The Decade that Belonged to Game of Thrones

Every decade has a show that captures everyone’s attention; where every twist and turn is analyzed obsessively. Most of those are remembered with an “eh, it was just popular.” However, every once in a while a show was more than popular; it was one of the best. This decade, TV belonged to HBO’s Game of Thrones.

Why is Game of Thrones one of TV’s best? In one word—Dragons!

Created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the show is based on G.R.R Martin’s best selling, UNFINISHED book series A Song of Ice and Fire. It’s about the kingdoms of Westeros, which are all warring for the Iron Throne. Featuring political intrigue, sex, dragons and copious amounts of bloodletting, the show has had a stranglehold on TV with record breaking viewership for HBO.

Flashback to 2011: The Hobbit had yet to be released and the OG Harry Potter was concluding. Fantasy had an opening. So, HBO pounced, but not without skepticism. Fantasy was a genre thought best for the big screen. Did TV have the budget, VFX and following to pull it off? Yes, yes and yes! Buoyed by great actors, some of which have become stars and others who have had long careers prior, GOT was an instant success, validating its anticipation and holding it ever since. It has been acclaimed for its acting, characters, story, magnitude, direction and groundbreaking production value.

But like any pop culture phenomenon, not all of the success comes from the show alone. Unlike the previously mention fantasy franchises, GOT debuted in the age of social media, becoming the basis of reaction videos, memes, hash-tags, fan-sites and YouTube channels—attracting a large, energetic following. Furthermore, it is an anomaly in modern TV. It is not a streaming series. It can’t be binge-watched. Game of Thrones, for all its innovations, lives and dies at the morning water-cooler.

After a two-year absence, Game of Thrones highly anticipated final season is set to begin. But HBO isn’t ready to let go of the Westeros mythology. The network is already prepping a prequel series, hoping to ride the dragon as long as possible. Even though Star Wars and Fantastic Beasts have demonstrated that prequels aren’t always the best idea, we’re hopeful that HBO can prove otherwise.