The author of HBO’s flagship series House of the Dragon, a prequel to the greatest show of all time, Game of Thrones. The events of this series take place less than 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. There’s no doubt that House of the Dragon will attract huge views, and now that another TV masterpiece, Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, has also been released, things get a little complicated.
The timing of these two mammoths in the series couldn’t have been worse as they are both fan favorites and move in the same genre. Some would say releasing them simultaneously might have been a mistake. However, the tension between the media and the show’s writers can prove to be good for PR and marketing.
What are the media saying?
Forbes, a reputable company in the world, published an article titled: ‘House Of The Dragon’ is just better than ‘Rings Of Power’,’ influencing public perception of these series. Forbes mentions facts and figures to back up their claim, stating that House of the Dragon has a much higher viewership than Rings of Power. House of the Dragon has a large following, as Game of Thrones has already been hugely successful. Additionally, The Lord of the Rings has traditionally been considered a movie series rather than a TV series, which might explain why it has fewer viewers now, but that may change over time.
Galadriel and Rhaenyra
The Warp, a media house, had taken an interview with the author of House of the Dragon, where this exact topic was discussed. Ryan Condal, the writer of the House of the Dragon TV series, said he doesn’t see any rivalry between the shows. In fact, he believes they are both mutually beneficial.
In the exact words of Ryan Condal,
“I don’t think someone watching ‘Rings of Power’ means they’re not watching ‘House of the Dragon'”, which is absolutely true, because even though a percentage of viewers of both shows may overlap, Rings of Power has its own fan base.
How does George RR Martin tackle the supposed rivalry?
Ryan Condal and George Martin
In an interview with The Independent, George RR Martin said he would like to see both shows, House of the Dragon and Rings of Power, succeed. Recently, in his blog, Martin wrote,
“I’m a fan of fantasy, and I want more fantasy on television, and nothing would do that more than a few big hits.” So that makes it clear that George Martin doesn’t see these two fantastic series as rivals. He even goes so far as to praise Neil Gaiman’s fantasy comics; The Witcher, Shadow & Bone, Wheel Of Time and The Sandman, and he also said he would like to see more.
Reading Martin’s blogit’s clear that he doesn’t give in to the media version of reality but sees things from a fantasy content perspective.
House of the Dragon writer Ryan Condal also pointed out that because both shows air simultaneously, Rings of Power fans will still watch it. It’s just that House of the Dragon is much more popular, which could be due to Game of Thrones’ already massive fanbase.
House of the Dragon was a major hit, as was Rings of Power. Even though Rings of Power’s IMDb rating has dropped significantly to 6.9/10, House of the Dragon sits comfortably at 8.6/10. Only time can tell how successful these shows will be. Let’s hope Ryan Condal is consistent in his script and sticks to the books.
