House of the Dragon showrunner confirms when the end of the series will be

Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) in House of the Dragon season 3. Courtesy of HBO.
Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) in House of the Dragon season 3. Courtesy of HBO.

All TV shows have to come to an end at some point. Some shows are dragged out, while others will have their endings rushed. However, House of the Dragon is getting the ending that it needs, as the showrunner, Ryan Condal, has confirmed when the end will be.

Of course, HBO could push for more if it wants, but the network has been pretty good at allowing the Game of Thrones universe and other successful shows to end when the time is right for the creators. That doesn’t have to mean we agree with the way shows end, but the premium cable network wants to give all the creative control to those who are making the show.

That’s the case with House of the Dragon. HBO CEO Casey Bloys has always made it clear that House of the Dragon will run for as long as Condal wants.

House of the Dragon season 3
Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) in House of the Dragon season 3. Courtesy of HBO.

House of the Dragon’s end is nigh

Just recently, HBO officially renewed House of the Dragon for a fourth season. There wasn’t any word on whether it would be the last or not, although there were murmurings from Condal. The showrunner was ready to see the story end, but then there came the question of whether that would happen.

Condal made it clear recently that it would end if the timing was right. He needed to get into the writing to make sure the story was complete and that there was enough time to tell it all. While there have been complaints about House of the Dragon not quite following Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin, it does seem like Condal wants to avoid another Game of Thrones ending, which was just rushed.

However, he’s recently confirmed that House of the Dragon season 4 will be the last. While speaking on the Escape Hatch podcast, Condal talked about the work that was going into the third season and then shared that there would be “one more season.” That makes it clear that he does still intend to end the series with the upcoming fourth season, which is slated to arrive in 2028.

How could House of the Dragon end?

This ending isn’t something that is coming purely because Condal wants to move onto another series. Fire & Blood tells the story of the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen Civil War, which saw the end of the magnificent creatures. So, eventually, the TV series does need to come to an end, and the storyline is getting there.

The benefit for House of the Dragon is that Fire & Blood is told as more of a history book, which means there are details left out. In fact, there are three accounts of the same story, and many a time, all three accounts are different. This is why the series gets to remain loose with the overall story. However, the end is still there, and we know from Game of Thrones that the dragons go extinct. That’s what we need to see happen on House of the Dragon as it concludes.

House of the Dragon season 3 will premiere in summer 2026 on HBO.

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