Matt Smith in “House of the Dragon” Season 3, Episode 1.
HBO/Theo Whiteman
The Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon returns on June 21 with Season 3, and Rotten Tomatoes critics are nearly unanimous in their praise of the fantasy show’s new episodes.
House of the Dragon, which kicked off in 2022 with Season 1 and returned with Season 2 in 2024, is based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood. House of the Dragon, which chronicles the story of House Targaryen, is set 200 years before the events of HBO’s blockbuster hit series Game of Thrones, which ran from 2011 to 2019.
The third season of the hit fantasy series premieres Sunday, June 21, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and begins streaming on HBO Max at 9 p.m. ET. Season 2 stars Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, James Norton and Dan Fogler, among many others.
The review embargo for House of the Dragon Season 3 was lifted on Monday, and in early reviews, the new set of episodes has earned a 97% “fresh” critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer based on 32 reviews.
RT’s Critics Consensus for the new season reads, “The fate of Westeros comes to a head in a reinvigorated and riveting third season of House of the Dragon, complete with wicked new characters and more thrilling battles, crafting a punchy prequel that matches the expectations of its predecessor.”
RT’s Audience Summary and Popcornmeter score based on verified user ratings are still pending.
What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3?
Alison Herman of Variety is among the top critics on RT who gives House of the Dragon Season 3 a “fresh” score. Herman writes in her RT review summary, “Whether they provide surprise and distraction or anchoring ballast, it’s the people who make House of the Dragon worth enduring the predetermined devastation. The dragons are just the CGI flying lizards on top.”
Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter has reservations about the new season, but writes that his “fresh” score on RT “boils down to me really liking the third episode, liking portions of the fourth and fearing that no matter how much I like the change of direction that occurs in much of those two episodes, House of the Dragon has too much on its plate.”
Lauren Sarner of the New York Post also has issues with House of the Dragon Season 3, but still gives it a “fresh” score. Sarner writes on RT, “There’s a lot of action. Much of it lacks depth, because the characters remain underdeveloped and the story is spread too thin across too many of them. But, this season flows better than the previous two, and it’s more entertaining.”
Also giving House of the Dragon Season 3 a “fresh” score on RT is Ben Travers of IndieWire, who writes, “Not only does the opening hour pay off on the eight episodes of build-up that first aired two years ago, but the ensuing half-season benefits from the focus and unification lent by the results.”
As of the publication of this article, Ben Dowell of The Times (UK) is the only top critic on RT who gives House of the Dragon Season 3 a “rotten” score. Dowell writes of the new season on RT, “All too often it feels so old hat, so reheated and, well, so, so boring.”
House of the Dragon Season 3 premieres Sunday, June 21, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and begins streaming on HBO Max at 9 p.m. ET.
Note: This review roundup of “House of the Dragon” Season 3 will be updated as more reviews are posted and changes to the series’ critics’ score.
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