The Dance of Dragons resumes Sunday night. House of the Dragon Season 3 premieres June 21 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max, and the early critical reception suggests this could be the best season yet.

Reviewers who saw the first four of eight episodes gave the season a 97 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes — the highest in the Game of Thrones franchise’s history. Critics described it as a significant step up from Season 2, with more action, sharper pacing, and character work that matches the first season’s emotional weight.

Season 2 ended with Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower’s sides locked in open war over the Iron Throne, with Daemon Targaryen’s actions casting doubt over everyone’s loyalties. Season 3 is expected to dig into the full scale of the Targaryen civil war, including major dragon battles that the show’s earlier seasons only hinted at.

The season runs eight episodes, with new episodes airing weekly on Sundays through August 9. All eight episodes are reportedly directed by a smaller group of directors than previous seasons, which reviewers say gives the show a more consistent visual tone throughout.

The cast returns Paddy Considine, Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, and Fabien Frankel, with several new characters introduced in the first episode according to those who attended preview screenings.

HBO has not yet announced whether a Season 4 is in development, though the network has previously described House of the Dragon as a multi-season story with a planned ending.