George R.R. Martin Blasts ‘House of the Dragon’ Showrunner Ryan Condal: “Abysmal” Relationship Revealed

George R.R. Martin has openly criticized his working relationship with House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal, calling it “abysmal” and saying it has worsened over time. In a recent profile with The Hollywood Reporter, Martin revealed that the collaboration, which started smoothly during season one, broke down completely by the second season.

“It’s worse than rocky, it’s abysmal,” Martin said. He explained that early on he and Condal worked well together. “I hired Ryan. I thought Ryan and I were partners. And we were all through the first season. I would read early drafts of the scripts. I would give notes. He would change some things. It was working really well — I thought.”

But by season two, Martin says, Condal largely stopped considering his input. “I would give notes, and nothing would happen. Sometimes he would explain why he wasn’t doing it. Other times, he would tell me, ‘Oh, OK, yeah, I’ll think about that.’ It got worse and worse, and I began to get more and more annoyed.”

The situation became serious enough that HBO instructed Martin to send all his notes to the network, which would then relay them to Condal. Martin described a moment where he felt completely sidelined in shaping the show: “This is not my story any longer.”

Martin also reflected on the support he gave Condal during season one, when the showrunner had a falling out with co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik, leading to Sapochnik’s departure. That early trust, however, did not last.

The strained relationship also contributed to a now-deleted blog post Martin wrote in September 2024, criticizing the direction of the series. While much of the post praised the show’s writing, direction, and acting, Martin openly disagreed with certain story decisions, calling some changes “toxic” to his original books. The post was taken down after HBO requested it, with Martin noting, “I would’ve put it back up, but then I would’ve looked like an idiot. And 80 percent of it was praise, but that’s not what people focused on.”

Condal has not made any new public comments, though he has previously said Martin had become “unwilling to acknowledge the practical issues at hand in a reasonable way.” HBO sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the network had to step in to reset communication between Martin and Condal to get the production back on track.

Martin remains involved with the series in some capacity, though he declined to give details. His comments paint a picture of a once-promising partnership that deteriorated under creative tensions and differing visions for the show.

It’s clear that even in high-profile collaborations, creative clashes can happen, especially with source material as iconic as Martin’s. Fans may be concerned, but this could also mean that future seasons of House of the Dragon will find a clearer direction after this reset. What do you think about Martin and Condal’s working relationship? Share your thoughts in the comments.