Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones is a fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, airing on HBO. It is based on the epic fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire, written by George R.R. Martin, with each season roughly adapting one of the novels.
The show is set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, and follows multiple story lines that encompass a large cast of morally ambiguous characters. It uses mostly British actors and capitalizes on the difference between the southern and northern accents spoken in the U.K.
Game of Thrones has received widespread acclaim by critics, and gained a large active fan base. However, it has attracted criticism for its frequent use of nudity, violence, torture and sexual violence. Prior to its premiere in 2011, the show was marketed as being a version of Lord of the Rings for adults. This could also being attributed to Sean Bean, who played Boromir in Lord of the Rings and Ned Stark in Game of Thrones appearing in marketing for Season One.
The show ran for eight seasons, beginning on April 17, 2011 and ending on May 19, 2019.
Novels
The TV series is based on the series, A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin. As of June 2023, five books have been published, with two more yet to be released. After the conclusion of Season 5, the show had surpassed where the story was in the books. The final three seasons contained material from, presumably, the final two books in the series.
- A Game of Thrones (1996)
- A Clash of Kings (1998)
- A Storm of Swords (2000)
- A Feast for Crows (2005)
- A Dance with Dragons (2011)
- The Winds of Winter (Not Yet Released)
- A Dream of Spring (Not Yet Released)
Season 8 Controversy
Although the show as a whole has been well-received, season 8 has been subject to heavy criticism. This stems from how the battle with the White Walkers and Night King takes place in the first three episodes, when it was seemingly set up to have the Night King be the ultimate antagonist of the series. The ending has been criticized as well, as Bran Stark becomes king of Westeros, and the North becomes it's own kingdom with Sansa Stark as it's queen. Jon Snow's fate as being exiled back to the Night's Watch for killing Daenerys Targaryen, who had destroyed King's Landing was also highly criticized.
House of the Dragon
On August 21, 2022, HBO premiered House of the Dragon a prequel series that takes place roughly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. The series focuses on the Targaryens in their prime when Westeros was prosperous. At the time of the series' start, Viserys I Targaryen is King of Westeros. Much like its sequel, House of the Dragon has been very positively received by audiences and critics.
- Paddy Considine as King Viserys I Targaryen
- Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen
- Emma D'Arcy (Adult) and Milly Alcock (Teenage) as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Olivia Cooke (adult) / Emily Carey (Teenage) as Lady Alicent Hightower
- Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower
- Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon
- Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen
- Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole
- Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
- Graham McTavish as Ser Harrold Westerling
- Matthew Needham as Larys Strong
