“House of the Dragon” is an American fantasy drama series and prequel to HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” Created in 2022 by George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal, the series is based on events in Martin’s 2018 book “Fire & Blood,” which follows the Targaryen dynasty in the fictional continent of Westeros. It takes place nearly 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones” and about 100 years after the Targaryens united the Seven Kingdoms.

“House of the Dragon” received a straight to series order from HBO in October 2019, just a few months after “Game of Thrones,” the cabler’s most-watched series. Five days after the first episode marked HBO’s most-watched series premiere to date, with nearly 10 million viewers, the show was renewed for Season 2. “House of the Dragon” stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Rhys Ifans, Fabien Frankel, Graham McTavish, Matthew Needham, Jefferson Hall, Harry Collett, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, Phia Saban, Bethany Antonia and Phoebe Campbell. Condal and Miguel Sapochnik served as showrunners for the first season, but Sapochnik exited the series ahead of Season 2. “House of the Dragon” is the second television series spun out of Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” franchise. There are several others in development, including a spinoff series based on “Game of Thrones” fan favorite Jon Snow (Kit Harington). “House of the Dragon” became a commercial and critical darling, winning best television series at the 80th Golden Globe Awards. Its first season nabbed nine Emmy nominations.