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How confident is HBO that the second season of House of the Dragon is going to be a hit? Confident enough to announce the third season days before the second has even launched.

We shouldn’t be too surprised about this news, if only because George R.R. Martin accidentally spilled the beans back in December, mentioning that he had been in discussions about a third (and fourth!) season of the show with producers. However, it’s nonetheless a good sign for fans of the show that HBO is backing the show with this kind of move, especially considering the second season’s reduced episode count — something that producers have since stated “wasn’t really our choice.”

It’s worth noting that, at the time it was revealed that the show’s second season would only run eight episodes instead of the first season’s 10, it was reported that the reason for the shift was in part because HBO and Martin were looking at the long term planning for the show, and had moved elements into a projected third season, with a fourth season being planned to complete the story. The official announcement of a third season purposefully doesn’t mention a fourth — but sometimes you have to leave things for future announcements down the line.

“George, Ryan, and the rest of our incredible executive producers, cast, and crew, have reached new heights with the phenomenal second season of House of the Dragon,” said HBO Programming VP and head of HBO drama series and films Francesca Orsi in a statement accompanying today’s news. “We are in awe of the dragon-sized effort the entire team has put into the creation of a spectacular season two, with a scope and scale that is only rivaled by its heart. We could not be more thrilled to continue the story of House Targaryen and watch this team burn bright again for season three.”

House of the Dragon returns June 16 on HBO and Max.

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