House of the Dragon has managed to set a streaming record despite receiving lower ratings than the first season. Continuing the story of the house of Targaryen, the Game of Thrones spinoff debuted season 2 this past week on June 16. House of the Dragon season 2 will air weekly episodes through August. The series features a talented leading cast including Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Fabien Frankel, Graham McTavish, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Matthew Needham, and Ewan Mitchell.

As per Variety, House of the Dragon has helped set a new streaming record despite underperforming the first season. The show helped Max have the biggest streaming day in its history. House of the Dragon contributed 7.8 million views, which was lower than the premiere of season 1, which had 10 million views. The difference in views was likely attributed to the fact that Max as a streaming service became more popular and accessible globally between the season 1 and season 2 premieres, so some of the House of the Dragon season 1 views came from the HBO broadcast.

How Is House of the Dragon Season 2 Being Received?

Despite the decreased number of views from House of the Dragon season 1 to season 2, the view count for the sophomore season is still a good sign. Getting viewership this high comes rarely for Max, and it means that the series has staying power despite initially premiering almost two years ago. The record also bodes well for the success of Max’s international streaming platform, as House of the Dragon’s record-setting premiere will likely keep more people using the service.

In addition to the viewership numbers, House of the Dragon season 2 is also receiving positive reviews. At the time of writing, season 2 holds a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes. This rating makes the season almost exactly on par with House of the Dragon season 1’s 93% debut. Both seasons are also well-liked by fans, with the first season getting an 82% audience approval score and season 2 thus far holding an even higher 87%.

House of the Dragon’s success bodes well for the Game of Thrones universe, which had fallen from critics’ good graces in the final season. House of the Dragon returns the GoT universe to its pre-Game of Thrones season 8 reception. For a franchise that already has more spinoffs planned, this reception and the TV ratings are tremendously hopeful news for the future as they embark on further projects.

Source: Variety