House of the Dragon’s third season is winning critics, but its Rotten Tomatoes audience score has fallen to 69%—sparking accusations of early review-bombing and renewed online conflict.
The third season of House of the Dragon is riding a wave of praise from critics, yet it’s already caught in a very different kind of storm online.
On Rotten Tomatoes. the show currently sits at a 91% “Certified Fresh” score. with the consensus reading: “The fate of Westeros comes to a head in a reinvigorated and riveting third season of House of the Dragon. complete with wicked new characters and more thrilling battles. crafting a punchy prequel that matches the expectations of its predecessor.” But the audience score tells another story—down to 69%.
That gap has fans fired up. The audience drop is being linked by some to the earliest signs of what happens when a dedicated group targets a title’s rating on aggregators like Rotten Tomatoes—concerted efforts meant to push the audience score lower, even as critic scores remain strong.
The show’s split reception feels familiar to HBO viewers who’ve watched similar backlash before. The last time something like this happened to an HBO title was the second season of The Last of Us, where Bella Ramsey was targeted by certain members of the audience.
Not everyone is unhappy, though. Even as audience scores fell, the critical response has remained forceful. In her review. Collider’s Therese Lacson called the new season “game-changing.” House of the Dragon was created by Ryan Condal and Martin himself. and it stars Emma D’Arcy. Olivia Cooke. Matt Smith. and others.
Critics aren’t the only ones weighing in. On Rotten Tomatoes, some viewers used the comment section to air sharp frustrations. One person wrote. “HBO desperately needs to clean house on the creative involved with this project. ” comparing House of the Dragon unfavorably with the second Game of Thrones spin-off. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. A second commenter called it an “Awful show. ” adding that the “acting is appalling. the writing is terrible.” A third commenter said the series “disrespects” Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin, who has criticized the series in the past.
The online temperature is running hot, but the mainstream momentum hasn’t stalled. House of the Dragon made a strong debut this past Sunday, jumping to the top of the global HBO Max viewership charts, according to FlixPatrol.
The tension now is simple and brutal: the third season’s critics are pointing toward a show “finally hitt[ing] its stride. ” while a growing audience backlash is pushing the audience score down fast. For a franchise built on loyalty—and on long-running stakes—this is an argument playing out in public. episode by episode. score by score.
House of the Dragon Rotten Tomatoes audience score Certified Fresh review-bombing HBO Game of Thrones spin-off The Last of Us Bella Ramsey George R.R. Martin Emma D'Arcy