A Game of Thrones - Tuning in?

[Steve T Power]

I'll readily admit that after reading the first book twice, George R.R. Martin's writing style is not particularly to my taste (too 'drug store' for me), but the story itself is a nice take on swords n sorcery, and there's certainly a dearth of this kind of drama on television.

There's a clip of the the first 15 minutes of the first episode on HBO's official site - and it's looking pretty good.

Also a ton of videos here.

[cdouglas]

I'll confess that I haven't read the series (though I have a couple of friends who are big fans and have been recommending the books to me for a while), but the 15-minute preview did look pretty solid. I'll be watching.

[Adam Arseneau]

Can't. Freaking. Wait.

[Dunnyman]

Glad to see it, but jeez, Martin's writing pales in comparison to Eddings and Feist, where's those great miniseries at?

[Bryan Byun]

I'll readily admit that after reading the first book twice, George R.R. Martin's writing style is not particularly to my taste (too 'drug store' for me), but the story itself is a nice take on swords n sorcery, and there's certainly a dearth of this kind of drama on television.

Just curious -- what does "too 'drug store'" mean? I've never heard that expression before.

I've never read the books and I'm not much of a reader of fantasy, but I've heard so much about this series that I guess I'll tune in just to see what people are talking about.

[Steve T Power]

I'll readily admit that after reading the first book twice, George R.R. Martin's writing style is not particularly to my taste (too 'drug store' for me), but the story itself is a nice take on swords n sorcery, and there's certainly a dearth of this kind of drama on television.

Just curious -- what does "too 'drug store'" mean? I've never heard that expression before.

I've never read the books and I'm not much of a reader of fantasy, but I've heard so much about this series that I guess I'll tune in just to see what people are talking about.

Sex scenes and gratuitous naughty bits that sound right out of Harlequin Romance. Like something the drug store moms will get all red faced and blustered reading, and the rest of us will just be cringing at. George R.R. Martin is a dirty old perv.

Sounds perfect for HBO.

[J.M. Vargas]

Despite very low numbers (2.2 million for the premiere) HBO RENEWS "GAME OF THRONES" FOR SECOND SEASON: http://www.deadline.com/2011/04/hbo-renews-game-of-thrones-for-second-season-after-premiere-airing/

[mkiker2089]

Isn't 2.2 actually quite good for HBO? I may be a little out of date on their membership however.

Not to thread hijack but I'm still amazed at the numbers shows pull down and still considered failures. The entire TV industry is so fragile that sometimes I'm amazed it hasn't crashed before now. Lie To Me was bringing in between 5 and 8 million viewers depending on whom's numbers you believe yet it's still a failure and is in indefinite hiatus. So if everyone doesn't watch it as soon as it airs the first time it's doomed to fail. Modern households just don't work that way. I also don't trust the system that determines ratings, but that is another story.

[Steve T Power]

Isn't 2.2 actually quite good for HBO? I may be a little out of date on their membership however.

Not to thread hijack but I'm still amazed at the numbers shows pull down and still considered failures. The entire TV industry is so fragile that sometimes I'm amazed it hasn't crashed before now. Lie To Me was bringing in between 5 and 8 million viewers depending on whom's numbers you believe yet it's still a failure and is in indefinite hiatus. So if everyone doesn't watch it as soon as it airs the first time it's doomed to fail. Modern households just don't work that way. I also don't trust the system that determines ratings, but that is another story.

2.2 - 3 million is great for specialty channels like SyFy,

HBO typically considers "hugely successful" to be in the 10-15 million viewers range, and even 6 mil plus is a good turnout.

Major networks are MUCH higher. Like your average "successful" primetime gig should be landing anywhere from 20 million to 30 million viewers.

[J.M. Vargas]

Final numbers are in... GoT did not roar out of the gate a Boardwalk Empire–level blockbuster. Per Nielsen, a little more than 2.2 million HBO subscribers caught the initial 9 p.m. telecast of the network's lavish adaptation of George R.R. Martin's novels. That's less the half the audience for last September's similarly hyped Boardwalk Empire (4.8 million), and below other big recent HBO events such as night one of mini-series The Pacific (3.1 million) and John Adams (2.5 million). Game even finished behind the most recent season finale of modestly rated HBO comedy Hung (2.3 million). So why was HBO so quick to renew GoT?

Well, even if the numbers were mildly disappointing — at least relative to the massive marketing campaign for the show, whose budget one veteran cable hypemeister told Vulture was "at least $15 million" — the 2.2 million bow is still a very solid number for an HBO series. The similarly geek-friendly True Blood, for instance, bowed to a mere 1.4 million viewers back in fall 2008; within two years, it had become the network's biggest hit, attracting more than 5 million viewers on a weekly basis. HBO has also trained viewers to know that they don't need to watch a show at one time: It aired the GoT opener three times in a row Sunday (boosting its overall viewership to 4.2 million, vs. the 7.1 million who caught Boardwalk during its similar triplecast back in September). HBO also aired the GoT pilot nearly a dozen times on its various channels within a day of its premiere, while HBO subscribers have been repeatedly educated to keep in mind HBO series are available any time via HBO On Demand. Meanwhile, it's always worth remembering that HBO does not live on ratings alone: Media buzz and Emmy recognition are at least as important to the premium network, which relies on folks believing that if they cancel their subscription to the channel, they'll also cancel their self-image as A Smart, Hip Consumer of Television So Smart, It's Not Really TV.

The test of GoT will come in the weeks ahead, as word of mouth about the show spread. HBO execs are no doubt betting the show's ratings will build, the way True Blood did. That's a possibility, of course, but True Blood didn't arrive with anywhere near the same level of hype as GoT; its marketing campaign was much smaller, and critics weren't nearly as orgasmic in their praise of HBO's bloodsuckers. What's more, while Blood built buzz as a guilty pleasure with frothy, sexy fun, most media about GoT has focused on how complicated and layered the series' plot is. Is it really a good thing when magazines and websites are printing elaborate guides to a show before it's even premiered? We'll soon find out.

Source: http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/04/why_hbo_renewed_game_of_throne.html

[mkiker2089]

I didn't realize HBO was as big as they are now. I like that the article Vargas posted mentioned people watching at other times. In that HBO is ahead of the curve. Initial numbers mean nothing, it's the long haul that counts. People watched it at different times so the 2.2 million number is smaller than the actual eye count would be. Now if they would just let people who don't have cable get access through web subscriptions or media players. WE can dream can't we

[J.M. Vargas]

Neil Marshall ("The Descent," "Centurion") will direct one episode of "GOT" for season two: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/game-thrones-neil-marshall-season-234126. It'll be Neil's TV directorial debut.

[Steve T Power]

Neil Marshall ("The Descent," "Centurion") will direct one episode of "GOT" for season two: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/game-thrones-neil-marshall-season-234126. It'll be Neil's TV directorial debut.

His style will definitely be well suited. I'm guessing he's tackling the battle heavy bit of book 2

[azul017]

The complete season 1 set needs to be announced ALREADY. Perhaps HBO will announce it tomorrow and tout "featuring Emmy-awarding winner Peter Dinklage" on the front cover.