Olivia Cooke as Queen Alicent Hightower lighting candles at the sept in House of the Dragon season 2 episode 1
(HBO)

The Targaryen Civil War Is Just Getting Started in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2

Sunday night HBO is so f*cking back.

After being deprived of blood, dragons, and gasp-worthy betrayals for well over a year, a new season of House of the Dragon is finally upon us. Now that the first two episodes have landed on HBO and Max, here’s when you can expect the rest of season 2 to roll out on streaming.

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“The Dance of the Dragons” is in full swing now that #TeamBlack has delivered on its promise: a son for a son. Coincidentally, this is the title of the first episode of House of the Dragon season 2, which premiered on HBO and Max on Sunday, June 16 to positive fanfare from both fans and critics alike. With the sophomore season continuing its adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s novel Fire & Blood, war is, at last, on the brink for a divided House Targaryen as Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), and their heirs hash it out for the Iron Throne and power over the Seven Kingdoms.

Yes, Sunday night HBO is so f*cking back, meaning you should probably prepare to cancel plans over the next several weeks. Things are just getting started, and based on what’s to come, you won’t want to miss a minute of House of the Dragon season 2—especially now that the show has been renewed for a third season.

When do new episodes of House of the Dragon come out?

As things continue to rev up between Team Black and Team Green, fans can expect new episodes of House of the Dragon season 2 to air simultaneously on HBO and its streaming platform, Max, every Sunday at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT. This means this week’s episode will premiere on Sunday, June 30, with subsequent episodes following until the finale on August 4. Here’s the full release schedule for this season:

  • June 16: episode 1, “A Son for a Son”
  • June 23: episode 2, “Rhaenyra the Cruel”
  • June 30: episode 3, TBA
  • July 7: episode 4, TBA
  • July 14: episode 5, TBA
  • July 21: episode 6, TBA
  • July 28: episode 7, TBA
  • August 4: episode 8, TBA

As mentioned, there’s plenty left to come as the story continues to unwind. While House of the Dragon has taken some creative liberties when adapting Fire & Blood for the small screen, the book suggests that things are about to get a whole lot uglier after the Blacks took revenge for the death of Rhaenyra’s son (a.k.a., that brutal retelling of the Blood and Cheese scene) in episode 1, setting the Targaryen Civil War into motion. From the sound of it, Daemon (Matt Smith) might get in the way of his wife’s plans to reclaim the Iron Throne, and he just royally pissed off the current King, Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney)—for good reason, perhaps. Maybe they can just talk it out and live in peace, right? Right?!


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Amanda Landwehr
Amanda is a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer who lives and breathes Star Wars, Marvel, and all things pop culture. She has worked in digital media since 2021, covering the latest movie/TV releases, casting updates, politics, fan theories, and so, so much more. When she's not rotting away behind her laptop screen, you can typically catch Amanda maxing out her AMC Stubs membership.