood has developed since the Pandemic. The longevity and lifespan of a TV series are massive components of the medium, and need to be taken seriously.