Game of Thrones season 7 continues to dominate the watercooler conversation, as we ebb ever closer to 2018. Just recently, Peter Dinklage (Tyrion) and Emilia Clarke (Daenerys), alongside season 7 itself, were all nominated for TCA awards, Dinklage and the ensemble nominated at the SAG Awards, and the show nominated for a Golden Globe. Twitter recently shared its 2017 stats, and not even the high stakes drama of 2017 world affairs has stopped the Tweeters from a’tweeting about GoT. So long as the lists keep rolling in, we’ll keep rounding them up and putting them together for your reading pleasure:
AFI (American Film Institute) has released their list of top 10 movies of the year, with which they were kind enough to accompany their top 10 TV shows. Wouldn’t you know it? Game of Thrones is in good company along with (among others) the timely The Handmaid’s Tale, the lush The Crown, and the zeitgeist-y Stranger Things. A good mix, if I say so myself!
GQ, meanwhile, devoted a list to the buzziest moments of the TV year. For their part, they selected The Loot Train Battle as the biggest moment this season. For those angry commenters amongst us, please direct your rage accordingly (and politely), as you’ll notice a fair amount of GoT-directed snark, courtesy of the GQ editors.
EOnline has chosen GoT as one of its 10 Best Shows of the year. The outlet says, “There is a reason Game of Thrones is the most tweeted-about show of 2017: It’s still must-see f–king television, even after seven seasons…We still gladly bend the knee to GOT.”
TVLine just can’t get enough of Game of Thrones, including it on multiple times across several lists. For starters, they have highlighted the Aunt Daenerys Targareyen/Nephew Aegon Targaryen scene as one of 2017’s ‘sexiest TV scenes.’ Um – can I take a raincheck on that one? Cause I’m still reeling from the whole incest of it all, ya know…However, I strongly concur with their decision to include Missandei’s and Grey Worm’s tender lovemaking scene. It was beautiful and I hope we see them reunite in season 8. Viserion the White Walker dragon and Sansa and Arya’s plotting against Littlefinger was included on their list of the Biggest Plot Twists on TV this year. Unsurprisingly, Sam’s poop-and-soup montage was included on their list of The Scenes We Desperately Wish We Could Unsee, along with Sam’s gruesome greyscale surgery on Jorah.
This one comes with spoilers, of course but TVLine has placed Viserion’s death at number 3 on the biggest/saddest TV deaths of 2017. While I was too scared to read through the rest of the list (big spoilerphobe over here), I did happen up on the number 1 TV death and I heartily implore all of you who ever plan on watching Nashville to NOT CLICK THE LIST, as I’m still personally reeling from the shocking season 5 shocker that TVLine understandably highlighted as number 1. But anyway, back to Thrones!
TVLine was also kind enough to include GoT season 7 as the number 5 TV drama of the year. I’m still putting together my own top 10 but number 5 seems about right. To say season 7 did not have flaws would be silly, but when Game of Thrones is operating at full speed, it’s a steamroller and other shows best get out of its damn way.
The Atlantic did a roundup on its top 10 new shows, and top 10 returning shows of 2017. Fortunately, it saw fit to include GoT on its list of returners. Luckily it’s not competing for an award here because it’s up against Bojack Horseman’s impeccable and heart-wrenching season 4 and The Leftovers’ slam bang series finale, among other fitting honorees.
Collider places GoT at number 14 on its list of the Top 25 Shows of 2017, saying, “Sometimes all you want in a series are ice dragons, zombies with the power of resurrection, and the long-awaited consummation of a relationship between an aunt and her nephew (er…), and sometimes a show gives it to you. ”
The Ringer has included season 7’s “The Spoils of War” on their list of the Best TV Episodes of 2017, saying, “Revisiting the scene [of Jaime’s charge] months later with full knowledge of who was spared, I still can’t help but hold my breath the moment that Jaime stands staring down Drogon’s throat, while Dany recognizes she’s the target of his spear. The stakes of this battle were years in the making. However excruciating it was to watch, hypercharged moments like it are exactly why we invest hours of our lives in television.”
And finally, Game of Thrones is 2nd on DigitalSpy’s list of the 25 Best TV Shows of 2017. They say, “The penultimate season of Game of Thrones upped the spectacle, the drama and the sheer narrative brilliance of previous seasons, delivering a run that was only marred by its being too short.”
We’ll continue to keep you posted if season 7 pops up on any more year-end lists. Until then, where does Game of Thrones season 7 (and its many memorable moments) fall on your personal TV highs and lows of 2017? Let us know in the comments below!
Hodor!
/goes to kitchen to open bottle of wine (knows where she’ll be the rest of the night)
I don’t watch much tv but
Game of Thrones
better call saul
Rick and Morty
and I started watching stranger things, and its pretty fun so far.
Walking dead ended up on the cutting room floor this year, can’t bare to watch that show anymore.
TV Line knows what is up.
It is indeed all about a little Daenerys Aegon Aunt Nephew action and Vicerion dying was super sad
How many TV show were able to stay this relevant in their seventh season?
How many TV shows made it to a seventh season?
mau,
Not many, I’m sure. The only one I can think of off the top of my head is M*A*S*H, and that went off the air in… Oh, shit. I’m really aging myself here. 😜
Ten Bears,
They didn’t because they weren’t successful enough.
I saw Viserion’s death was also highlighted in Time mag. Can you imagine the reaction if Ghost…. Gods below, don’t finish that sentence.
I don’t know why I bother looking at these lists as I rarely agree with them. I watch A LOT of shows, feel like I enjoy a broad spectrum of style and genre, and generally believe that I have pretty solid taste. I don’t hesitate when asked by people to recommend programs, but usually do so with a sort of descriptive personal rating included. When I see a show that I watch that’s just ‘decent’ high on one of these lists and another that is genuinely excellent not even make that list it makes me want to vent. Nobody cares to read that stuff though so this is as much as I’ll do. 😛
I haven’t been able to force myself to even hate-watch the last season and half as I have been doing since about season four. Your comment is somewhat coincidental as just yesterday I was bored-browsing through comments from fans about the current season and can say that your feelings are pretty widespread. Their viewership numbers appear to be in a free fall right now to back that up as well. If they do intend to keep TWD going for many more years as reported then they need to make some changes. They should start with new writers, stop the cyclical story/repeated actions and pick up the pace… Their stinker episodes are truly awful.
Clob,
I’ve never watched Walking Dead before, but I get the impression that it’s kind of the same thing over and over again without much movement in the plot, but I could be completely wrong. To me, a good story needs to have a beginning, middle, and an ENDING. A lot of shows these days seem to skip the ending part because they want an excuse to keep the same show going as long as possible out of pure laziness and an inability to come up with a good idea for another show. It’s like some shows aren’t really shows. They’re just long commercials to string you along week after week to keep you tuned in, teasing a payoff that you never really get. It’s like that with a lot of movies these days too.
Can’t believe I forgot Fargo and I think Black sails came out this year.
Fargo
Black sails
Two more spell binding television programs that brought the action this season.
You’ve just accurately described 107 episodes in one sentence. 🙂
Black Sails is amazing! And I feel like it’s quite underrated which is a pity as it has some of the best writing and characters that I’ve seen in a tv show.
I haven’t yet watched the newest season of Fargo, but I really enjoyed the previous ones.
Right. Because some TV shows that start off great begin sucking midway through the second season. (“The Blacklist). Others are victims of their own success: the network wants to extend them past their natural life, so the showrunners start digging into the Hollywood Box of Tired Old Cliches to manufacture or “retcon” storylines. Still others sh*t on what endeared them to the audience in the first place when new showrunners and writers come on board (e.g., “Dawson’s Creek.”)
Fargo is great every season. I liked the cast in season 2, and the weirdness as always was great. One of the best shows out there.
Black sails I found a little bit boring the first season, but every season after that it became better. Season 4 was amazing in my opinion. Loved the ending of that show.