House of the Dragon Co-Showrunner Exits the Series

House of the Dragon co-showrunner and director Miguel Sapochnik will exit the series he helped to create at HBO, according to THR. Moving forward, co-creator Ryan Condal will be the exclusive showrunner, working with franchise creator George R.R. Martin. Meanwhile, Alan Taylor, a veteran of Game of Thrones and who won an Emmy working on The Sopranos, will become an executive producer and direct multiple episodes of House of the Dragon season 2.

Miguel Sapochnik will remain an executive producer on House of the Dragon as well, in addition to enjoying a first-look deal with HBO for future projects. He provided a statement to THR about his decision to exit as co-showrunner after three years developing House of the Dragon:

Working within the Thrones universe for the past few years has been an honor and a privilege, especially spending the last two with the amazing cast and crew of House of the Dragon. I am so proud of what we accomplished with season 1 and overjoyed by the enthusiastic reaction of our viewers. It was incredibly tough to decide to move on, but I know that it is the right choice for me, personally and professionally. As I do so, though, I am deeply comforted to know that Alan will be joining the series. He’s someone I’ve known and respected for a long time, and I believe this precious series could not be in safer hands. I am so glad to remain a part of the HBO and House of the Dragon family and, of course, I wish Ryan and his team success and all the best with season 2 and beyond.

Ultimately, this all sounds like business as usual, with no cause for concern. A similar thing happened to the Halo series prior to its debut on Paramount+. However, the critical reception to House of the Dragon seems to be quite a bit more positive so far than what Halo received in its first season.