Emily Watson, Olivia Williams and Mark Strong star in a visually grand six-part series, which takes place before the events of Denis Villeneuve’s blockbusters and focuses on a scheming drama surrounding the Bene Gesserit.

Dune: Prophecy is gearing up for its premiere on HBO, so if you want to know when to log onto Max to stream it, we’ve got you covered.

The biggest problem is the problem that plagues seemingly all prequels: the fact that no matter how far back in the past the story might go, imaginations can only stretch so far. Once again there is a conflict between the Harkonnen and the Atreides families (the novelty here being the Harkonnens get more screentime),

Inspired by 2012 novel Sisterhood of Dune, a continuation of the series’ lore from Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, the prequel centers on a mysterious organization called the Sisterhood (which will eventually become the Bene Gesserit).

This is a spoiler-free review of Dune: Prophecy's first four episodes. The show premieres on HBO and Max on November 17, 2024, with new episodes airing Sundays through December 22.

A long-gestating prequel, about the women who seek to guide a galaxy, is splashy, somber and insufficiently spicy.