- 665 words
June 27, 2026, 3:00 p.m. ET
Warning: This story contains spoilers from Episode 1 of “House of the Dragon” Season 3.
“House of the Dragon” returned for Season 3 with a bloody episode and a skyrocketing death toll as the rival Targaryen factions clashed in the shock-and-awe-inspiring Battle of the Gullet.
The epic sea battle featured a fiery face-off with fire-breathing dragons and ships that showrunner Ryan Condal described as “arguably the craziest episode of television ever made.”
Several figures who will go down in the history of Westeros, including Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn), were killed off in shocking twists, which Thorn, in an interview with USA TODAY, described as “the consequences of war.”
“We’ve seen what happened to Sharako over the episode, obsessed with vengeance. She becomes a monster,” Thorn says. “But in those final moments, Alyn of Hull gets infected by that. The germ has been passed to him. And that sets up the entire Season 3.”
Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood”, the series is set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones”.
USA TODAY TV critic Kelly Lawler gave the new season ★★½ out of four, writing Season 3 “still has too many forgettable and stilted characters and not nearly enough oomph behind its biggest conflicts, even with two seasons’ worth of backstory in its wake.”
“But there are glimmers of hope, particularly after the first two (sadly) table-setting episodes, that there is some honest-to-goodness storytelling momentum here,” her review says. “The pace quickens, the characters start using their brains, and there’s even a smidgen of levity mixed in with all the heads on pikes and grieving mothers.”
When do new ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 episodes release?
Episode 2 of “House of the Dragon” Season 3 will air on HBO on Sunday, June 28 at 9 p.m. ET/PT and will be available to stream on HBO Max at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
New episodes of the series will drop weekly through Aug. 9.
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How to watch ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3?
“House of the Dragon” Season 3 airs on HBO at 9 p.m. ET/PT and is available to stream on HBO Max at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT on Sundays.
‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 episode schedule
“House of the Dragon” Season 3 is listed to have eight episodes. With the first episode out, here’s what the full season schedule looks like:
- Episode 2: June 28
- Episode 3: July 5
- Episode 4: July 12
- Episode 5: July 19
- Episode 6: July 26
- Episode 7: August 2
- Episode 8: August 9
Watch ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 trailer
‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 cast
- Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen
- Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Olivia Cooke as Queen Dowager Alicent Hightower
- Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen
- Phia Saban as Queen Helaena Targaryen
- Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen
- Bethany Antonia as Lady Baela Targaryen
- Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Targaryen
- Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole
- Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower
- Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon
- Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull
- Matthew Needham as Lord Larys Strong
- Abigail Thorn as Admiral Sharako Lohar
Contributing: Kelly Lawler, Bryan Alexander / USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
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