| Game of Thrones | |
|---|---|
 Title card for the first seven seasons | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Based on | A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin |
| Showrunners |
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| Starring | see List of Game of Thrones characters |
| Theme music composer | Ramin Djawadi |
| Opening theme | "Main Title" |
| Composer | Ramin Djawadi |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| No. of episodes | 73 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Production locations |
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| Running time | 50–82 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | April 17, 2011 – May 19, 2019 |
| Related | |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first of which is A Game of Thrones. The show premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and concluded on May 19, 2019, with 73 episodes broadcast over eight seasons.
Set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, Game of Thrones has a large ensemble cast and follows several story arcs throughout the course of the show. The first major arc concerns the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros through a web of political conflicts among the noble families either vying to claim the throne or fighting for independence from whoever sits on it. The second major arc focuses on the last descendant of the realm's deposed ruling dynasty, who has been exiled to Essos and is plotting to return and reclaim the throne. The third follows the Night's Watch, a military order defending the realm against threats from beyond the Seven Kingdoms' northern border.
Game of Thrones attracted a record viewership on HBO and has a broad, active, and international fan base. Many critics and publications have named the show one of the greatest television series of all time. Critics have praised the series for its acting, complex characters, story, scope, and production values, although its frequent use of nudity and violence (including sexual violence) generated controversy. The final season received significant criticism for its reduced length and creative decisions, with many considering it a disappointing conclusion. The series received 59 Primetime Emmy Awards, the most by a drama series, including Outstanding Drama Series in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. Its other awards and nominations include three Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation, a Peabody Award, and five nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama.
A prequel series, House of the Dragon, premiered on HBO in 2022. A second prequel currently in production, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is scheduled to debut in 2025.
- ^ Noah Harari, Yuval (May 24, 2019). "Game of Thrones: A Battle of Reality Versus Fantasy". Wired. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on June 3, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Alsop, Elizabeth (July 8, 2015). "The Unbearable Darkness of Prestige Television". The Atlantic. Emerson Collective. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
From the bro-style bloviating (or, broviating) of True Detective's first season, to the ominous proclaiming that punctuates the general whoring and slaying of Game of Thrones, to the unceasing climatological and psychological punishments meted out to the cast of The Killing, it seems as though some of the most celebrated recent examples of serial drama have elected self-seriousness as their default tone.
- ^ Arp, Robert (2017). J. Silverman, Eric (ed.). The Ultimate Game of Thrones and Philosophy. Open Court Publishing Company. ISBN 9780812699555. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
Like Game of Thrones, the action in those ancient tragedies centered on the stories of four ruling dynasties: House Atreus of Mycenae, House Cadmus in Thebes, House Erichthonius in Athens, and House Minos in Crete.
- ^ Marcotte, Amanda (June 9, 2015). "Don't Be So Shocked by the Deaths on Game of Thrones: The Show Is a Classical Tragedy". Slate. The Slate Group. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
But while Game of Thrones is in part a rebuttal to traditional fantasy fiction, I'd argue that it's become clear—after five books in A Song of Ice and Fire and five seasons of the TV series—that Martin and showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff are actually playing with a format that isn't so revolutionary at all: They're reviving and updating the classical tragedy as a narrative form.