Why HBO’s House of the Dragon suffered sophomore slump as feud between show’s creators is exposed

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The second season of the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, didn’t get as good of a reaction as its first season, and a potential reason for that is now coming to light.

George R.R. Martin, the creator of Game of Thrones, says he and Ryan Condal, the showrunner for House of the Dragon, have been disagreeing about the show’s creative path.

Martin, 77, recently told The Hollywood Reporter that his working relationship with co-creator Condal was very poor. He said that Condal, 47, began to disregard his feedback while making the second season of the show.

I brought Ryan on board,” Martin explained. “I believed we were working as equals, and we had a great relationship throughout the first season. I’d review early versions of the scripts, offer feedback, and he’d make adjustments. It felt like a really successful collaboration – at least, that’s how I saw it.

According to the author, their working relationship changed after a disagreement between Condal and former co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik near the end of the first season, ultimately leading to Sapochnik’s departure from the show.

‘Then we got into season two, and he basically stopped listening to me,’ Martin claimed.

I used to offer suggestions, but they rarely led to any changes. Occasionally, he’d explain why he wasn’t acting on them. More often, he’d just say he’d consider it, but never actually do anything.

Things continued to escalate, and I became increasingly frustrated. Eventually, HBO asked me to share all my notes with them, and they promised to combine them with Ryan’s.

This resulted in Martin publishing a blog post on his website in 2024 where he discussed how the show’s second season differed from the original story, and he also revealed some upcoming plot details.

He shared that he disagreed with a decision made by Condal – the removal of Helaena Targaryen and King Aegon’s young son (played by Phia Saban). He was concerned this change could create problems for the show’s last two seasons.

He also said that certain scenes in his book were stronger than the television series.

As a lifestyle expert who keeps a close eye on what’s trending, let me tell you, if ‘House of the Dragon’ moves forward with certain changes they’re considering for seasons three and four, we could be looking at some real drama – and not the good kind. It sounds like things could get messy, and honestly, potentially damaging to the show’s appeal.

Martin had started his lengthy critique a few days before by saying he planned to discuss all the issues he saw with House of the Dragon.

Shortly after Martin shared his thoughts, HBO issued a statement supporting the decisions made by showrunner Condal and his creative team.

HBO and the team making House of the Dragon are huge fans of George R.R. Martin and his book, Fire & Blood, according to the network.

When a book is turned into a TV show or movie, the show’s creator often has to make tough decisions about which characters and storylines to include, due to the differences between the two formats.

We’re incredibly impressed with the work Ryan Condal and his team have done on the show. With millions of viewers already enjoying the first two seasons, we expect that to continue.

Even with HBO’s support for showrunner Ryan Condal, the second season of House of the Dragon received less positive reviews than its first season.

The first season boasts a 90% ‘fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 84% for season two. 

The show’s first season was highly acclaimed, winning a Golden Globe for Best Drama Series and receiving an Emmy nomination in the same category.

Although the second season received many nominations, they largely recognized the show’s technical achievements – things like costumes and special effects – rather than the performances of the actors or the quality of the writing.

Daily Mail has contacted HBO for comment.

As a huge fan, I’m so relieved to hear that season three of House of the Dragon is still on track to arrive sometime this year, even with all the reported issues happening behind the scenes. I’ve been eagerly waiting and can’t wait to see what happens next!

Fans of Game of Thrones can look forward to a new spin-off series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which will debut on January 18th.

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2026-01-16 03:40