House of the Dragon returns to HBO and Max tonight for its second season as Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra. I hope that made it sound like I know what I’m talking about, because the truth is, I’ve never seen Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon. However, I know how big this fandom is, so here I am, doing my best to at least bring you the goods.
Executive producer Ryan J. Condal revealed at a recent press conference that season two picks up a couple days following the events of the first season finale, “and off we go to the next horrible tragedy.” (Yep, sounds exactly how I want to spend my Sunday nights.)
All kidding aside, Condal says there are less nerves going into HOTD‘s sophomore season, but now there’s the pressure to outdo themselves. As a result, there are two battle scenes in the new season that Condal says are the biggest production he’s ever been a part of, and they “kind of outstrip the size and scale of anything we did in season one.” (He better get used to it, because HOTD was just renewed for a third season.)
If House of the Dragon isn’t your thing (or even if it is), then how about the Tony Awards, which also air tonight and will be star-studded as usual? Presenters include Cynthia Erivo, Sean Hayes, Taraji P. Henson, Jennifer Hudson, Angelina Jolie, Nick Jonas, Idina Menzel, Ashley Park, Jim Parsons, Andrew Rannells, Jeffrey Wright, and many more. For a list of who’s performing on the telecast, see below.
Moving on to other highly anticipated premieres this week, Black Barbie drops on Netflix on Juneteenth this Wednesday. The must-see documentary will celebrate how the first Black Barbie came to be in 1980, thanks to Beulah Mae Mitchell, a Mattel employee who was brave enough to ask company co-founder Ruth Handler, “Why don’t we make a Barbie that looks like me?” Director/producer Lagueria Davis explores the impact of that question and launches viewers into a discovery of the history of Black dolls, their impact on civil rights and Black entrepreneurship, and the significant role of imaginative play in shaping children’s identity.
Elsewhere, if you’re just now catching up on part 2 of Bridgerton season 3 this weekend, then check out my interviews with showrunner Jess Brownell about the major departure from the books as well as who will be the focus for season 4. And will Dame Julie Andrews return? Here’s the surprising answer.
And with that, I’ll see you back here for the surprising new series that I didn’t have high hopes for but now can’t wait to tell everyone to watch.
Sunday, June 16
House of the Dragon (HBO/Max): Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, the series, which tells the story of House Targaryen, is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans will return, in addition to Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham. New cast members include: Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull, Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers, Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower, Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong, Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew as Hugh, Tom Bennett as Ulf, Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark, and Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne. 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT and streaming on Max
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