Dune: Prophecy Season 1 (Complete) | TV Series

Harkonnen sisters shape the Bene Gesserit’s rise, battling prophecy and power 10,000 years before Paul Atreides.

Review

Dune: Prophecy Season 1 is an ambitious, if uneven, prequel diving into the origins of the Bene Gesserit, set 10,000 years before Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films. Spanning six episodes, it follows Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) and her sister Tula (Olivia Williams) as they navigate the Sisterhood’s early days, post-Butlerian Jihad, aiming to secure influence over the Imperium amid a looming reckoning. Watson and Williams deliver commanding performances, grounding a dense narrative of political intrigue, psychic visions, and familial tension.

The show shines in its quieter moments—like Valya’s ruthless ambition or Tula’s maternal conflict with Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel)—and its lavish production design echoes the Dune aesthetic, albeit on a smaller budget. However, it stumbles with clunky exposition dumps, a rushed six-episode arc that leaves characters like Desmond and the younger Sisters underdeveloped, and a finale that teases more than it resolves. While not as cinematic as Villeneuve’s epics, it’s a cerebral slow-burn that rewards Dune fans with lore expansion—think Game of Thrones with space witches—though casual viewers might find its pacing and complexity daunting. Season 2, already greenlit, has room to refine its potential.