House of the Dragon is back. The eight-episode third season premiered with “Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood” on June 21 on HBO and HBO Max, marking the show’s return after a two-year gap since Season 2.
The premiere ran a hefty 72 minutes, airing in its usual 9pm ET Sunday slot.
The new season is based on Fire & Blood, George RR Martin’s prequel novel, with Ryan Condal serving as sole showrunner.
The story picks up with Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) having urged her old friend Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) to claim the throne, even as King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) has fled, leaving a power vacuum.
The season tracks the escalating civil war within House Targaryen as rival factions fight for the Iron Throne.
James Norton joins the cast this season as Lord Ormund Hightower. Early reviews have been strong: the season holds a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 44 reviews, and a “generally favorable” 77 out of 100 on Metacritic.
New episodes will roll out weekly through an August 9 finale. The show isn’t officially available in Bangladesh; most local viewers access HBO Max content through VPNs or third-party subscription resellers.