Should HBO let go of Game of Thrones?
Rumblings of a Game of Thrones spinoff are making the rounds
Game of Thrones is coming to an end, and it’s going to do so sooner rather than later. There are only two seasons left, and both will be on the shorter side. After that, it’s all over, and we’ll get to see if Westworld really has the right stuff to take its place. But that might not be the end. The world of Game of Thrones is massive, filled with bloody histories not yet explored. There is a lot of ground left together.
During the recent TCA press tour, Head of Programming Casey Bloys fielded a lot of questions about HBO’s future. According to Variety, that did, of course, include the chances of a Game of Thrones spinoff. Suffice it to say they are interested in the prospect but aren’t ready to commit to anything just yet.
"“All I can say is that we’re exploring it. We don’t have any scripts, we’re not even close to saying ‘Oh let’s do this.’ But it’s a big enough property that we would be foolish not to explore it…”"
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Yes, they would be foolish not to look at the options, but they wouldn’t necessarily be foolish for passing. There would be something dignified in choosing to let Game of Thrones go and not continue to mine it for more. There’s also no guarantee that the same audience is going to stick around for more. Eight years are already a big ask for a massive audience, but perhaps that’s something that HBO is already looking into. A spinoff doesn’t have to have the same massive budget; it could tell a smaller, more local story.
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Overall, we remain a tad cautious about continuing this admittedly massive franchise. More isn’t always better, and continuing Game of Thrones could limit HBO’s ability (funding wise) to invest in new shows and ideas. We have two more seasons before this issue is really going to come to a head, and hopefully by then HBO will have made a decision.