Reports indicate former House Of The Dragon showrunner Miguel Sapochnik is a total wife guy
Per a new report, Miguel Sapochnik departed House Of The Dragon after HBO wouldn't include his wife Alexis Raben on the production team for the second season
“Wife guys” are no new phenomenon in society—often maligned and notoriously adoring, this genre of man saw some memorable scandals in 2022 (the scales evened out, of course, with a Bennifer wedding complete with a quote from “Live By Night.”)
The criteria for what exactly makes a wife guy isn’t defined by paperwork, but some actions of spousal solidarity just speak for themselves. Case in point: a new report that former House Of The Dragon show-runner Miguel Sapochnik left the series after HBO refused to rehire his wife onto the production team for season 2. The departure reportedly caused a blow-up between Sapochnik and HBO— and could potentially cost Sapochnik some of his first-look deals with the network.
According to a report from Puck—a new media startup helmed by journalists hailing from outlets like The Hollywood Reporter, CNN, and The Atlantic— Sapochnik’s exit had less to do with amicable creative differences and more to do with his wife Alexis Raben’s involvement in the show. Raben—who was a credited producer on HotD season 1—appeared in multiple episodes as Talya, a handmaid for Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke).
Per Puck’s Matthew Belloni, when Sapochnik requested that Raben secure a spot on his and Ryan Condal’s producing team for season 2, HBO “politely said no,” and cited Raben’s inexperience as a deciding factor. (HBO did not respond to a request for comment on this story.) The disagreement reportedly became so fraught, a mediator was brought in to de-escalate matters. Ultimately, Sapochnik chose not to continue working on HotD after Raben was left off the team— he left the show, fired his agents at WME, and moved to Raben’s agency, CAA. (Deadline reported that Sapochnik signed with CAA back in November.)
This new picture of Sapochnik’s HotD reads quite differently from the amicable split initially presented to the public in August. When Sapochnik cemented the decision with a statement, he emphasized his pride in HOTD season 1, and the “enthusiastic reaction” it received. “It was incredibly tough to decide to move on, but I know that it is the right choice for me, personally and professionally,” Sapochnik shared at the time. We can imagine why he’d feel that way— especially “personally.” As of this writing, HBO did not return The A.V. Club’s request for comment.