Here we go again.  In 2022 streaming TV provided fans of sword and sorcery fantasy with two options:  The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power–the most expensive series ever made–saw its first season, a slow-burning prequel of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved characters, courtesy of Prime Video.  And it faced off against Max’s House of the Dragon, which offered more of the convoluted storytelling that began in Game of Thrones with a slate of unlikable characters vying for power.  Both have their fan bases, both are prequels attempting to stretch their franchises to the limit.

Now both are coming back for a second season, and both have trailers for you to check out.

“Always follow your nose.”  With a simple line in the season finale the identity of the Stranger (played by Daniel Weyman)–the Istar, the wizard–of season one is revealed to be a young Gandalf, later to be played by Ian McKellen in the six Peter Jackson films.  He sure seemed like he was going to be Radagast, didn’t he?  The other big reveal was which of the many characters hinted at via several red herrings would end up as the actual Sauron.  Although none were all that interesting, especially compared to the Stranger’s story, the big reveal was well done as Halbrand stepped forward.  Check out this promising trailer for Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power:

It’s sort of gives you goosebumps, right?

And those of us who count him as our favorite-ever Doctor still look forward to a role for Matt Smith that’s close to being as fun as his stint on Doctor Who.  He is back in the sticky muck of royals fighting for power in a world that long pre-dates the characters series fans care about, along with other genre familiars Olivia Cooke and Rhys Ifans.

Here is the trailer for Season 2 of Game of Thrones’ House of the Dragon:

Look for House of the Dragon streaming June 16, 2024, on Max, and look for The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power streaming on Prime Video August 29, 2024.

C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg