‘Game of Thrones’ Will Rule & Reset Pop Culture in 2019

April 17, 2011. That’s when Game of Thrones first premiered on HBO. At that time, it was just another show—albeit one on a network known for game-changing series (The Sopranos, The Wire) based on a popular, unfinished book series. But Game of Thrones quickly became a sensation, taking TV to epic new places. In 2019, the journey that started eight years ago will finally come to an end. 

HBO announced in November that the six-episode final season of Game of Thrones will premiere in April. They also released this minimally informative teaser trailer. For Game of Thrones fans, this is a big moment because: (1) the show hasn’t aired since summer 2017 (almost two years!); and (2) we’ll finally find out who “wins” the game (maybe).

For pop culture as a whole the final season of Game also has a couple of significant implications…

• It’s one of our last collective cultural experiences that takes place “in the now”. Meaning this is a show people want to watch as it airs so they can talk about it. That used to be the way TV was always consumed, but in the age of DVR and streaming it’s not anymore. With the end of Game, it’s really only major sporting events like the Super Bowl that live in the “everybody at the same time” space.  
• It signals a rebuild for HBO. Game has been a staple of the network for most of the decade. It’s why a lot of people have a subscription. Without it, HBO loses a huge draw. While the network still has some great content, nothing has quite the mass impact of Game of Thrones. It’s like an NBA team trying to move on from Jordan or LeBron (though it should be noted HBO has done it before when The Sopranos ended in 2007). 

Whether you’re a fan or not, a big chunk of the cultural conversation in 2019—across the web, on social, and even in the real world—will be eaten up by Game of Thrones. This will include the month leading up to the premiere, where people are eagerly anticipating and stipulating on what will happen; the month-and-a-half when the show airs and the buzz is deafening; and the month (or months) afterward when people are expressing their inevitable disappointment with what went down. 

One thing’s for sure—much like when Ned Stark faced the executioner in season 1—once Game of Thrones take its final bow, TV as we know it will never be the same.