Never in our wildest dreams could we imagine two of the most popular high fantasy franchises fighting for the television crown, but here we are in 2022, and House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power have been battling it out on the ratings battleground for a number of weeks now. If you ask the former’s showrunner, though, there is no such thing as one fantasy show to rule them all.
Following the release of the eighth House episode, which has been garnering acclaim since last night and reminding everyone of the good old days when there was no question as to whether Game of Thrones is a masterpiece or not, TheWrap unveiled an interview with Ryan Condal, where he explains why the fact that his show and The Lord of the Rings are premiering at the same time will end up helping both names in the long run.
“I read Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion and The Hobbit multiple times growing up. I saw the Peter Jackson movies multiple times in the theaters. I love all that stuff, I love high fantasy, and frankly, I want to live in a world where there’s room for all of these things to exist if they’re good. I think the need for more well-made expensive science-fiction/fantasy on television is what all of us nerds want.”
Besides, how do we define rivalry between George R.R. Martin and J.R.R. Tolkien’s imaginative creations? If someone is watching The Rings of Power, does it mean that they aren’t going to catch that other show on HBO? Condal thinks that’s hardly the case.
“I don’t think that somebody watching Rings of Power means they’re not watching House of the Dragon, I don’t see it that way. I see one feeds the other, and I think the more good quality genre entertainment on television the more it’s gonna draw in the general public who might not be so predisposed to watching this.”
Whether you’re a fan of Middle-earth’s traditionalist escapism, or the grimdark reality of Westeros, we can say one thing with absolute certainty; it’s a great time to be a fantasy enthusiast.