House of the Dragon: Why Season Two of the HBO Series Will Be Shorter

House of the Dragon is gearing up for its second season. Production for the eight-episode season began last month, and so far, the writers' strike has not impacted filming.

Starring Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans, the series is a prequel to Game of Thrones following the origins of the House Targaryen.

Francesca Orsi, HBO Drama Chief, spoke about season two of the fantasy and its future beyond that in a recent press call, and fans could see the prequel for several more seasons. The original plan has been four seasons, but the series could continue beyond that.

Orsi said the following about the series' future, per Deadline:

"It hasn't been finalized yet, it's still under discussion. [George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal] are going to meet after the writers strike. They had originally planned to meet before the strike took place and that was to figure out at what point the series itself was going to end. Is it four seasons? I don't think from where I sit at this point will be any less than four. But could be more. We'll see."

As for season two of House of the Dragon, it is shorter than season one. There is a reason for that, and it has to do with the story, per Orsi. She said the following about the shortened season:

"There was some question about the narrative shape of Season 2. We were developing it with Ryan Condal and [EP] Sara Hess, and we realized that we were sort of treading water narratively in the middle of the season. So it just felt much more rigorous, more urgent emotional arc for our characters if we compressed the season. And then that also dictated how we would kick off Season 3."

The premiere date for House of Dragon season two will be announced later.

What do you think? Are you excited to see more of this series on HBO?