Game of Thrones (2011– )

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

Creators:

David Benioff, D.B. Weiss

Stars:

Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Michelle Fairley

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 32 wins & 73 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Peter Dinklage	...	Tyrion Lannister (29 episodes, 2011-2013)
Lena Headey	...	Cersei Lannister (26 episodes, 2011-2013)
Michelle Fairley	...	Catelyn Stark (25 episodes, 2011-2013)
Maisie Williams	...	Arya Stark (25 episodes, 2011-2013)
Emilia Clarke	...	Daenerys Targaryen (23 episodes, 2011-2013)
Sophie Turner	...	Sansa Stark (23 episodes, 2011-2013)
Iain Glen	...	Ser Jorah Mormont (22 episodes, 2011-2013)
Kit Harington	...	Jon Snow (22 episodes, 2011-2013)
Alfie Allen	...	Theon Greyjoy (22 episodes, 2011-2013)
Jack Gleeson	...	Joffrey Baratheon (22 episodes, 2011-2013)
Richard Madden	...	Robb Stark (20 episodes, 2011-2013)
Aidan Gillen	...	Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish (19 episodes, 2011-2013)
Isaac Hempstead Wright	...	Bran Stark (19 episodes, 2011-2013)
Rory McCann	...	Sandor 'The Hound' Clegane (19 episodes, 2011-2013)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau	...	Jaime Lannister (18 episodes, 2011-2013)
Charles Dance	...	Tywin Lannister (18 episodes, 2011-2013)
John Bradley	...	Samwell Tarly (17 episodes, 2011-2013)
Conleth Hill	...	Lord Varys (17 episodes, 2011-2013)
Jerome Flynn	...	Bronn (17 episodes, 2011-2013)
Joe Dempsie	...	Gendry (16 episodes, 2011-2013)
Sibel Kekilli	...	Shae (15 episodes, 2011-2013)
Julian Glover	...	Grand Maester Pycelle (15 episodes, 2011-2013)
Mark Stanley	...	Grenn (15 episodes, 2011-2013)
Kristian Nairn	...	Hodor (15 episodes, 2011-2013)
Donald Sumpter	...	Maester Luwin (14 episodes, 2011-2012)
Esmé Bianco	...	Ros (14 episodes, 2011-2013)
Ron Donachie	...	Ser Rodrik Cassel (13 episodes, 2011-2012)
Gwendoline Christie	...	Brienne of Tarth (13 episodes, 2012-2013)
Natalia Tena	...	Osha (13 episodes, 2011-2013)
Amrita Acharia	...	Irri (13 episodes, 2011-2012)
James Cosmo	...	Jeor Mormont (12 episodes, 2011-2013)
Ian McElhinney	...	Barristan Selmy (12 episodes, 2011-2013)
Finn Jones	...	Loras Tyrell (12 episodes, 2011-2013)

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 | night watch | intrigue | queen | horse riding | 

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Taglines:

Five Kings. One Throne.

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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:

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Carice van Houten was previously asked to audition for a different role when season 1 was shot, but schedule conflicts prevented her from auditioning. She was asked to come back to audition during shooting of season 2, and was cast as Melisandre.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Eddard Stark: Winter is coming.

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Crazy Credits

The opening pictures on the revolving metal rings show part of the history of Westeros. It begins with the conquest of Westeros by Aegon the Conqueror of House Targaryen, followed by Robert's Rebellion (where the Targaryens are deposed), and ending with the crowning of Robert Baratheon as King of the Seven Kingdoms.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #19.186 (2011)

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.