After setting multiple records for HBO and HBO Max, House of the Dragon season 1 has topped 2022's most-pirated TV shows list. The fantasy drama acts as a prequel to Game of Thrones, adapting George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood novel, and chronicling the downfall of House Targaryen, namely with the death of Paddy Considine's King Viserys and plotting from the Hightower family to overthrow the Targaryens, all culminating in the war known as the Dance of the Dragons.
Developed by Martin and showrunner Ryan Condal, House of the Dragon season 1 scored largely favorable reviews from critics and audiences alike, and its success is being seen in even the more unsavory corners of the Internet.
As the year 2022 is over, it is reported that House of the Dragon has topped 2022's most-pirated TV shows list. Coming in at the top of the list, the HBO series has officially surpassed its predecessor, Game of Thrones, which was dominating the piracy charts even three years after coming to an end. In addition to overtaking the original show, House of the Dragon season 1 also came ahead of fellow fantasy drama, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and The Boys season 3, Disney+ releases Moon Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Andor, Netflix's Stranger Things season 4, and Paramount+'s Halo.
One of the biggest advantages House of the Dragon has in its favor is Martin's closer involvement with helping develop the show for HBO, unlike Game of Thrones, on which he only contributed to writing four episodes and gave an outline of the final two books in his Song of Fire & Ice novel series, while David Benioff and D.B. Weiss ran the show.
Though House of the Dragon is still in the hands of other creatives, the positive reception to the show thus far and teases of adapting such iconic stories as the "Blood and Cheese" arc from Fire & Blood indicate they've learned their lessons from the lackluster response to the final two seasons of Game of Thrones and could be developing something that rivals its predecessor. Only time will tell when House of the Dragon season 2 premieres sometime in 2024.
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