House of the Dragon matched the success of Game of Thrones in many ways, but it also has a couple of records that show it still has some way to go.
House of the Dragon was a big hit for HBO, but it has not been able to fully repeat Game of Thrones’ incredible success, resulting in a couple of unwanted records being broken. Following the backlash to Game of Thrones’ ending, House of the Dragon had to win viewers over anew, which it did and then some. House of the Dragon season 1 was a major success in terms of ratings, pulling in around 29 million viewers on average each week. It was also a critical smash, with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Indeed, it was so successful that House of the Dragon season 2 was renewed shortly after the season 1 premiere. It’s a new flagship show for HBO that’s very much replacing the void left by Game of Thrones in a number of ways, but there’s one way it hasn’t quite been able to do that: the Emmys. The 2023 Emmys nominations included eight nods for House of the Dragon, which is a respectable total in and of itself, but pales in comparison to Game of Thrones’ past dominance.
House Of The Dragon Season 1 Has Fewer Emmy Nominations Than Any Game Of Thrones Season
House of the Dragon has been nominated for eight Emmys, which includes one nod for the Primetime Emmys (which reward things like overall shows, acting, writing, and directing) and seven Primetime Creative Arts Emmys (which are more below-the-line categories). House of the Dragon: Inside The Episode was also separately nominated. The full list of House of the Dragon season 1’s Emmy nominations is:
Outstanding Drama Series
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More)
Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (One Hour)
Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes
Outstanding Period and/or Character Makeup (Non-Prosthetic)
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour)
Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Season or a MovieAlthough the number of nominations is respectable, it’s fewer than even the earliest seasons of Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones season 1 received 13 nominations in total, winning two (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Peter Dinklage, and Outstanding Main Title Design). Season 2 actually then had the fewest nominations so far, with 12 in total. Later seasons were Emmys juggernauts, picking up numerous wins and often dominating the Outstanding Drama Series category alongside several technical awards. The table below outlines every Game of Thrones season, the number of Emmy nominations they received, and how many they won.
House Of The Dragon S1 Is The Only Game Of Thrones Franchise Season Without A Cast Nomination
Aside from having the fewest Emmy nominations, House of the Dragon season 1 also stands in stark contrast to Game of Thrones because it didn’t pick up a single cast nomination. House of the Dragon’s cast was a big strength, so it’s surprising that it didn’t get any recognition here. Every season of Game of Thrones had at least one actor nominated – with Peter Dinklage nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in every single season, winning on 4 occasions. Shockingly, he is the only Game of Thrones cast member to win an Emmy, with 11 others receiving nominations, including:
Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister) – 5 nominations
Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) – 4 nominations
Diana Rigg (Olenna Tyrell) – 4 nominations
Kit Harington (Jon Snow) – 2 nominations
Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) – 2 nominations
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) – 2 nominations
Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy) – 1 nomination
Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) – 1 nomination
Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) – 1 nomination
Carice van Houten (Melisandre) – 1 nomination
Max von Sydow (Three-Eyed Raven) – 1 nomination
Why Was House Of The Dragon Snubbed & Who Should Have Been Nominated?
Although the Emmys is intended to reward the best TV shows, it can also play favorites and get swept up in what shows have buzz. This might have contributed to House of the Dragon’s snubs, as the drama categories are largely dominated by a select few shows, namely Succession and The White Lotus. Both had huge buzz more recently than House of the Dragon, which finished airing back in October 2022, and were returning shows, which can often take precedence here. Both certainly deseve attention, though, and also highlight that this was a strong year, further showing how House of the Dragon was squeezed out.
There are multiple people involved with House of the Dragon who would have been deserving of Emmy nominations. Emma D’Arcy was incredible as Rhaenyra Targaryen, for instance; Ramin Djawadi, who won twice for his musical work on Game of Thrones, could and perhaps should have been in the mix here; either Miguel Sapochnik or Geeta Patel could realistically have picked up a directing nomination. The most egregious snub, though, is Paddy Considine, who had been submitted for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Considine’s Viserys was incredibly powerful, tragic, and human, and deserved to walk away with some recognition (especially as, unlike most of the other cast members, he won’t get another chance).
House of the Dragon will likely only get bigger when it comes to the Emmys, having to re-establish itself following the success of Game of Thrones. Whether it will ever get to its same record-breaking heights is unclear but, even while it has been snubbed in many ways (and likely won’t walk away with the Outstanding Drama Series win against Succession’s final season), it’s still a solid start and has a bright future.
