September 2022 will be a month long remembered in the hearts of fantasy fanatics. There are numerous high-profile fantasy television shows running simultaneously, ranging from a new live-action Star Wars series to a long overdue trip back to Middle-Earth and an attempt to restore Game of Thrones to its former glory. Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and House of the Dragon have been two of the most talked about and anticipated shows of the year. Both series are revisiting supremely popular fantasy worlds that have found major success on-screen before. With how uneven the 2022 entertainment calendar has been, the fact that these two shows are running simultaneously (on Prime Video and HBO, respectively) is a bit confounding.
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One would think that these two shows have a significant overlap in audience. Releasing both in the same period of time only invites people to further debate about which is better than the other. Since both series are occupying a similar space in the entertainment landscape at the same time, the comparisons between the two are endless and inevitable. As much as they may share a similar viewer base, these two new fantasy shows do have a lot of differences that separate them. These differences allow the shows to operate as counter-programming to one another, with each bringing its own distinct approach and atmosphere to the table of fantasy entertainment. Here’s how they compare:
Family-Friendly vs Adult-Oriented
HBO
Game of Thrones has built its brand on being a fantasy show for adults. The first few seasons of the show were notorious for their extreme level of violence and nudity on-screen. While the show may have dialed back those aspects in later seasons, they were still a frequent inclusion. That’s not to say that all of that R-rated content is bad; in fact, it was a key part of how Game of Thrones was built into the massive show that it was. House of the Dragon has largely continued this legacy, following in the footsteps of its predecessor with bloody and gruesome fight sequences and the inclusion of both nudity and sexual content (though it is notably less than Thrones).
All of this R-rated content thoroughly establishes House of Dragon and the world of Westeros as a fantasy story for adults. While that is arguably what has allowed Game of Thrones to stand out and become as successful as it has been, it is a bit limiting when it comes to bringing in a wide audience. There are plenty of potential viewers out there that have passed on the world of Westeros simply because it is too violent or features too much sex and nudity. It’s not necessarily a fun fantasy franchise, and it is most certainly not one for families and children.
The Rings of Power, on the other hand, is able to reach a wider audience precisely because it avoids all the adult content that has defined Game of Thrones. Much of that difference between the two series is established by their respective source materials. The Song of Ice and Fire books and the many other Westeros stories by George R. R. Martin contain even more adult material than the shows that have been adapted from them. However, The Lord of the Rings and J.R.R. Tolkien’s other tales of Middle-Earth are much more PG-13 and appealing to mass audiences. The first book Tolkien published in his fantasy world, The Hobbit, is even considered to be a children’s novel. While some Middle-Earth material, especially that of the Lord of the Rings appendices and The Silmarillion, might be a bit too dense for some audiences, that is because it often reads more as a historical text rather than a fantasy adventure. The Rings of Power, which pulls its story from said texts, is by no means a series made specifically to appeal to children and families, but its PG-13 approach to fantasy storytelling makes the show much more accessible and appealing to those audiences.
A New Starting Point
Prime Video
Looking at these shows from the perspective of a new viewer, both seem to be good jumping-on points for the respective franchises. House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power are both new series within their brands, and as such they introduce new characters, are set in new time periods, and tell new stories. They are fresh launching points for these two major fantasy franchises. However, The Rings of Power, has a slight edge over House of the Dragon in this battle.
That is because House of the Dragon is more closely related to and able to reference its previous material, the original Game of Thrones series. Although House of the Dragon is a prequel, there have already been numerous allusions to the forthcoming events of Game of Thrones, and there have been key references to various lands and families that were established in that series. While so far these Thrones references have been little more than fan service and hints at what is to come, these one-off lines do muddy the waters of House of the Dragon a bit, potentially leaving new viewers confused as to what exactly the implications of these inclusions are.
High Fantasy vs Politics
Finally, one of the biggest differentiating factors between House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power is the genre of story they are telling within their fantasy worlds. The Rings of Power is a more straightforward fantasy adventure show, whereas House of the Dragon deals much more with political intrigue. This different approach to fantasy storytelling gives both of these shows their own lane to exist within. Since their stories are so drastically different, they don’t have to worry too much about stepping on each other’s creative toes.
The Game of Thrones spin-off is upholding the show’s legacy by quite literally being about a game of thrones, as various characters are pining for power and attempting to seat themselves (or their children) upon the Iron Throne. House of the Dragon is also a much more character-driven series, as the show’s dramatic weight comes from the interpersonal relationships between each of its characters. At its core, the series has more in common with shows like House of Cards or Succession than it does with traditional fantasy storytelling. House of the Dragon is a story about politics, family legacy and succession, and it just so happens to be set in a medieval environment that features a number of fire-breathing dragons.
The Rings of Power is much more tied to the roots of the fantasy genre. Unlike House of the Dragon, this is a story that can’t be told in another genre or modern time period. It’s a fantasy epic, through and through. There are all sorts of different creatures, civilizations, faraway lands, magical items, mystical people and evil forces threatening to end the world. The Rings of Power engages with the world of Middle-Earth by embracing Tolkien’s signature brand of grand world-building adventures. The series focuses on a number of different characters scattered throughout Middle-Earth as they each are dealing with the rise of Sauron in their own lands.
Because House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power tell such different stories under the wide umbrella of fantasy storytelling, the two shows are able to act as counter-programming to one another. They play into the desires and preferences of different fantasy-loving audiences. If someone is wanting a more mature fantasy story that gets into the nitty-gritty of how its world operates, then House of the Dragon is the way to go. But if someone else prefers a grander or more whimsical and light-hearted fantasy story, then The Rings of Power could be the show for them. These two shows scratch different itches for fantasy lovers, and they appeal to different segments of general audiences. Fans are certainly allowed to have their preferences between the two, but at the end of the day, it’s important to remember that House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power are not trying to be the same thing. Even though they are both fantasy shows, the ultimate goals of their stories are drastically different.
