House Of The Dragon, The Last Of Us, White Lotus, and more eye their returns
At a press event Thursday, the streamer also announced general dates forThe Last Of Us season 2, While Lotus season 3, and Welcome To Derry
Aux News House of the Dragon
Despite delays due to the actors and writers strikes, supporters of Rhaenyra Targaryen won’t have to wait too long to watch her exact her revenge. At a press conference this morning, Max announced that House Of The Dragon is done shooting for the season and eyeing a premiere in “early summer” 2024. This season will only have eight episodes, two less than season one.
This quick-ish turnaround is likely due to the fact that most of HOTD’s actors are covered by a U.K.-based union called Equity, and therefore weren’t affected by the strike. The show has been filming throughout Hollywood’s long pause.
Other fandoms will have to wait a bit longer. The White Lotus season 3 (set in Thailand this time around), Welcome To Derry, a prequel to Stephen King’s It, and Euphoria have all been pushed to 2025. CEO Casey Bloys also gave an update about The Last Of Us season 2, which is set to begin production in spring 2024 (assuming the actors strike ends before that date). Previously, co-creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin said they had mapped out the entire story for the season and were “raring to go” whenever the strikes resolved, so expect more mushroom-based devastation very soon.
Also on the slate is yet another Game Of Thrones prequel, titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, which is aiming to begin shooting in the spring. Set after the events of House Of The Dragon and based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales Of Dunk And Egg novellas, the show will follow the exploits of Sir Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg, the future King Aegon V Targaryen. Per a press release, “great destinies, powerful foes and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.” If your alarm bells are ringing about HBO’s potential over-reliance on Westerosi lore, Bloys is at least aware of the potential for franchise fatigue. “I don’t have a plan where I go, ‘Okay, I need three Game Of Thrones on the schedule by this time.’ I’ve always said, we’re gonna do the shows that we think are good,” he said at today’s event. It’s promising, then, that The Hedge Knight was chosen.
26 Comments
I would just like to say I would absolutely take money to shitpost on critics. Are you listening, Mr. Bloys?
I am near the point I would rather have lesser quality more quantity new tv than just 8-10 episodes every other year. I miss 13-22 episodes every year even it is was not a cinematic.
what the fuck!!!!
Good lord, why.
I am bored with scrolling through streaming services looking for something I have not already seen. And it is like being trapped in miniseries land. No new episodes of any thing for 2 years and then only 8 episodes. I do not often rewatch stuff as it is boring.
It depends on the show. This format is perfect for the types of shows HBO does for the most part, but a lot is lost when all shows just drop 10 episodes once a year. I miss holiday episodes. I miss the silly experimental episodes. I LOVED shows like X-Files and Buffy that ran for LONG seasons back in the day, but so many of their best episodes would never have been made in a tight 10 episode season. I miss the anticipation that built up over a season. I actually don’t like/have time to binge watch these days. I don’t know if the old format makes sense anymore but would be nice to have some shows that drop like 5 episodes four times a year or something similar.
(I realize network televison still has some shows with longer season but they are mostly bad procedurals)
Better said than I did, I agree!
Great, now I’m imagining a Christmas episode of Westworld, where they visit the Santa’s Village park that’s only open 2 months out of the year.
Ha honestly I’d watch that
Yeah, I think The Sopranos and Mad Men had it right; 13 episode seasons gave those shows time to breathe and enabled each episode to be its own mini-movie with a self-contained story, while still driving the plot forward to one extent or another. I think this approach would do wonders for shows like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and even Lower Decks, Rick and Morty, and Solar Opposites, as well as many other dramas.I get that some shows need fewer episodes for budgetary reasons, but then they do tend to suffer a bit in every episode running into the next in the service of one overall plot. Then again, I find Halt and Catch Fire to be nearly a perfect show at 10 episodes per season for four seasons; but I find myself wishing that each season had 13 episodes so we could spend more time luxuriating in the characters.So my vote is 13 episodes – funnily enough, one of those a week ends up being truly a SEASON – 1/4 of a year – so four of these on one service would give me a reason to subscribe all year round.
I dunno, like there is a place for network TV shows that do 22 eps a year. They are usually not as expensive to make because they have a few “home” sets and just re-use them a ton. It works well for sit-coms and procedurals, and I do love me some shows that follow those patterns.At the same time, 8-10 eps of quality, cinematic TV are amazing and have a place in their own right. Like I’ll take 8-10 eps of “The Last of Us” every 2 years over 22 eps every year of “All Rise”.
I do not like the crap cop/lawyer procedurals on network and mostly just stream. there is a place for the 8-10 stuff but there there is just not enough new content. I am not putting down the fancy stuff. i just do not like the waiting for new content.
I don’t agree with needing 22. That seems long for a lot of content. Maybe half hour comedies could do with that many. But I do think a lot of 8 episode seasons end up feeling lacking.
I picked 22 because that is an industry number:From Wikipedia “In North American television, a series is a connected set of television program episodes that run under the same title, possibly spanning many seasons. Until the late 1960s, a regular network television season averaged at least 30 episodes, and some television series may have had as many as 39 episodes in a season. Since then, a typical network season would include between 20 and 26 episodes.[citation needed]Until the 1980s, most new programs for the US broadcast networks debuted in the “fall season”, which ran from September through March and nominally contained from 24 to 26 episodes. These episodes were rebroadcast during the spring (or summer) season, from April through August. Because of cable television and the Nielsen sweeps, the “fall” season now normally extends to May. Thus, a “full season” on a broadcast network now usually runs from September through May for at least 22 episodes.[20]”
Ok. It’s not the specific number I was concerned about. Just that a lot of shows I don’t need or want 20 hours of in a season.
12 is a good number in my opinion. Gives just enough and a little backstory if warranted.
I disagree but I’m giving you a star for having a hot take
I hope there’s not some annoying controversy when they cast a tall black or non-white actor or someone like that for Dunk. Dunk’s an orphan from Flea Bottom in King’s Landing who has no memory of his parents, and it’s a major port in the setting – he could look like basically any background if you’re deviating from his rather plain look in the novellas.
I’m waiting to see if they do a casting announcement at some point for Abby, especially if they’re otherwise “ready to go” on Season 2.
Oh that’s nothing. Just wait ‘till they cast a short, old guy.
But in all seriousness, they could cast Warwick Davis as Dunk and I’d rather watch that than trying to pick a side between the hateful factions of HotD. It’s like a Rangers-Millwall fixture.
Actually, cast Warwick Davis as Dunk. We’re onto something here.
“It’s like a Rangers-Millwall fixture.”
That was SEXY! You get a star!
Long gaps between seasons of these big shows makes it easy to cancel a streaming service for a year or more and pickup back up when the new season drops. Tough gig, streaming content.
It does let them have a much longer list of current shows without actually making that many at a time, which probably balances that out.
It also often kills any momentum a show builds up in the prior season as well. These long 1 or 2+ year breaks can also shed viewers as they lose interest, forget about a show or just have time for their tastes to change.
This season will only have eight episodes, two less than season one.“Fewer.”
All hail Stannis Baratheon, the one true king.
Why has there been total silence on the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm? I thought it had already been filmed. The last season was two years ago. They clearly don’t need to wait for the strike to be resolved to announce a release date.