House Of The Dragon Season 2 Release Schedule: Max Premiere Dates & Time Of Every Episode

Despite the controversial farewell of "Game of Thrones," which severely disappointed fans with its eighth and final season and failed to deliver on one of the endings we really wanted, Westeros remains highly relevant in the television world. The prequel series "House of the Dragon" premiered in August 2022, reminding HBO viewers just how strong the franchise's characters and storytelling can be. Thus, it's no surprise that a second season is on the way, and it has come to light when exactly each episode of the new season will arrive on Max.

The wait for the launch of "House of the Dragon" Season 2 won't be a long one, with the first episode set to arrive on June 16 at 9 p.m. ET. On subsequent Sundays — June 23, June 30, July 7, July 14, July 28, and August 4 — a new episode will debut in the same time slot as the season premiere. At the time of publication, the episode titles have yet to be revealed by HBO, so it's anyone's guess as to where this next batch of episodes could be headed. Rest assured, though, much like "House of the Dragon" Season 1, there's likely plenty of action, drama, and romance on the way.

Though odds are good that "House of the Dragon" Season 2 will blow you away when it releases, according to one of the show's stars, it's best to anticipate a big change.

Shortly after the first season of "House of the Dragon" premiered, Season 1 co-showrunner and director Miguel Sapochnik elected to pass on doing the same for Season 2. Instead, he has simply remained an executive producer on the series. In the aftermath, Alan Taylor came in to direct and showrun, having previously worked on "Game of Thrones." According to Daemon Targaryen actor Matt Smith, Sapochnik's departure, which may have been more personal than initially believed, can certainly be felt in the upcoming season of "House of the Dragon."

"We wish him well — but certainly, when you lose a director of that caliber, you're going to feel it," Smith told Variety of the impact Sapochnik's exit had on Season 2 in his eyes. He also expressed concern that the next "House of the Dragon" season could potentially suffer from "second-album syndrome." 

"You've got to play the hits a bit ... People have got to feel like they're getting some sense of a 'Game of Thrones'-type of the show," Smith added, noting that losing Sapochnik altered the tone of the show and the sense of what he and others on it were expected to deliver.

One can only hope that Smith's fears are unfounded and that Season 2 of "House of the Dragon" flies just as high — or even higher — than the batch of episodes that came before it.