House of the Dragon has topped IMDb's list of most anticipated series of 2022. The upcoming HBO show is a prequel to their wildly successful fantasy drama, Game of Thrones, which ended its run in 2019. Created by George R.R. Martin and Ryan J. Condal, House of Dragon is based on the Song of Ice and Fire author's 2018 novel, Fire & Blood, which tells the history of the Targaryen house. The prequel series' cast includes Paddy Considine, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, and Rhys Ifans.
Set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon will mostly focus on the fall of the Targaryens by chronicling the events leading up to the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, as well as the ensuing bloodbath. The series is set to introduce a ton of new characters, including King Viserys Targaryen (Considine), his firstborn child Princess Rhaenyra (D'Arcy), and younger brother Prince Daemon (Smith), both of whom are dragonriders. Ser Otto Hightower (Ifans) is the current Hand of the King and the comely Lady Alicent (Cooke) is his daughter.
Now, thanks to IMDb's newly released list, it's been revealed that House of the Dragon is the most anticipated series of the coming year. The site compiles the list based on page views from its more than 200 million monthly visitors. Along with the Game of Thrones prequel, rounding out the top three are Amazon's Lord of the Rings series and Hulu's Pam & Tommy. Check out the top 10 list below:
1. House of the Dragon
2. The Lord of the Rings
3. Pam & Tommy
4. The Sandman
5. The Last of Us
6. Obi-Wan Kenobi
7. She-Hulk
8. Ms. Marvel
9. Peacemaker
10. Moon Knight
Interestingly enough, another coveted Warner Bros.' property, The Batman, topped IMDb's list of most anticipated movies of 2022. Game of Thrones aired its series finale in May of 2019, capping off a final season that was highly derided among viewers, though that hasn't seemed to temper enthusiasm for the franchise at large. Not only has House of Dragon now topped IMDb's list of most anticipated series, but many more prequels are in development at HBO, including a Dunk & Egg spin-off based on Martin's novellas.
HBO has proven adept at building anticipation for House of Dragon with its marketing campaign, though they are now tasked with the same challenge its flagship series was: delivering on that hype. Many viewers were not pleased with how their favorite characters' arcs culminated during the final season of Game of Thrones, even prompting a petition demanding Game of Thrones season 8 be remade with new writers. HBO surely doesn't want to see House of the Dragon suffer the same fate when it premieres next year.
Source: IMDb