House of the Dragon debuted on HBO back in 2022, and the network quickly renewed the drama to guarantee that fans would get a second season. Unfortunately, fans have also been waiting a long time to find out what happens next after one death all but guaranteed a Targaryen civil war. Now, more than a full year after the Season 1 finale, we know when the show will be back, and viewers are already preparing for battle.
HBO network chief Casey Bloys revealed at a press event that House of the Dragon Season 2 is set to premiere in "early summer" of 2024, according to Variety. The outlet also revealed that members of the press at a media presentation viewed the first trailer for the eight episodes of the second season, but that footage hasn't been released publicly at the time of writing.
The "early summer" release window was enough to get plenty of fans excited, however, and they took to social media to share their thoughts!
Next summer🔥🔥🔥🔥 #HouseOfTheDragon pic.twitter.com/5MHkuGDc9qNovember 2, 2023
This person on social media celebrated the news with some very appropriate fire emojis and gif of the Season 1 finale scene that featured Daemon Targaryen risking life and limb to sing to one of the dragons in House of the Dragons that wasn't actually his. Vermithor didn't immediately roast the Targaryen prince, so The Bronze Fury may be on the side of the Blacks, a.k.a. the supporters of Queen Rhaenyra.
Other fans are rooting for the Greens – a.k.a. the supporters of the Hightower branch of the Targaryen family tree – instead. One person on X (previously known as Twitter) showed who has their loyalty. @sansamelancholy posted a clip of Queen Alicent and wrote:
tuning in for the queen ✌🏽
The Targaryen civil war hasn't even started in earnest yet, and sides are being taken! Fire and blood are sure to follow the Season 1 finale cliffhanger after Rhaenyra got the news that Aemond had caused Lucerys' death. The Greens have fewer dragons than the Blacks, but any readers of George R.R. Martin's source material have an idea of how bad it's going to get between the two factions.
A member of the HOTD cast took to social media to celebrate the news as well. Abubakar Salim will portray Alyn of Hull in Season 2, and he wrote on X:
Let’s rock.
Another fan on social media wasn't exactly subtle about which side they're supporting in House of the Dragon, going full caps lock to hype Daemon and Rhaenyra returning to HBO in summer 2024. Take a look at what @VISVNYA posted:
THE TRAILER FOR HOUSE OF THE DRAGON SEASON 2 WAS OFFICIALLY SHOWN TO MEDIA! SEASON 2 SHOULD PREMIERE IN SUMMER OF 2024!! DAEMYRA NATION AND TEAM BLACK—YALL BETTER MANIFEST THAT SHIT IS GOOD!
Emma D'Arcy, who took over the role of Rhaenyra after the Season 1 time jump, opened up about bringing the "ick factor" to Daemon and Rhaenyra's relationship, but their status as uncle and niece hasn't stopped fans from rooting for them! If the world of Westeros is any indication, real-life morality doesn't always apply in shows like Game of Thrones.
For all that viewers seem prepared to go to war on behalf of the Alicent and the Greens or Rhaenyra and the Blacks, the consensus seems to be excitement that we finally know when House of the Dragon will return, and one person on social media chose a Viserys Targaryen gif to express their feelings:
S2 of the #HouseOfTheDragon will premier in summer 2024🔥 pic.twitter.com/WUh1a5NX4wNovember 2, 2023
HBO has not announced a precise date for the first episode of Season 2, but "early summer" of 2024 could mean as early as May, and I wouldn't expect any later than June. That's still more than half a year away, but getting an update is a relief to me in a 2023 TV schedule that is missing a lot of other scripted shows due to the WGA strike and SAG-AFTRA strike..
For now, you can always revisit the ten-episode first season of House of the Dragon streaming with a Max subscription, as well as every season of Game of Thrones.
