House of the Dragon Season 2: Everything You Need To Know - First Reviews, Synopsis and How To Watch

Two years have passed, but this Sunday, we can finally return to the Games of Thrones universe as House of the Dragon season two hits HBO and Max.

Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans return for season two and are joined throughout the season by a host of new cast members.

What Will House of the Dragon Season 2 Be About?

Details on what to expect from season two are slim, with the only information available being:

Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the series, set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” tells the story of House Targaryen.

First Reactions to House of the Dragon Season 2

Critic reviews of season two are slowly landing, and it appears the next chapter promises to deliver.

Landing a 91% Certified Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes from 33 reviews, critics say that House of the Dragon "might just be the best fantasy television show of the decade" and that season two "sets up a tantalizing conflict".

A few negative reviews are floating about, too, which say the show "mistakes confusion for complexity" and that "the characters focus on what we’ve already seen" but otherwise, it seems season two is a hit among critics.

House of the Dragon Season 2 Review Roundup

• London Evening Standard: We spend more time with each of the main characters -- freed from the timehopping constraints of season one -- and as such we get a deeper, more satisfying dive into them. Cooke, in particular, is great as Alicent.

• Decider: For fans of Westeros -- its incestuous soap opera, lavish world-building, and theatrical tragedy -- House of the Dragon Season 2 delivers everything you love and then some. It’s I, Claudius with movie monsters, medieval history sprinkled with magic.

• Empire Magazine: Above all else, House Of The Dragon remains a spiky, acidic human drama; an astute, timely and well-performed study of the way power and wisdom are so often mutually exclusive.

• Looper.com: Between its political maneuvering, trademark set pieces, and engaging main characters, House of the Dragon continues to impress in its second season.

• Seattle Times: House of the Dragon evolves into such smart, thrilling and heartbreaking storytelling that it threatens to become the rare prequel that outshines the original.

How To Watch House of the Dragon Season 2

Season two of House of the Dragon premieres Sunday, June 16 at 9/8c on HBO and Max.