House of dragon hasn't been bad, but it hasn't gripped me either. Feels like diet GoT. They're trying to do what Hollywood does: figure out the recipe and cash in.
The problem here is the discontinuity in the timeline. Some actors age, some don't, some get replaced... All on top of a fairly emotionless story. After season one of the original, you have a developing cast that's interesting and a climax that makes you go 'WTF?'
At the end of HoD, I just let out a "meh." I may go back, assuming I have nothing better. I'm far more interested in season 2 of Severance or many other higher quality series out there.