Streaming News Roundup: ‘House of the Dragon’ Teaser, ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ and Other Renewals, More

“House of the Dragon” Gets Official Season 2 Teaser

Things are heating up at HBO, which has released the first official teaser for Season 2 of its “Game of Thrones” prequel series “House of the Dragon.”

Based on George R. R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the critically acclaimed series is set 200 years before the events of its flagship series and tells the story of House Targaryen. Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans lead the cast with Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham making up the ensemble of the high fantasy series.

Watch the teaser for Season 2 of “House of the Dragon” below:

Season 2 will see the addition of new cast members Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew as Hugh, Tom Bennett as Ulf, Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark, Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne, Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull, Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers, Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower, and Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong.

The eight-episode second season of “House of the Dragon” will debut in Summer 2024 and will air on HBO and be available to stream on Max.

“Squid Game: The Challenge” and More Streaming Renewals

As the SAG-AFTRA strike officially comes to a close, streamers are looking toward the future with a heavy week of renewals.

It’s finale day for Netflix’s “Squid Game: The Challenge,” the streamer has given the mega-sized reality competition series a Season 2 order. Based on the record-setting survival drama “Squid Game,” the new series sees 456 players competing through a series of games inspired by the original show (with surprising new additions) as their strategies, alliances, and character are put to the test in pursuit of the life-changing prize of USD $4.56 million. After its premiere on Nov. 23, the competition series has ranked #1 on Netflix’s Top 10 English TV list and has hit the Top 10 in 93 countries.

If you’re hoping to crack the piggy bank, recruitment for Season 2 of the series is open now. The Season 1 finale of “Squid Game: The Challenge” will premiere on the platform on Dec. 6 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Watch the trailer for “Squid Game: The Challenge” below:

A handful of other major series have also received new season orders:

• Netflix has given the go-ahead to a 10-episode Part 6 of Regina Hicks and Wanda Sykes’ “The Upshaws,” starring Mike Epps, Kim Fields, Khali Spraggins, Journey Christine, Jermelle Simon, Diamond Lyons, Gabrielle Dennis, and Sykes as the extended working-class Upshaw family. The six-episode Part 5 is on its way and is slated to premiere in Spring 2024.
• HBO’s “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” will take on the news for at least three more seasons, with Oliver scheduled to skewer current events through 2026. The Emmy winner will continue to air on Sunday nights on HBO and stream on Max.
• Prime Video is celebrating Season 2 of “Reacher” early with an early season 3 renewal. Alan Ritchson leads the adaptation of Lee Child’s bestselling series as the veteran military police investigator. Season 2 will premiere later this month (Dec. 15) on the streamer.
• After its critically acclaimed second season, Apple TV+’s “Foundation” is getting a third season. An adaptation of Isaac Asimov’’ award-winning stories, the sci-fi saga’s sophomore season currently holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Lee Pace, Jared Harris, Lou Llobell, Leah Harvey, Laura Birn, Cassian Bilton, Terrence Mann, and more star.
• The “Leverage” revival series “Leverage: Redemption” will continue its redemption arc with a Season 3 renewal with a twist: the action crime drama will move from its previous home at Freevee, where it was one of the biggest scripted titles available on the platform, to its sister streamer Prime Video. Season 3 will debut in 2024.

“The Boys” Gets Season 4 Trailer

“The Boys” are heading back to town. Prime Video has dropped the Season 4 trailer for its Emmy-nominated superhero satire, which is heading back to the platform in 2024.

Based on the bestselling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, “The Boys” follows the title team of vigilantes as they combat superheroes with problems abusing their power. The world is on the brink in the new season, and the stakes are higher than ever. Victoria Neuman is closer than ever to the Oval Office but under the thumb of Homelander, who is still consolidating his power. Butcher has lost both Becca’s son and his job, and the rest of the team is fed up with his lies. Can they all find a way to work together and save the world before it’s too late?

Watch the teaser for Season 4 of “The Boys” below:

“The Boys” stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit, and Cameron Crovetti. Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan will join the team in Season 4.

Season 2 Premiere Date for “Halo” Announced

The fight is just getting started: Paramount+ has released the first-look teaser trailer and announced the premiere date for Season 2 of its “Halo” series adaptation.

The series is based on the long-running video game franchise of the same name and is centered on an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant. In Season 2, Master Chief John-117 leads his team of elite Spartans against Covenant but cannot shake the feeling that his war is about to change, embarking on a journey to find the key to humankind’s salvation: the Halo.

Watch the first-look trailer for “Halo” Season 2 below:

Pablo Schreiber and Natascha McElhone lead the cast opposite Jen Taylor, Bokeem Woodbine, Shabana Azmi, Natasha Culzac, Olive Gray, Yerin Ha, Bentley Kalu, Kate Kennedy, Charlie Murphy, Danny Sapani, Fiona O’Shaughnessy, and Tylan Bailey.

The upcoming season will also welcome Joseph Morgan as James Ackerson, “a formidable intelligence operative who has spent his career climbing the ranks of the UNSC’s secretive Office of Naval Intelligence,” and Cristina Rodlo as Talia Perez, “a corporal specializing in linguistics for a UNSC Marine Corps communications unit and a relatively new recruit who has yet to see any real combat.”

Season 2 of “Halo” will debut on Feb. 8, 2024, exclusively on Paramount+.

“True Detective: Night Country” Trailer Out Now

The Alaskan winter is coming at HBO. The cabler has released the official trailer and key art for the next installment of its “True Detective” franchise, this time led by Jodie Foster and Kali Reis.

Titled “True Detective: Night Country,” the latest installment is set in Ennis, Alaska, where the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, Detectives Liz Danvers (Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Reis) will have to dig into the truths beneath the ice and confront both the external and internal darkness.

Watch the trailer for “True Detective: Night Country” below:

Finn Bennett, Fiona Shaw, Christopher Eccleston, Isabella Star LaBlanc, and John Hawkes will also star in the series with Anna Lambe, Aka Niviâna, June Thiele, Diane Benson, and Joel D. Montgrand appearing in guest star roles.

The first episode of “True Detective: Night Country” will premiere on Jan. 14, 2024, on HBO and Max.

“Saltburn” Heads to Streaming This Month

Prime Video has the perfect stocking stuffer this year: Amazon MGM’s much-talked-about “Saltburn.” The gothic romance thriller from Emerald Fennell will come to the streamer worldwide on Dec. 22, arriving after its 36-day theatrical window.

Watch the trailer for “Saltburn” below:

Led by Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan, the black comedy follows the friendship of two Oxford colleagues, academic Oliver (Keoghan) and popular lothario Felix (Elordi). When Oliver is invited to stay with Felix and his wealthy family at their country estate in the British countryside during the summer, the visit quickly turns sideways.

Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe, Carey Mulligan, Paul Rhys, Ewan Mitchell, Lolly Adefope, Sadie Soverall, Millie Kent, and Reece Shearsmith make up the rest of the all-star ensemble.