Who Did It Better — House of the Dragon or Game of Thrones?

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( close read Who Did It Better — House of the Dragon or Game of Thrones? A side-by-side analysis of premiere episodes “The Heirs of the Dragon” and “Winter Is Coming.” Photo-Illustration: HBO The first of many planned follow-ups to Game of Thrones, HBO’s [House of the Dragon]( debuted Sunday looking an awful lot like [Game of Thrones](. Although it’s set 172 years before the rise of Daenerys Targaryen and was shepherded to the screen by author George R.R. Martin and showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik (rather than GOT showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss), the amount of overlap between the two is, [shall we say](, significant. This, apparently, was by design. “We specifically set out to start the show as Game of Thrones and not to try and deviate,” Sapochnik recently [told the New York Times](. House of the Dragon, which introduces a whole fleet of new Targaryens as well as other characters, isn’t quite a Xerox of Game of Thrones, but the premiere definitely plays as if Condal, Sapochnik, and Martin put some translucent paper on top of Game of Thrones, then traced it. [Read The Story »]( Devour pop culture with us. [Subscribe now](for unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York. The Latest TV Recaps Only Murders in the Building: [To Catch a Podcaster]( • Industry: [The Best Idea Wins]( • Kevin Can F**k Himself: [Worcester Wild Dude]( • The Bachelorette: [Hometown Zeroes]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like 1. [The Bachelorette Needed Trista Sutter’s Fairy Tale The contestant behind the franchise’s foundational love story has some advice for its producers.]( 2. [You Know Holden Caulfield Isn’t Real, Right? The way a fictional character should make you feel is … however they make you feel.]( By Isle McElroy 3. [The 102 Best Movie Sequels of All Time Who in the world wanted a Top Gun sequel? Not even Tom Cruise, but that didn’t stop Maverick from getting made and soaring in our ranks.]( 4. [Ranking the Half-Ponytails of House of the Dragon Sometimes you’re on top, sometimes you’re on the bottom … in this gorgeous game of thrones we call life.]( By Rachel Handler [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( 5. [Batgirl Directors Say Warner Bros. ‘Blocked’ the Unfinished Footage And it would need a lot of work to be the next Snyder Cut.]( By Jason P. Frank 6. [Top Gun: Maverick Finally Lands on Digital But you’ll have to wait a bit for a physical release.]( By Eric Vilas-Boas 7. [Succumb to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power The final trailer arrives ahead of the September 2 premiere.]( By Jason P. Frank [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Today’s Crossword 1-Down, Three Letters: Barb and Star Go to Vista ___ Mar. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos by Lionsgate Movies/YouTube, Karwai Tang/WireImage, and Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Netflix Vulture Recommends We consume it all so you don’t have to. Already missing Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal? [Vulture editors put together a list]( of cringey, boundary-pushing meta-narratives that’ll scratch the same itch. [Read more from Vulture]( A Saturday newsletter from the people who make New York Magazine. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe](param=vulture-daily) | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2022, All rights reserved