House of the Dragon will inevitably look very similar to Game of Thrones, but don’t expect to see the same amount of nudity and sex scenes as its predecessor.
Specifically, HBO is being mindful of the way sexual violence is portrayed in the prequel series after Game of Thrones was rightfully criticized for its handling of such scenes. “Shows are a product of their time,” HBO’s Chief Content Office Casey Bloys told The Hollywood Reporter, “and there’s a lot more awareness now about what we’re portraying and why—and who’s having the conversations about it.”
As such, showrunners Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal were tasked with balancing the realities of living in a patriarchal society and limiting the sexual violence portrayed. They ultimately decided to “pull back” on the amount of sex scenes included, though Sapochnik noted, “You can’t ignore the violence that was perpetrated on women by men in that time. It shouldn’t be downplayed and it shouldn’t be glorified.”
Sapochnik and Condal were equally considerate about portraying childbirth, with the former noting that they wanted to show the “violence” of delivering a baby in Medieval times, which is the era that serves as inspiration for the fantasy series.
