'House of the Dragon' an entertaining but somewhat unambitious prequel to 'Game of Thrones' | TV review

Aug. 19—"Game of Thrones," meet "Succession."

The new HBO series "House of the Dragon" — set about a couple of centuries before the events of "Game of Thrones," the hit series based on author George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire" that ended its eight-season run in 2019 with what many fans considered a thundering thud — does, as preview footage has suggested, feel like a cross between "Thrones" and that current HBO hit series.

Who will inherit the Iron Throne of Westeros from King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine of "The Outsider") is of paramount concern through the debut season's first six episodes, which HBO parent company Warner Bros. Discovery made available for review.

The 10-episode season gets underway on Aug. 21 on HBO and streaming platform HBO Max with an hour of big-budget television that is both entertaining and unavoidably overwhelming.

Remember how, as "Game of Thrones" marched on, you got an increasingly strong handle on many if not most of the characters so distinctly named by the creative Martin? Well, that's pretty out the held door with "House of the Dragon."

Oh, sure, you're familiar with the Targaryen bloodline — these are the generally blond-haired riders of dragons — and you'll also meet a Stark here and a Baratheon there. You'll even see a couple of Lannisters — twin brothers, in fact. For the most part, though, the names are new, as are all the faces. (OK, fine. Actor Jefferson Hall, who portrays Tyland and Jason Lannister, made a couple of appearances on "Game of Thrones" as Hugh of the Vale, but now you're just being difficult.)

In an attempt to help you get your bearings, the series begins with a brief bit of narration that provides a quick lesson on Targaryen history and how he became king. (In short, he was chosen by a great council that passed over his sister, for no other reason than that she was, well, a female.)

On-screen text informs us this story begins in the ninth year of the reign of King Viserys — "172 years before the death of the Mad King, Aerys, and the birth of his daughter, Princess Daenerys Targaryen," with many of the words then artfully fading to leave only "172 years before Daenerys Targaryen."

We don't want to say much about even what happens in the table-setting first episode, directed by Miguel Sapochnik, who helmed the final two episodes of the sixth season of thrones. (He is a co-showrunner with Ryan J. Condal, who co-created the series with Martin.)

However, know that the series' three most important characters, at least early on, are Viserys, who seems to be a better king than many who will come after him but whose inaction in the name of stability is seen by many as a point of weakness; his teen daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock, "Upright"); and his younger brother, Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith, "The Crown," "Last Night in Soho).

Because Viserys has, at least to this point, never produced a male heir, he must name an eventual successor. Daemon lusts for the throne and is a more-than-capable fighter, but he is impulsive, untrustworthy and needlessly violent. Think of a cross between Joffrey Baratheon, Jaime Lannister and Petyr Baelish, aka "Littlefinger."

Yeah, not great.

Rhaenyra, on the other hand, showcases many qualities you'd want in a leader.

Nonetheless, Viserys is conflicted because, like his sister, Rhaenyra is a woman — and the realm hasn't exactly entered into a progressive phase.

"House of the Dragon" can be choppy because it moves quickly, with a year or two passing in a blink and the season's midpoint ushering in a new phase for the series. The interesting Alcock hands off the role of Rhaenyra to Emma D'Arcy ("Truth Seekers"), and the princess' friend Alicent Hightower — the daughter of Hand of the King Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans, "Spider-Man: No Way Home") and a young woman whose significance greatly increases as the story progresses — transitions from Emily Carey ("Casualty") to Olivia Cooke ("Ready Player One").

For the most part, the show is a mix of political drama and family soap opera. It is quite good at those things. At its best, it is downright addictive television.

It helps that most of the important characters are multidimensional, a credit to Martin and the series' writers. No one — not even Daemon — is quite as loathsome as the members of the Roy family from "Succession," thankfully.

On top of that, the performances are strong across this game board.

That said, "House of the Dragon" often plays like a watered-down version of "Game of Thrones." This is more of what we've seen before and yet, at the same time, less of it. For example, there is no threat to the realm nearly as great as the Night King and his army of dead white walkers. Plus, there's no hero as compelling as Jon Snow — and certainly not as Ned Stark.

It also feels like the safe choice for HBO.

Hey, did you miss dragons? How about wildly expensive public tournaments to mark great occasions? How about gratuitous scenes set in brothels? Maybe even the possibility of a little incest?

Well, all those things are back!

The characters are new, but many of the things they do and the situations they face are not.

HBO famously scrapped a series that would have been set much earlier in the timeline of the "Game of Thrones" universe. Reportedly, a $30 million pilot for the series featuring Naomi Watts was shot before the series was scrapped. It's impossible to say whether that series would have been stronger than "Dragons," of course, but it almost certainly would feel less like "Game of Thrones" than this one does.

Although dragons are used somewhat sparingly early on in "House," this second trip to Westeros breathes enough fire that we're looking forward to the season's final four chapters of this season — and hopefully more volumes after that.

If there is a long way to go with this story, however, it's hard to envision how "Dragons" will build to an ending impactful enough to please those fans who feel burned by the conclusion of "Thrones." That is in part because this show faces the problem that plagues prequels: The history has been written, the series being at least partially based on the Martin novel "Fire & Blood," and the showrunners are tied to that history.

We have a theory about what a theoretical series finale could entail, based on the first episode's compelling final scene, but it's not exactly as combustible as wildfire.

'House of the Dragon'

What: 10-episode first season of "Game of Thrones" prequel series.

Here: HBO and HBO Max.

When: First episode debuts at 9 p.m. Aug. 21, with subsequent episodes arriving on Sundays.

Info: HBO.com.