Despite the many attempts to replicate Game of Thrones‘s success throughout the 2020s, House of the Dragon remains the biggest current fantasy show. However, Prime Video’s long-awaited epic is likely to make it feel small. Despite the production quality of HOTD‘s competitors — The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Wheel of Time, and The Witcher, to name a few — none of the 2020s’ much-anticipated fantasy series come close to matching the Game of Thrones franchise.
There will be more opportunities for fantasy television to recapture its momentum and top its spin-offs, though, from Mike Flanagan’s Dark Tower adaptation to Apple TV’s take on Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere. And done properly, there’s one Prime Video epic — which is also focused on dragons — that will make House of the Dragon feel small. It may not have the extensive world-building and history of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy universe, but it has a couple of things going for it that will catapult it to greater heights.
Prime Video’s ‘Fourth Wing’ Show Will Make the ‘House of the Dragon’ Hype Look Small
The Viral Sensation Is Set to Have a Wider Appeal
There’s no denying the popularity of the Game of Thrones franchise, but the larger mainstream hype surrounding HBO’s TV universe has died down a bit since the original show’s ending. House of the Dragon Season 3 and the debut of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are helping it regain momentum. Yet it seems like many of the casual viewers who made every Game of Thrones Sunday feel like an event are less tuned into its off-shoots. And House of the Dragon‘s book changes are even alienating diehard George R.R. Martin fans. Those who still check in weekly aren’t always as excited about the spin-off as one might hope.
By contrast, Prime Video’s Fourth Wing adaptation has the chance to ignite similar excitement to the original Game of Thrones, as it’s a long-awaited project and based on a viral sensation. The fact that Rebecca Yarros’s Empyrean series is drawing such a wide base of readers — even ones who don’t normally read fantasy or “romantasy” — means its TV series can have the same broad appeal as Game of Thrones. Adapted properly, it can also generate similar appreciation as an adaptation (and it shouldn’t have to worry about catching up to the books).
Fourth Wing is just starting, so it will have a lower barrier to entry, too — something House of the Dragon doesn’t benefit from. All of this gives Prime Video’s epic dragon series an opportunity to make House of the Dragon feel like smaller by comparison. Looking at House of the Dragon‘s continued success, that’s saying something.
‘Fourth Wing’ Should Have Way More Dragon Action Than the ‘Game of Thrones’ Spin-off
In addition to the elements of the Fourth Wing that will help its show resonate with several audiences, it should ideally top House of the Dragon in another area: the number of dragon scenes and action sequences. This will depend on the effects budget that Prime Video dedicates to the series, but based on the source material, Fourth Wing‘s dragons should be far more central than those in House of the Dragon. The Game of Thrones spin-off mostly uses them as weapons and steeds, even if Season 3 gives them more personality.
Fourth Wing, on the other hand, infuses its dragons with personality from the jump — a necessity given their ability to communicate with their riders mentally. It also ensures they’re present from early in the story, and Yarros’s book throws them into action right away. This means Fourth Wing should have large-scale combat earlier than House of the Dragon and more dragons throughout. For anyone on the hunt for a thrilling dragon series, it’s going to be a can’t-miss release.
