TL; DR:
- George RR Martin wanted game of thrones continue for several more seasons.
- Fans felt the final season of HBO’s hit fantasy series was rushed.
- game of thrones could have benefited from a longer duration in several ways.
It’s no secret that the final season of game of thrones marked a controversial conclusion to HBO’s hit fantasy series. In the years since the finale, many fans have expressed that the series’ ending felt rushed. And apparently author George RR Martin has been pushing for more seasons of game of thrones. Unfortunately, it’s a battle he didn’t win.
Fans felt ‘Game of Thrones’ ending was rushed
game of thrones Season 8 brought an end to HBO’s beloved fantasy series, but the finale was divisive among fans. While some were happy with the fate of characters like Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Jon Snow (Kit Harington), others felt the series’ ending was rushed.
While the pacing wasn’t the only issue fans had, many complained on Reddit and Twitter that the major developments felt too sudden. From Daenerys becoming the Mad Queen to Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) ruling Westeros, the buildup just wasn’t there. Not to mention how quickly the characters moved from one side of Westeros to the other – and that’s after previous seasons took a long time to portray their journeys.
Needless to say, viewers felt the show could have used more time to flesh out its grand finale. And it seems George RR Martin agreed. Martin would have liked game of thrones to continue for more seasons, something that unfortunately didn’t pan out.
George RR Martin pushed for more seasons of the show
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It’s true, George RR Martin pushed for game of thrones to have a longer lifespan, which he talked about in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
According to Martin, he felt game of thrones needed a minimum of 10 seasons to complete its story – and he could have seen it continue beyond that.
“I was saying it needed at least 10 seasons and maybe 12, 13,” Martin recalls. “I lost that one.”
Although HBO would have been on board for more game of thrones, Showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss felt that eight seasons was enough to tell their story.
“HBO would have been happy for the show to continue, to have more episodes in the final season,” Benioff told Entertainment Weekly in 2019. “We always believed it was around 73 hours, and it will be about that. Even though they wanted more, they understood that was where the story ended.
How More Seasons Could Have Helped ‘Game of Thrones’
game of thrones may have stayed true to the vision of David Benioff and DB Weiss, but many fans would have liked more seasons. Additional delay could have improved the HBO series in several ways.
On the one hand, the Night King and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) could have been treated separately, with the characters taking their time overcoming the two obstacles. Similarly, additional episodes could have offered more insight into the Night King and his army.
Daenerys Targaryen’s dark turn may have gone better with more buildup as well. With its descent into madness over the course of three episodes, many viewers felt a boost. Giving the Mad Queen a proper bow may have changed her mind about the character’s fate. Unfortunately, now we will never know.
Hope viewers will feel more satisfied with Dragon Houseis running. And although game of thrones had a shaky ending, there’s still a lot to love about the original series.
The eight seasons of game of thrones are currently streaming on HBO Max.
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