After the debacle of the final season of Game of Thrones, the decision to make a spin-off of the fantasy series was perhaps something of a risk. Many fans of the original TV series had come away severely disappointed, but it seems House of the Dragon has pulled everyone back in.
House of the Dragon takes place over 170 years before the events of the original show and Daenerys Targaryen’s fall to madness. The show details the fall of the Targaryen royal family and the historical drama series has it all; backstabbing, murder, and monarchs clinging onto power. It’s bloody good too, as you can see from our House of the Dragon episode 5 review.
It’s so good in fact, that the show is breaking all kinds of records for its distributor HBO. According to Variety, the viewing figures are rising week on week as more and more people tune in to see what’s going on in Westeros.
Apparently, episode 5 brought in 3% more viewers than House of the Dragon episode 4. Season 1 of the show is now averaging roughly 29 million viewers each week, which is simply astounding.
To put it into perspective, season 8 and 9 of Game of Thrones was pulling in an average of 44 million viewers per week, so House of the Dragon still has some way to go before it can truly claim the Iron Throne.
But, as the show moves into the second half of its first season, to be approaching 30 million viewers is some feat. It will be fascinating to see how that number evolves over time as more and more people buy into the Targaryen hype.
If you’re enjoying the show, you may find our guide to Alicent Hightower’s green dress useful. Or, dive into the backstory of Ser Criston Cole to see what this new Game of Thrones character is all about. Finally check out our guide explaining everything you need to know about the Game of Thrones dragons.