House Of The Dragon Season 4 Will End The Series, Season 3 Shoots Early Next Year

This article contains spoilers for the "House of the Dragon" season 2 finale.

Remember the good old days of TV, when you had enough episodes to really get to know a cast of characters, the shows could get weird and experimental, and you didn't have to wait two years for the next episode? Me neither. 

"House of the Dragon" has a structural problem. Although the show managed to win over many fans after the disastrous final season of "Game of Throne" with a delightful first season, its second season was disjointed, repetitive, and rather inconclusive. Despite a strong start, the show's eight-episode count ended up hurting it as many character arcs stalled for most of the season, and conversations started becoming redundant. It then concluded with a season finale that felt very much like a penultimate episode, cutting what was clearly being set up as the climax of the season and leaving the arc of this season without a culmination or conclusion, just table setting. 

Those thinking the show would leave them hanging before we see such events as the Battle Above the Gods Eye need not worry though. According to Variety, HBO has confirmed that "House of the Dragon" season 3 will start shooting early next year, with the show ending after its fourth season as the Dance of the Dragons draws to a close.

We had heard about the four seasons plan before, as notoriously good planner George R. R. Martin himself proposed it would take four 10-episode seasons to cover the Dance of the Dragons as covered in his book "Fire & Blood." To have the season order confirmed at least lays to rest any theories that the show would either rush its ending the way "Game of Thrones" did or extend it forever in an attempt to milk what's proven to be a very successful prequel.

Except, we still don't know how many episodes the next two seasons will have. When asked if season 3 will also have eight episodes, showrunner Ryan Condal replied, "I haven't had discussions with HBO about it. I would just anticipate the cadence of the show, from a dramatic storytelling perspective, will continue to be the same from season 2 on." That definitely sounds like another eight-episode season, which would be a true shame as "House of the Dragon" already kind of sped through decades of in-world history in its first season, whereas season 2 slowed down a bunch. Judging by how dense the story gets from here on out in the original book, shortening the seasons would not be the greatest idea.

It also doesn't help the budget or the timing the show pushed some major events until next season. Condal acknowledged the lack of the Gullet in season 2 and said the show's creatives were trying to "trying to give it the time and the space that it deserves." Though he promised the battle will happen "very shortly" in terms of the story, he also confessed the magnitude of the event and his need to have "the time, the space to do that at a level that is going to excite and satisfy the fans."

"House of the Dragon" seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Max.