Game of Thrones (2011– )

Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros.

Creators:

David Benioff, D.B. Weiss

Stars:

Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Fairley

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 31 wins & 70 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Lena Headey	...	Cersei Lannister (20 episodes, 2011-2013)
Peter Dinklage	...	Tyrion Lannister (20 episodes, 2011-2013)
Michelle Fairley	...	Catelyn Stark (19 episodes, 2011-2013)
Emilia Clarke	...	Daenerys Targaryen (18 episodes, 2011-2013)
Maisie Williams	...	Arya Stark (18 episodes, 2011-2012)
Iain Glen	...	Ser Jorah Mormont (17 episodes, 2011-2013)
Kit Harington	...	Jon Snow (17 episodes, 2011-2013)
Sophie Turner	...	Sansa Stark (17 episodes, 2011-2013)
Alfie Allen	...	Theon Greyjoy (17 episodes, 2011-2012)
Jack Gleeson	...	Joffrey Baratheon (17 episodes, 2011-2013)
Aidan Gillen	...	Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish (16 episodes, 2011-2013)
Richard Madden	...	Robb Stark (15 episodes, 2011-2013)
Isaac Hempstead Wright	...	Bran Stark (15 episodes, 2011-2012)
Jerome Flynn	...	Bronn (14 episodes, 2011-2013)
Donald Sumpter	...	Maester Luwin (14 episodes, 2011-2012)
Rory McCann	...	Sandor 'The Hound' Clegane (13 episodes, 2011-2012)
Conleth Hill	...	Lord Varys (13 episodes, 2011-2012)
Ron Donachie	...	Ser Rodrik Cassel (13 episodes, 2011-2012)
Julian Glover	...	Grand Maester Pycelle (13 episodes, 2011-2012)
Amrita Acharia	...	Irri (13 episodes, 2011-2012)
Kristian Nairn	...	Hodor (13 episodes, 2011-2013)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau	...	Jaime Lannister (12 episodes, 2011-2012)
Charles Dance	...	Tywin Lannister (12 episodes, 2011-2013)
John Bradley	...	Samwell Tarly (12 episodes, 2011-2013)
Mark Stanley	...	Grenn (12 episodes, 2011-2013)
Sibel Kekilli	...	Shae (11 episodes, 2011-2013)
Esmé Bianco	...	Ros (11 episodes, 2011-2013)
Roxanne McKee	...	Doreah (11 episodes, 2011-2012)
Sean Bean	...	Eddard 'Ned' Stark (10 episodes, 2011)
Natalia Tena	...	Osha (10 episodes, 2011-2012)
Jason Momoa	...	Khal Drogo (10 episodes, 2011-2012)
Ciarán Hinds	...	Mance Rayder (10 episodes, 2013)
Kristofer Hivju	...	Tormund Giantsbane (10 episodes, 2013)
Richard Dormer	...	Beric Dondarrion (10 episodes, 2013)
James Cosmo	...	Jeor Mormont (9 episodes, 2011-2013)
Joe Dempsie	...	Gendry (9 episodes, 2011-2012)
Ben Hawkey	...	Hot Pie (9 episodes, 2011-2013)
Art Parkinson	...	Rickon Stark (9 episodes, 2011-2013)
Thomas Brodie-Sangster	...	Jojen Reed (9 episodes, 2013)

Storyline

Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Political and sexual intrigue is pervasive. Robert Baratheon, King of Westeros, asks his old friend Eddard, Lord Stark, to serve as Hand of the King, or highest official. Secretly warned that the previous Hand was assassinated, Eddard accepts in order to investigate further. Meanwhile the Queen's family, the Lannisters, may be hatching a plot to take power. Across the sea, the last members of the previous and deposed ruling family, the Targaryens, are also scheming to regain the throne. The friction between the houses Stark, Lannister and Baratheon, and with the remaining great houses Greyjoy, Tully, Arryn, and Tyrell, leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war and political confusion, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night's Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond.

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Plot Keywords:

King | Family Relationships | Kingdom | Fictitious Kingdom | Animated Title Sequence | 

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Taglines:

Winter is coming.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 April 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Song of Ice and Fire

Filming Locations:

Reykjavík, Iceland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO), Television 360, Grok! Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1 / (high definition)

Did You Know?

Trivia

While most of the show is largely faithful to the books, composite characters do appear. The most prominent is the prostitute Ros, who is a composite of several named (Alayaya, Chataya, Kyra) and unnamed characters from the book series. Another composite character is the Spice King, who appears in Season Two.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Tyrion Lannister: A Lannister always pays his debts.

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Crazy Credits

The credits evolve throughout the series, with different cities being featured depending upon the center of action at that point in the series.

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Connections

Referenced in Conan: The Dr. and Mrs. Howard P. Reynolds Foundation Murders (2011)
Title mentioned while introducing Jason Momoa and during interview

User Reviews

Excellent adaptation.

Readers who come to this review later in the series must note that, at the time of this writing, I have only seen the inaugural episode.

It's probably safe to say, when dealing with a series of novels as beloved as The Song of Ice and Fire, the most scrutinized aspect of the T.V. adaptation will be how well it holds to the source material. I am here to confirm, as a fierce devotee to the books, that we have nothing to fear.

While certain scenes play out differently in execution, the plot remains perfectly intact (so far). The characters have been transplanted well from page to screen, and the actors (most notably Peter Dinklage) nailed their personalities quite well. However; it is only fair to point out some of the acting seemed a little wooden at times.

Special effects were well done, though nothing mind-blowing, but the scenery and props perfectly captured the feel of the novels (in my mind at least). It also must be noted that there was just the right amount of nudity, violence and vulgarity to let the audience know they were watching a tale woven for mature viewers without using said nudity, violence and vulgarity as a crutch.

All and all, I am very, very pleased with this adaptation, and I went into it expecting to be disappointed. If I were to gripe about anything, it would be that newcomers who have not read the books might not know what to think of this fantasy story for adults. Some may shrug it off as fodder for geeks, while others might take offence to what they may see as a defiling of a genre usually meant for children.

UPDATE

After watching the entire first season, I can safely say this is perhaps the BEST adaptation of book into film/TV. While many moments in the show do not match the moments in the book action for action and word for word, the plot is never sacrificed when doing this, and the alterations simply make the story a better fit for a one-hour television time slot.

In addition, new scenes (by which I mean scenes which never happened in the book at all) fit seamlessly into the greater plot, and help the audience with information they would only otherwise get via the narrative of the novel (EG: asides which explain character/world history).

Top form, HBO. Top form.