GOT was the global cultural phenomenon of the 2010s, as the eighth season of the medieval drama series broke records and ushered in a slew of new talent.
In contemporary times, not being part of a fad is the “in thing.” Think of people that boast or state that they have never watched films like Titanic or The Lion King. These are the same people that can be categorised with those that indicate that they have not watched Game of Thrones (GOT). Of course, there is no pressure to do so. However, considering that the “fad” is over, maybe those that have still not watched the series could be veered into watching it now.
Considered a global phenomenon, the medieval drama series had an eight-year run between 2011 and 2019. IMDb gives a surmised version of the premise of the David Benioff and D.B. Weiss-co-created show by writing, “Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.” Despite having started in 2011, it is argued that the show only started to have a cultural impact in the fourth season, released in 2014.
Arguably, this could have been due to the continual growing and coming-of-age storyline of female lead, Emilia Clarke, who played Daenerys Targaryen. From the backdrop of continued surprise deaths of beloved and prominent characters, to the detailed fantastical world created by Benioff and Weiss. Daenerys Targaryen, who was also known as the Mother of Dragons, it began to mirror the socio-political movement of “occupying space.” Seeing her attempt to straddle between being a woman, a leader, “a mother” and a love was the fascination which kept viewers glued to their screens. This is besides the then big question on who would end up as the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.
By its final episode, Game of Thrones had broken most television viewing records. The final episode drew a live viewing audience of 16.5 million viewers, with 15 million more viewers calculated from subsequent streaming. Moreover, it is estimated that when considering illegal streaming and downloads, the number could have been well into the billions of views. While winning awards might not mean much today, the series also has a record-breaking number of 47 Emmy Awards from 128 nominations.
Sabelo Makhubo
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