Take your pick of reasons why Game of Thrones is the world’s most-watched series: the political intrigue, the fire-breathing dragons, the interpersonal drama, the army of frozen dead. Although there is some debate about the narrative strength of Season 7, the number of “Best of” lists it’s landed on once again — and its nomination by the Writers Guild of America as Best Drama Series — is a testament to its legacy as one of the best shows in television history.
Thrones took a spot on annual lists from TV Guide, TechCrunch and Rolling Stone, which covered the best and most downloaded shows of 2017:
TV Guide placed Thrones at 22nd out of the 25 best shows of the year, pointing out that while the season “wasn’t without its issues, mainly that it would have probably benefited from more episodes … the shortened, seven-episode installment propelled the narrative forward to put in place the pieces for the Wall to come down at the end of the season.” They also lauded the badassery of Olenna Tyrell’s death, Arya and Sansa’s reunion, Jaime finally breaking away from his ruthless sister and Viserion’s death (sob…I’m still not over it) and resurrection.
Rolling Stone placed the show higher, at 10th out of its top 20 of 2017. They also pointed out that the show “packed an entire epic into seven crazed weeks” and gave special props to Arya “finally avenging the Red Wedding. (How’s that pie baked full of his own flesh and blood taste, Walder Frey?).” Naturally, RS also noted the “sexual fireworks” between Jon Snow and Dany, “even if the Mother (of Dragons) happens to be his aunt.”
Over at TechCrunch, the site complied a list of the year’s most downloaded movies, music and TV shows in the Apple store, and according to them, “there aren’t really too many surprises here — though it’s a useful reminder that, at least so far as entertainment is concerned, 2017 wasn’t a complete dumpster fire.” They noted that Thrones was the most downloaded show of the year, and in the uncertain times we live in, thank god it was there for us.
In addition to its place on these lists (and likely others yet to be published), Deadline reported that Game of Thrones also was nominated for Best Drama Series by the Writers Guild of America, with David Benioff, Bryan Cogman, Dave Hill and D.B. Weiss credited as writers. And with Golden Globe nominations to be announced Monday, it’s likely we can expect more accolades on both sides of the camera.
Yea, Hodor
I could care less about the accolades. There’s an awards show every freakin week. I just love the show and am also glad that we still have 1 more season to look forward to. Once it’s gone we may never see anything like it again. At least for a long while. Though I’m sure plenty of copycats will try their best.
JC, what terrible lists and/or order of! I’ve watched all or a lot of a majority of those shows and find (their) orders ridiculous. It’s like they’re just trying to be ‘edgy,’ different, stir up debate, jump on a two week long buzz-train or more accurately, it’s just the thoughts of three weirdos collected in a room.
Clob,
I haven’t watched many of the other shows, but all I know is “This is Us” is the most emotionally manipulative, melodramatic crybaby fest of a show I’ve ever seen. It’s like whomever writes that show just tried to think of ways to make people cry. Ugh. Just awful.
I plan on watching Stranger Things soon since everyone and their mother has been saying how good it is. Just haven’t gotten around to it yet though. Not sure what else I’ll be getting into, but I need some new shows soon now that South Park’s season is over, GoT is currently filming for next season, and Outlander’s season finale is this weekend.
Mr Derp,
I agree with your thoughts on This Is Us. There’s a certain demographic that just eats up that kind of stuff.
I’ve enjoyed Stranger Things well enough to this point but still believe it and ‘other elements’ of it are very overrated (also think S1 was better). So many people have Netflix so when it hits there’s a couple weeks of buzz when everyone binges it and then it just fades out. Since you haven’t watched it I won’t explain, but when I think about S2 as a whole I don’t get a whole lot out of it emotionally, in overall depth and can’t call it high enjoyment.
Ugh, just clicked on Rolling Stones link. One of those annoying pages covered in ads where you have to keep clicking ‘next page’ endlessly. Can’t be bothered, I just shut the page. Do they not realise the format is a complete turn off?
Very happy to see Thrones getting accolades though. It’s fab. I’m British so my taste is probably a bit different to my friends state side. If you like Brit drama try Peaky Blinders. It’s phenomenal. I have to have something to keep me going in the drought after all. 😊
Lol. I tolerate it because the time-shifted scenes are intriguing. In order to enjoy it more, I consider the bastard Randall to basically be Jon Snow and the tragic story behind the father’s death similar to the dysfunctional rationale leading to Robert’s Rebellion. 😉
It helps to drink every time they mention “family” in that show too.
I have a feeling the media narrative is going to turn next year and we are going to end up with a bunch of in defense of season 7 articles
House Monty,
I’m anticipating that there will probably be a large segment of disappointed nerds who will hate the ending of GoT too, no matter how it ends. I’m fully prepared to give em the ol:
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Hodors Bastard,
In all fairness I’ve only seen one episode, so I suppose I shouldn’t judge too much, but that was my impression. I should’ve tried the drinking game that you mentioned. I probably woul’ve enjoyed the show more. Or maybe even less due to the emotional state that drinking tends to bring out, so who knows. Maybe I’ll try it sometime if I’m in the mood.
Dyanna,
Absolutely agree with you Dyanna. Peaky is one of the best programmes on tv at the moment. I didn’t enjoy last series as much as the previous 2 but the current one is fabulous and as usual Tom Hardy is acting everyone off screen. I always fancied TH as a younger Robert Baratheon in a prequel for Robert’s rebellion.
Lol. Love the virtual middle finger.
Personally though I could see myself hating the ending. There are some ending theories I have read that just make me want to vomit.
House Monty,
True, and I’m sure I’d hate certain endings too. If Ser Pounce doesn’t end up on the Iron Throne then I’ll revolt dammit!
Sometimes I just get the feeling that a lot of people are already deciding that the ending will suck unless it meets their own personal head cannon 100%. I’m at least willing to give the cast and crew the benefit of the doubt and let things play out first.
For example, any recent thread that included some type of vague filming spoiler always seems to have a number of commenters that are already making huge assumptions based on nothing more than..well, assumptions.
When a show becomes as popular as GoT is, it tends to bring out a lot of people that start to take the show way too seriously and act like the show must conform to their personal preferences and moral code 100% otherwise they get mad as hell.
I have faith for now in D&D saying that ending is 100% satisfying.
We shall see.
House Monty,
Me too. The wait is long and full of terrors.
Carole H,
Ahhh, now you’ve put that thought in my head, it so works….Tom Hardy as a young Robert. Absolutely!
“Thrones’ lands on several ‘Best Of’ lists for 2017 and pulls in a WGA nomination”
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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – channeling Melisandre this time….
There is only one “Best of” list that matters. It’s the ones we’re voting on now.
#WatchersontheWallAwards
I didn’t watched many new shows from the last 2 years, too busy watching shows that have ended. But some of these shows I have watched, some of I decide to watch later. Some I will probably never watched. Somehow the show “This Is Us” doesn’t really sound promising to me. And I have a question for the people who have watched twin peaks. I never watched the series from 1991 and 92 and probably never going to watch it. Do you need to watch those 2 seasons to understand the return?
And now my personal opinion. For me the best show of 2017 is the Leftovers, it’s so far ahead of it’s time. I predict that in about 5 years many shows will be like that show, Damon Lindelof will probably be another trendsetter just like he did with lost. And where Lost started out a masterpiece and dropped in quality over the years, the leftovers is completely the opposite. Season 1 I found good but not great would have rated it around 7/8, season2 and 3 were just masterpieces, one of the best I saw on television and I have watched a lot of television. Personally I didn’t understand why he chose “the book of Nora” as the nomination instead of “Certified” that episode left me speechless for more than an hour, the only other time that happened with me was the ending of “six feet under”.
I’m happy to see Better Call Saul in the list. Loved that show. Not as great as Breaking Bad but still full of quality.
As for Game of Thrones, I’m not surprised of the drop on the list. I liked season 7 a lot, and it had it’s moments but as stated in one of the lists, the drop in episodes resulted in a drop in quality. some things felled rushed this season, and I have a feeling that they dropped the episode count only because of the new contracts with the maincast. Such a shame because I think if they would have extended to 8 or 9 episodes the story would have progressed better and GoT would probably be in the top 5 or maybe top 3 in every list. Many of my friends who were major GoT fans in the past and couldn’t stop talking about it have losing interest because of season 7.
I hope that that have more freedom with episode runtime in season 8 because they really need to let the story flow a lot better in the last season.
As for the WGA nominations:
Dramaseries: the shows I watched in this list are: Better call Saul, game of thrones. the other 3 were on my list. I wished Leftovers were in this categorie, they totally deserved it. But of course GoT must win. But I think the handmaidens tail will win.
commedy: I watched a lot of commedy but none of these. No opinion.
new series: never watched one of these. And why 2 categories? And why nominated one show for both categories?
Long from original: see above.
Long from adapted: I watched fargo and big little lies. For me fargo win by a mile, no make that 10, no make that 100, well you get the point. But I think big little lies will win.
episodic drama: I watched the leftovers and better call saul, but the book of nora was one of the best episodes I ever watched. such a shame that we didn’t have a winds of winter this year, maybe next year.
talk shows, who cares. same as the rest.
Hope The Leftovers gets some recognition as well. The series told a good story (that went beyond the book). That last episode was truly satisfying. Great speculative sci-fi ending for the series. PK Dick would be proud.
Also hope Better Call Saul does well. Things are starting to align with BB (before and after), which is cool.
As for Twin Peaks, I would go back to the original series and get a taste for its minimalism. The first season is quirky and great, the second so-so except for one middle episode directed by Lynch…the “Bob” reveal is f*cking demented and spooky as hell. Also, watch the movie “Fire Walk with Me” for more of the story.
yes, but the beautiful part is, that it left open to your own interpretation. personally for me I always though that Nora lied and that she chickened out, but that she didn’t want to admit that that she wasted decades of her life. and that Kevin knew that but that he went with her story because it gave her a closure and that it didn’t matter for him as long as they together. (for me the whole show was about closure) Which character was your favorite? Mine Lori, her goodbye episode was heartbreaking (watched it today again). And Max Richter is amazing with his music, don’t know which I found better, the music from leftovers or GoT. Both composers are amazing.
And about twin peaks, thanks. Maybe I will watched it later.
I have to agree with you. Laurie Garvey had a tremendous arc throughout the series. Touching and disturbing. That actress (Amy Brenneman) has always intrigued me. She embraces her roles very well, extremely convincing.
All three seasons of The Leftovers have their unique qualities but the endings to each season raised the bar and left me speechless. Great storytelling. It’s one of the few series that did enough in three seasons to satisfy my initial interest with no real need for more.
kevin1989,
How big of a fan were they if one “lackluster” season made them lose a moderate amount of interest in a show they used to adore? I’ve always really wondered how one blemish could really effect how someone feels about a series overall.
Edward,
They don’t compare the whole show. They compare the season that happened this year. Maybe overall they still think got is in the top 10 of all time. But they compared season 7 to other seasons that aired this year. They don’t rate the whole show only this season.
Edward:
kevin1989,
They felled like many of fans that season 7 let the story into a let’s call it a predictable Disney story. The good guys win instead of the old got. Many storylines weren’t that compelling like they were in previous seasons. And we’re only have 6 episodes left. I can understand that people will lose interest. Personally I still loved it.
Can this be deleted made a mistake with editing.
kevin1989,
“I hope that that have more freedom with episode runtime in season 8 because they really need to let the story flow a lot better in the last season.”
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I’ve got to be honest: I’m prepared to withhold judgment and give the showrunners the benefit of the doubt. Still, I can’t help but feel it will be a real challenge to conclude the story in a mere six episodes.
I’m sure the action scenes will be spectacular. Yet, that is not what drew me into the show and kept me interested. It was the quieter, character-driven, emotionally evocative moments. (I think it was Thronetender who coined the wonderfully descriptive term, “high thread-count” scenes.)
For instance, will there be sufficient “breathing room” and quality dialogue for a scene like Yoren telling a sleepless Arya the story of how “Willem” killed his brother, and thereafter Yoren said Willem’s name every night like a prayer – until the day came when Willem rode back into town and Yoren buried an axe so deep in his skull they had to bury him with it stuck in his head?
I enjoy dragons roasting things and zombie invasions as much as the next person, but those scenes don’t resonate as much as the well-acted scenes. (Unlike one misguided guest actor, I do not think GoT is only “tits and dragons.)
Jon Snow’s nonstop swordfighting in BoB was entertaining, but not “perpetually rewatchable” like his playful scene with Ygritte in “The Bear and the Maiden Fair.” Same thing with Tyrion’s scene in which he entraps Lancel with his own words and convinces him to spy on Cersei.
I don’t know… There are so many unresolved emotional conflicts involving characters in whom I (we?) have become invested for seven seasons. I’d feel short-changed if their reunions and resolutions are raced through like checking off boxes. (I kind of felt that way already last season, eg, with Jorah’s return to Dany.) Sansa and Jon’s reunion in S6 was well done; but will the show have to hurry through the more anticipated Jon-Arya reunion in ten seconds in the interests of expediency? That would suck.
I know we’re gonna have at least two big battle scenes and lots of WW stuff. I hope that doesn’t suffocate the quality aspects of the show in its final season.
… End rambling rant….
Ten Bears,
Considering how long each individual episode will average out to be I think it’s safe to assume there will be a lot of quieter moments. Season 7 had loads of great character moments despite being an expedited season.
I agree S7 felt like it was lacking in character moments compared to the others (I still really liked it!) but I’m not worried.
S8 will be the LAST season. This will be the last we see of these characters. The actors will give their A game, D&D will want to make sure they interact as much as possible, especially since everyone is now together. S7 was mostly setting things up for the end, S8 will be the result of that build up.
Also keep in mind, S7’s big “battle” only had 2 or 3 characters we really cared about and it was never going to be too emotionally driven. The big battle will have send offs after send off, arcs being concluded, intense character interactions and tons of awesome shit. Not to mention the longer episodes and filming period.
I’m honestly completely confident. D&D know this final season will define everything about the show, their ultimate work, no matter what they do after this. They will be far more invested in this season than the last one.
100% agree!
For instance, will there be sufficient “breathing room” and quality dialogue for a scene like Yoren telling a sleepless Arya the story of how “Willem” killed his brother, and thereafter Yoren said Willem’s name every night like a prayer – until the day came when Willem rode back into town and Yoren buried an axe so deep in his skull they had to bury him with it stuck in his head?
^ I agree with this, Season 2 was filled with so many moments like this, I don’t understand the hate for Season 2 of the show, it’s actually one of my favorite seasons. I might be in the minority here, but I really liked Season 7, was it the best? No , but there was plenty to like this past season in my opinion.
MannyK,
I didn’t dislike Season 7. Like every other one, it had its iconic moments and classic lines. If anything, I’m greedy: I wanted more than the seven episodes.
Everybody’s got their favorite characters and favorite storylines. For instance, while I am not a big Theon fan and have never been bowled over by the Greyjoy-Iron Islands stuff, I can understand why Theonophiles felt his S7 scenes were perfunctory and he wasn’t given enough screen time.
Yet, after going back and watching the Yoren-Arya scene from S2e3 (roughly 4 1/2 minutes long but I was captivated by every second of it), I’ve resigned myself to the reality that the post-S5 accelerated pace of the show with its plotlines-on-amphetamines, means that we probably won’t see many “high thread count” scenes any more.
[Keyboard freezing; can’t edit..]
To be fair here, Theon has never had a huge screen presence. S2 was his biggest role but everything after has very much been secondary tier. However, his scenes are usually great. His scene with Jon in the S7 was very moving to me and I think S8 will be full of moments like that. S7 started with everyone split and trying to get everyone together for the last one, it was rushed but I believe it all be worth it for what S8 will give us. There’s no more rushing to get to places now, there’s also no more filler which plagued parts of the show post S1 and pre S7. Everything we get will be focused. S7 took a hit but when watched as a whole show together, it’ll feel less awkward if S8 manages to be completely awesome. In my opinion, they should have split S7 into 2 parts, S7 A would be what we just got and S7 B would be what we are going to get, because it truly feels like it’ll be 1 big season split in half.