By JUDY SLOANE

Front Row Features

 

HOLLYWOOD-Fans of “House of the Dragon” can celebrate this weekend, because the third season of the popular franchise premiere’s on HBO on Sunday, June 21, 2026 at 9:00 ET/PT, and will be available to stream on HBO Max.Based on Georg R.R. Martin’s novel “Fire & Blood,” the series is set in the fictional continent of Westeros, 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” spotlighting the actions leading up to the decline of the House of Targaryen.Co-creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer Ryan Condal spoke with press from around the world about the upcoming eight-episode season, which will conclude on August 9, 2026.

 

Q: After the very divided reactions regarding the end of season two, did you feel something needed to change in season three, and if so, what?

Ryan Condal: No, we continued on, we had a plan from the outset and we’re going to stick to it, we’re not going to listen to the noise in between.

I realize that this is a four season show, you have to wait two years in between each chapter, but ultimately this is one story we’re telling. To get upset about something midway is to react in the middle of a play that you don’t like the turn that the story took. Wait, because there’s another two acts coming and I think that’s where we are. I get the frustration; it’s a long downtime between seasons. I’m very sorry, but you guys decided to be fans of the show called “House of the Dragon.”

Q: How does season three feel tonally different from the last seasons?

Ryan Condal: I think the tone of the show has been pretty solid and steady since the beginning. This is a Westeros show. It’s a Shakespearean family tragedy. We’ve talked about that a lot in the beginning; I think the mood of the show probably changes a little bit in season three as things get darker and a bit bleaker.

There are fits and starts through season one and season two where you think, well maybe there’s a chance that they will lay down arms and in a different way to sort things out. But I think as more slights are leveled and more loss is experienced on both sides; there is this kind of tit for tat brinksmanship that comes into play where people forget what the first slight was. There’s so much bad baggage that’s carried by all these characters and resentment that as it builds and builds, where they’re willing to go with their willingness to exact vengeance on the other side, or to just simply try to win.

Q: As fans typically expect bigger, more explosive and exciting episodes each season, how do you continue to meet that demand?

Ryan Condal: That’s one of the things that keeps all of us lying awake at night. Thankfully I’m surrounded by a wonderful team that helps me make this show. At the height of this show you have 2,500 people all rowing in the same direction to try to make a singular creative vision, which is a very beautiful thing.

Q: Fans often change their opinions about the characters in the Game of Thrones universe over time. Is there a character in season 3 that you think is going to take us by surprise?

Ryan Condal: Yes, I will point to Aegon Targaryen, to Tom Glynn-Carney and his tremendous performance. We know in the book that Aegon disappears from the narrative for a period and there’s no real recorded history of where he goes or what he’s up to. We know we have point A and point Z, but we don’t know what happened in the letters in between. And that was a fun opportunity for us to craft a [story,] knowing what has to happen, where he has to go. But also putting Aegon through a real character story of challenging hardship and seeing how it goes. I’m very excited for people to see where that story goes.

Q: As the world of Westeros continues to expand, House of the Dragon remains a series with a decidedly dark tone. With that in mind, how much hope is there for a happy ending?

Ryan Condal: Define happy? Do we really expect happy endings in Westeros? I think this show goes to extremely dark places, places we’ve been, and places we’re yet to go. But I will say, one of the big challenges of adapting Fire and Blood is not making this a relentless, bleak death march, just because of the nature of the history.

This one family tears itself apart over whether a woman should sit [on] the throne. And the violence exacted on either side, I will say, with very dark stories and the darkest storm, even the single light through the cloud seems that much brighter.

I think we’re crafting a very faithful adaptation of “Fire and Blood” and the history of Westeros at this point, but I think one of our challenges is trying to leave people with some sense of hope and humanity and launching the Targaryen’s off into their next chapter of their dynasty.