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Total Film
Total Film
Entertainment
Emily Garbutt

House of the Dragon season 3 wraps filming ahead of 2026 release, but fans are frustrated by the production schedule: "Any hype is long dead"

Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon season 2.

House of the Dragon season 3 has officially wrapped filming ahead of its 2026 release, but fans are frustrated by the long gaps between seasons.

HBO boss Casey Bloys recently said that the show would release "just outside of" the 2026 Emmy eligibility window, which ends on May 31 next year. That's at least a full two years after season 2 premiered in June 2024, and nearly four years since season 1 was released in August 2022.

"It's sad but I'm just not even a little bit excited about the new season," one fan wrote in response to the news on Reddit.

"I don't even care anymore. Just no feelings of excitement whatsoever," echoed another.

"And now… just another 9 months of green screen editing. Exhausting, too long process," said someone else.

"Cool 2 years till the premiere. Any hype is long dead," someone else wrote.

"Bruh, they only finished filming it by now? I hate the 'new system' of making shows, the 2 years between seasons at best thing is killing media engagement, people literally forget about these shows," agreed another.

"I miss when new seasons of shows were being filmed as the last one premiered. And long episode counts, not this 8 episode nonsense ofc. But whatever," said one more.

House of the Dragon stars Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, childhood friends whose friendship turns sour and spirals into a full-blown civil war in the wake of a succession crisis. The cast also includes Matt Smith and Rhys Ifans, and James Norton is a new addition for season 3 as Ormund Hightower.

House of the Dragon season 3 is set to premiere on HBO in 2026. In the meantime, check out our guide to the other best new TV shows to add to your watchlist.

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