Game of Thrones may be coming up on its finale, but HBO is just getting started. The network looking past the end of its flagship drama with a massive slate of exciting new series to draw new viewers in and keep those GoT fans renewing their subscriptions. (We can justify Netflix, Hulu AND HBO, right?)
This precarious moment in time leaves many fans feeling like we’re teetering on an edge, but a recent Deadline interview with WarnerMedia Chairman Bob Greenblatt and HBO president of programming Casey Bloys should give you some peace of mind. They compare the end of Thrones to the end of The Sopranos, arguably one of television’s biggest successes and certainly HBO’s biggest success pre-Westeros. When that series ended, fans seemed uncertain about HBO’s future. With GoT’s success having eclipsed that of The Sopranos, it seems fair to ask what the game plan is for the coming years. Greenblatt makes an astute observation:
I’ll also add that networks often go through these periods when signature shows go away, and people speculate on what the future is. And there’s always something that comes along that you didn’t expect.
So how much new material can we expect to fill the void? Deadline points out that there have been mixed signals on this front. Currently, about 50% of all HBO programming is original, but top execs have made statements about building a “bigger and broader” network to compete with the likes of streaming giant Netflix. This will probably become an even bigger necessity soon, as Disney+ is entering the market at a price point far more reasonable than many entertainment fans were expecting. We’re all craving prestige-level original programming; it’s now just a question of who can keep up quantity with quality.
So what’s the strategy for HBO to answer the call? Bloys explains.
We’re trying to do good shows, not necessarily hit a number, and I think a little bit of determining that number will be shows that we think are worthy, and can we deliver to a creator the experience that people have come to expect working at HBO? We don’t want to lose that. We don’t want the volume to get too high that people feel like they’re lost in the shuffle.
Sounds a bit like a subtle knock on competitor Netflix, which is well known for prioritizing numbers over quality.
A major draw for Thrones fans to return to HBO will be the success of a possible prequel series. While a new project is in the works, Deadline asked a question that has weighed heavily on many fans’ minds: will there just be the one? Greenblatt, again, swung in with a smooth answer.
It’s a double-edged sword. The answer is yes, we’re having conversations about how do we smartly continue the Game of Thrones universe, but we have to be really thoughtful about not killing the golden goose and not putting on shows that aren’t up to that quality level, and how many is too many.
In the rest of the interview, Greenblatt and Bloys talk possible renewals of other HBO heavy-hitters like Sharp Objects, True Detective and Silicon Valley. There are also new series on the horizon, like Watchmen, His Dark Materials, J.J. Abrams’ Demimonde and Joss Whedon’s The Nevers. The game is afoot to find the next big series that could really take the Game of Thrones crown.
Obviously, there are a lot of moving pieces in play. Still, we can’t help but get excited. When the Iron Throne has been taken (or Westeros is covered in ice), don’t cut the cord with HBO quite yet. There are still some major draws to keep us entertained.
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