During an interview with Variety, HBO programming president Casey Bloys discussed the negatives reactions to the series finale of Game of Thrones and shared his thoughts on the general sentiment that the final two seasons should have been longer.
After nearly two full years of anticipation, the final season of Game of Thrones arrived in April only to underwhelm if not outright infuriate most fans of the series. However, HBO programming president Casey Bloys commended series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss for successfully closing out the series and noted that a divided response from viewers was to be expected:
“I think to a certain extent it was expected that for a show this big, there’s no way you’re going to please everybody. It’s roughly split with some people loving it and some people disliking it. That’s about what you’d expect. I think the guys landed a massive plane and did a great job doing it. But you’re never going to make everybody happy, nor should that be the goal.”
One of the common criticisms of the last two seasons of Game of Thrones is that the shortened episode count resulted in rushed storylines that led to hasty character development, particularly regarding Daenerys Targaryen’s descent into madness. Fans have suggested a longer final season would have allowed the writers to craft more detailed stories and character arcs, but the HBO programming chief explained David Benioff and D.B. Weiss had “well thought out” how the series should conclude:
“File this under you can’t please everybody. The guys have had a very, very specific plan in their head for a long time. This was not something that was kind of slapdash, where at the end of last season we said, ‘Eh, we only feel like doing six.’ They were very, very deliberate. This was well thought out.”
How do you feel about the final season of Game of Thrones? Do you believe an extended final season would have benefited the HBO series? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Game of Thrones stars Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister, Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister, Kit Harington as Jon Snow, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, Liam Cunningham as Ser Davos Seaworth, Carice van Houten as Melisandre, Rory McCann as Sandor “The Hound” Clegane, Maisie Williams as Arya Stark, Conleth Hill as Varys, Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy, John Bradley as Samwell Tarly, Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth, Kristofer Hivju as Tormund Giantsbane, Isaac Hempstead Wright as Bran Stark, Jerome Flynn as Bronn, Iain Glen as Jorah Mormont, Hannah Murray as Gilly.
Source: Variety