2024 Will Be The Biggest Year Yet For Game Of Thrones, 5 Years After The Backlash “Killed” It
Game of Thrones season 8 was controversial, but HBO’s plans for House of the Dragon season 2 and beyond could make the franchise bigger than ever.
Five years on from Game of Thrones, HBO’s franchise could have its biggest year yet in 2024, with plans for expansion and the potential for new successes. Game of Thrones’ ending was extremely controversial, despite the show once looking untouchable and too big to fail. Having been one of the most acclaimed, watched, and talked about TV shows of all time, the joy turned into ashes in the mouths of some viewers who were left disappointed by many choices made by showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
However, for all the fury and talk that the show had been killed, Game of Thrones did not stay dead. That was true for the main show, which has remained extremely popular on Max and on pirate sites. But it was also proven with House of the Dragon, which won people back and then some, receiving critical acknowledgment and huge ratings. That will continue with House of the Dragon season 2, at the very least, but there could be so much more for Game of Thrones this year.
HBO’s Game Of Thrones Franchise Will Likely Expand In 2024
Even before Game of Thrones ended in 2019, HBO was exploring ideas for successor shows set in Westeros. Only one of those, House of the Dragon, has come to fruition so far. Another, Bloodmoon, shot a pilot costing around $30 million but was scrapped due to quality concerns. Underrated, there are several more Game of Thrones spinoffs in development, and 2024 should be the year there is finally more concrete news on them.
At least one is definitely moving forward. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, based on George R.R. Martin’s The Tales of Dunk and Egg, is expected to begin filming in the first half of the year. That will mean a lot more updates on the show, and perhaps even a trailer, meaning this could be the first time HBO is promoting multiple active Game of Thrones shows in the same year. It is, however, unlikely to be the last.
It’s been over nine months since HBO ordered A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, but other spinoffs have been reported in-development for a lot longer. The likes of Jon Snow’s sequel show, a prequel about Princess Nymeria, and a House of the Dragon spinoff centered around Corlys Velaryon have all been mooted for close for two years now. It’s great that HBO isn’t rushing anything, but it would also be a big surprise if at least one more Game of Thrones spinoff wasn’t ordered to series in 2024, expanding its roster to at least three shows.
House Of The Dragon Season 2’s Ratings Could Break Game Of Thrones Records
Game of Thrones was a ratings juggernaut for HBO, and replacing it was no easy feat. House of the Dragon season 1’s ratings saw it average 29 million viewers across its run, factoring in various platforms and delayed viewings. That was close to Game of Thrones season 7, which ponderously just under 33 million viewers, though some ways off Game of Thrones season 8 (46m). However, House of the Dragon season 1’s finale did bring in over 9 million viewers on the Sunday night, which was then HBO’s biggest episode since Game of Thrones’ series finale.
As the table above shows (figures per Variety), House of the Dragon obviously has a long way to go in catching Game of Thrones season 8, but it has a remarkable head start given it’s already close to season 7’s numbers – and season 2 should be even bigger. In particular, House of the Dragon’s Blood and Cheese scene will be the kind of internet-breaking event that will launch the show to a whole new level of hype, and can be seen taking a major leap in viewership.
Along with a massive marketing campaign that HBO will no doubt have planned, House of the Dragon season 2’s ratings could well leapfrog Game of Thrones season 7 to be the second-biggest year for the show, even if season 8’s heights are probably a stretch too far. far. Combined with the likelihood of new shows, then Game of Thrones will be truly massive once more in 2024, with no sign of slowing down.
