You can watch Dune: Prophecy episode 1 online for free right now

Emily Watson in Dune: Prophecy
Emily Watson in Dune: Prophecy (Image credit: Attila Szvacsek/HBO)

On the fence about watching Dune: Prophecy, the new HBO series that airs on the cable channel and streams on Max. Well, you can try it out right now with no buyer’s remorse as Dune: Prophecy episode 1 is now available to watch on YouTube for free courtesy of the Max YouTube channel.

Dune: Prophecy is a prequel to the Dune movies from Denis Villeneuve starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, but is set thousands of years before the events of those movies and features an entirely new set of characters and actors portraying them. Villeneuve is also not involved in the show, though Brian Herbert, Kim Herbert, Byron Merritt, Jon Spaihts, John Harrison and Richard P. Rubenstein have producer credits on both the movies and show.

The TV series follows two Harkonnen sisters, played by Emily Watson and Olivia Williams, who work to establish the Bene Gesserit as one of the most influential groups in the galaxy. The show also stars Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Mark Strong, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Josh Heuston, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka and more.

Dune: Prophecy episode 1 debuted on HBO and Max on November 17. Here is the official synopsis for the premiere episode, titled “The Hidden Hand”:

“On Wallach IX, young Valya Harkonnen promises Mother Superior Raquella that she'll protect the Sisterhood by putting one of their own on the Imperial Throne. Thirty years later, Valya faces a threat to her long-awaited plan.”

New episodes of the sci-fi drama are released Sundays in the US and on Mondays in the UK. To date, three episodes of the six planned for the inaugural season have aired.

If you want to catch up with the entire series after checking out episode 1 on YouTube, you can stream Dune: Prophecy on-demand exclusively on Max in the US (subscription required); in the UK the show streams on Sky and NOW TV. If time is a little compressed, you can also get all the critical details from the first three episodes with WTW’s Dune: Prophecy episode 1, Dune: Prophecy episode 2 and Dune: Prophecy episode 3 recaps.

There’s no indication right now if any more of the first three episodes of Dune: Prophecy are going to be released on YouTube.

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Michael Balderston
Assistant Managing Editor

Michael Balderston is What to Watch’s assistant managing editor and lead movie writer, covering movies coming to theaters, writing movie reviews and highlighting new and classic movies on streaming services; he also covers a range of TV shows, including those in the Taylor Sheridan universe, Slow Horses, Only Murders in the Building, Jeopardy!, Saturday Night Live and more, as well as the best ways to watch some major US sporting events.

Based outside of Washington, D.C., Michael's previous experience includes writing for Awards Circuit, TV Technology and The Wrap.

Michael’s favorite movie of all time is Casablanca, while his favorite TV show is Seinfeld. Some 2025 favorites include One of Them Days and Black Bag for movies, and The Pitt on TV. Follow on Letterboxd to keep up with what I'm watching.

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