Sky-high dragon fights, familial power struggles and political schemes mark Westeros’ return to the screen. The first episode of “House of the Dragon,” a prequel series to “Game of Thrones” set roughly 200 years before the events of the original series, premiered on Sunday, Aug. 21. The following nine episodes were released every Sunday on HBO Max.
In “Hacks,” the Emmy-nominated HBO Max comedy-drama released in early May, a stubborn 70-year-old veteran comedian meets her match in a self-obsessed, flannel-wearing 25-year-old humorist. The most promising part of the 10-episode series is the unlikely bond between Deborah Vance (portrayed by “Mare of Easttown” actress Jean Smart), a stand-up comic based in Las Vegas, and Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), a comedy writer who has been canceled due to an off-color tweet about a gay senator.
