It’s been 15 years since Game of Thrones aired its first episode and, in that time, the beloved fantasy series has pulled off what may have once seemed impossible – but now, it has an even bigger challenge ahead of it.
Based on the novels by George RR Martin, Thrones went from a cult hit in season 1 to a global phenomenon by season 3, receiving worldwide acclaim for its masterfully crafted story, its wealth of well-written and well-acted characters, and its incredible production value.
Miraculously, after it took a dive in its final season, Thrones has also managed to pull a Jon Snow and come back from certain death for two highly-acclaimed spin-offs which have been (mostly) beloved by the fanbase: House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, becoming a masterclass in how to make a franchise.
But the 2020s haven’t been all that kind to well-established TV and film franchises.
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe, for instance, once seemed bulletproof, the 2020s have seen it face struggles like box office revenue declines (with 2023’s The Marvels ending its box office run as the lowest-grossing MCU movie in history) and well-documented audience fatigue – something that could very well impact other franchises too.
So, while it’s thrived over the past 15 years, how does Game of Thrones survive the next 15?
In many ways, it’s on the right track. A big part of Marvel’s audience fatigue came from fans feeling like they had to do their homework to understand everything, with new releases failing to stand on their own.
In contrast, Thrones has already gone in the complete opposite direction with its spin-offs, which (while still serving as prequels to the original series) also stand on their own as original stories. Although fans who have seen all of Thrones and House of the Dragon will, of course, get a richer experience from watching A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, it’s in no way essential.
Both spin-offs have also, crucially, offered up something different to Game of Thrones. With all-new casts, showrunners, and tones, it doesn’t feel like we’re watching the same show over and over again, particularly proven by A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Who could have expected a Game of Thrones spin-off would result in a sort of medieval buddy comedy show? But the franchise is all the better for it.
Now, with so many series in development, HBO needs to keep it fresh once again by diversifying its stories even further. One way to do this could be to embrace animation and go full speed ahead with its animated series 9 Voyages, which is in active development, but has not yet been greenlit.
9 Voyages was originally meant to be a live-action series, with Martin revealing in 2024 that it was moved to animation due to budget concerns. But that’s not the only reason Thrones should look to animation.
Adult animation has experienced a massive rise in popularity in recent years, with shows like Invincible, Arcane, Hazbin Hotel, The Legend of Vox Machina and more bringing in huge audiences, and anime becoming a mainstream staple with approximately 50 per cent of Gen Z (13 to 28-year-olds) watching it. Both The Witcher and Stranger Things have also tested out animated spin-offs, with Sirens of the Deep and Tales from ’85.
That’s not to say a Game of Thrones story in animation wouldn’t be risky, as you could certainly expect those uninterested in animation to give it a miss. But it also could be an opportunity to reach new (and potentially younger) audiences and to tell a story in a way that live-action just doesn’t allow.
The next Game of Thrones project, however, will be away from screens entirely, with stage show The Mad King opening this July at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Again, it’s a completely new story with a new creative team and an entirely new cast, exploring a new period of Westeros history, told in an fresh way.
It’s a brilliant move for the franchise, not least because stage shows have, of late, had a huge role in rejuvenating franchises, from Stranger Things: The First Shadow (which broke a record for Broadway’s Marquis Theatre last year by bringing in $2,510,948 in a single week) to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (which has grossed over $1 billion globally).
Again, the medium of stage can also do things that TV and film just can’t. The Stranger Things stage show, in particular, employs incredible visual effects to immerse the audience in the world of Hawkins, and team behind The Mad King has this same opportunity for the world of Westeros. The RSC is also a perfect setting for a Thrones play, with the production surely set to go all-out Shakespearean and really make the most of the theatre experience.
But, while it’s on the right track in a couple of ways, there are also some things that Thrones needs to be very cautious of. If superhero fatigue has taught us one thing, it’s also that franchises need to take their time, something that resulted in Disney intentionally reducing Marvel’s output to no more than three films and two TV shows per year. For a TV or movie franchise, over-saturation is the kiss of death. If an audience gets bored of what you produce, how do you ever lure them back in?
The best way for Thrones to avoid it is just to prevent it and give us some time between each new release. Thankfully, despite the amount of spin-offs in development making fans a little twitchy, HBO CEO Casey Bloys has reminded everyone that not all of them will be made.
“I think one of the challenges with a show or a franchise that’s as popular as Game of Thrones is kind of anything we develop will get speculated about, talked about, and some people will think it’s an actual show,” he recently told Radio Times. “And I always do like to remind people we’ve had exactly two spin-offs… and a lot of speculation elsewhere.”
Bloys added: “You really just have to give yourself that ability to try a lot of different things without committing to a show. That process of development works for us.”
But the most important thing is something that perhaps any Game of Thrones fan could tell you – we can never, ever see those original characters on screen again. HBO came perilously close to a Jon Snow sequel series before it was shelved, with reports that an Arya Stark spin-off is now in development.
If we were to see a sequel or prequel with the original cast reprising their roles, it would undermine everything the Thrones franchise has done so far to keep its spin-offs fresh and keep the audience excited. It would seem like a desperate money-grab and send a message that there are no new stories to tell.
And the reality of Thrones is quite the opposite. Thanks to Martin’s seemingly endless imagination, there are so many stories left to tell in the world of Westeros, and whether Thrones sinks or swims over the next couple of decades ultimately rests on which ones HBO decides to tell, and how well they’re told.
After all, when you play the game of franchises, you win or you die.
House of the Dragon season 3 will arrive on HBO Max in June. Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Sky and NOW, along with Game of Thrones and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV.
Add House of the Dragon, Game of Thrones and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
