A principal inspiration for the novels is the English Wars of the Roses (1455–1485) between the houses of Lancaster and York, reflected in Martin's houses of Lannister and Stark. [38] The scheming Cersei Lannister evokes Isabella, the "She-Wolf of France" (1295–1358). [33] She and her family, as portrayed in Maurice Druon's historical novel series, The Accursed Kings, were a main inspiration of Martin's. [39] Other historical antecedents of series elements include: Hadrian's Wall (which becomes Martin's Wall), the Roman Empire, and the legend of Atlantis (ancient Valyria), Byzantine Greek fire ("wildfire"), Icelandic sagas of the Viking Age (the Ironborn), the Mongol hordes (the Dothraki), the Hundred Years' War, and the Italian Renaissance. [33] The series's popularity has been attributed, in part, to Martin's skill at fusing these elements into a seamless, credible version of alternate history. [33] [40] Production Conception and development Showrunners D. B. Weiss and David Benioff created the series, wrote most of its episodes and directed several. Kustritz, Anne (June 9, 2016). " "They All Lived Happily Ever After. Obviously.": Realism and Utopia in Game of Thrones-Based Alternate Universe Fairy Tale Fan Fiction". Humanities. MDPI. 5 (2): 7. doi: 10.3390/h5020043. Game of Thrones fairy tale AUs perfectly exemplify this principle, as these fan works reconceptualize the HBO show, the books the show is based on, and the fairy tale genre, as well as other fan-specific genre conventions, while the books themselves also draw heavily on numerous layers of fairy tale, alternate history, and fantasy novels, films, and stories as intertexts. Collins, Sean T. (March 20, 2013). "Q&A: 'Game of Thrones' Insider Bryan Cogman on the Biggest Season Yet". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016 . Retrieved March 24, 2013. Lee, Ben (March 30, 2016). "Game of Thrones season 6 costs A LOT per episode: The HBO fantasy epic's massive budget is revealed". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on April 2, 2016 . Retrieved April 1, 2016.

Hibberd, James (February 22, 2013). " 'Game of Thrones' early DVD sales breaking HBO records". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014 . Retrieved January 20, 2022.Cogman, Bryan (September 26, 2012). Inside HBO's Game of Thrones. Chronicle Books. p.70. ISBN 978-1452110103. Game of Thrones was broadcast by HBO in the United States and by its local subsidiaries or other pay television services in other countries, at the same time as in the US or weeks (or months) later. Broadcasters carrying Game of Thrones included Fox Showcase in Australia; HBO Canada, Super Écran, and Showcase in Canada; HBO Latin America in Latin America; Sky Television Network's SoHo and Neon in New Zealand; and Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom and Ireland. [186] [187] [188] [189] In India, two versions of the series were aired; Star World aired a censored version of the series on television at the same time as the US, while an uncensored version was made available for live viewing on the Hotstar app. [190]

In 2019, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift told Entertainment Weekly that several songs on her 2017 album Reputation were inspired by Game of Thrones characters and plots. [350] "Khaleesi" became more popular as a name for baby girls in the United States. In the novels and the TV series, "khaleesi" is not a name, but the title of the wife of a "khal" (warlord) in the Dothraki language, held by Daenerys Targaryen. [351] Other names from characters in the series, like Daenerys, also became popular baby names. [352] [353]Elderkin, Beth (April 3, 2020). "You'll Soon Be Able to Actually Visit the World of Game of Thrones". Gizmodo. G/O Media. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019 . Retrieved July 5, 2020. of TV's best opening credit sequences". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith Corporation. April 11, 2019. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020 . Retrieved May 25, 2020. Hibberd, James (March 2015). " 'Game of Thrones': EW spends 240 hours in Westeros". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016 . Retrieved April 1, 2015. Prudom, Laura (December 6, 2017). " 'Game of Thrones' comes to theaters to distract you from the long wait for Season 8". Mashable. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018 . Retrieved May 22, 2020.

Game of Thrones season 3 on iTunes Australian Store". iTunes Store. Apple, Inc. April 17, 2011. Archived from the original on May 8, 2013 . Retrieved March 31, 2013. Vaughn, David (January 29, 2016). "Game of Thrones: Winter Is Coming—In Atmos". Sound & Vision. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016 . Retrieved May 28, 2017. Orr, David (August 12, 2011). "Dragons Ascendant: George R. R. Martin and the Rise of Fantasy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016 . Retrieved March 24, 2013. Martin's books are essentially the War of the Roses with magic Moreau, Jordan (May 7, 2019). "Jessica Chastain, Ava DuVernay Call Out 'Game of Thrones' for Treatment of Women". Variety. Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved May 21, 2019.Although the series's first season closely follows the events of the first novel, there were significant changes made for later seasons. According to Benioff, the TV adaptation is "about adapting the series as a whole and following the map George laid out for us and hitting the major milestones, but not necessarily each of the stops along the way". [32] Aspects of the novels' plots and their adaptations are based upon settings, characters, and events in European history. [33] Most of Westeros is reminiscent of high medieval Europe, from its geography and castles to its cultures, the feudal system, palace intrigues, and the knights' tournaments. [34] [35] Like medieval Europe, most of the houses in the series use the patriarchal system of power. [36] The series also includes elements of gothic fiction, including torture tropes. [37] Hibberd, James (January 6, 2015). " 'Game of Thrones' coming to IMAX: First TV series released in format". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015 . Retrieved January 20, 2022. The show's final two seasons, especially season eight, received more criticism. Season seven was praised for its action sequences and focused central characters, but received criticism for its pace and plot developments that were said to have "defied logic". [249] [248] [272] Writing for Vox, Emily VanDerWerff cited the departure from the source material as a reason for the "circular storytelling". [273] Critical reception for season eight was mixed. [274] The Guardian said there was the "rushed business" of the plot which "failed to do justice to its characters or its actors". [275] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Maureen Ryan condemned the season's reductive treatment of women, and "decisions set up and executed with little or no foresight or thoughtfulness", declaring the penultimate episode as "Game of Thrones at its worst". [276] Fan reaction was mixed for the final season. A petition on Change.org started by some fans requested that the final season be remade with different writers. [277] Casey Bloys, HBO's president of programming, said at a Television Critics Association event "the petition shows a lot of enthusiasm and passion for the show but it wasn't something we seriously considered". [278] Despite the criticism of the writing, the music and visual effects were praised. [279] [280] In 2023, Game of Thrones was included on The Guardian 's list of worst TV endings of all time. [281]

Larsson, Simon; Lundström, Markus (June 2020). "Anarchy in the Game of Thrones". Neohelicon. 47 (1): 117–129. doi: 10.1007/s11059-020-00522-5. S2CID 216189073. Andreeva, Nellie (May 5, 2009). "Two will play HBO's 'Game' ". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 9, 2009 . Retrieved January 20, 2022.

Ginsberg, Merle (June 19, 2015). " 'Game of Thrones' Season 6 Adds New Costume Designer". The Hollywood Reporter. Valence Media. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016 . Retrieved January 20, 2022. Although many of the cast returned after the first season, the producers had many new characters to cast in each of the following seasons. Because of the large number of new characters, Benioff and Weiss postponed introducing several key characters in the second season and merged several characters into one, or assigned plot functions to different characters. [9] Some recurring characters were recast over the years; for example, Gregor Clegane was played by three different actors, while Dean-Charles Chapman played both Tommen Baratheon and a minor Lannister character. [72] Writing George R. R. Martin, author of A Song of Ice and Fire, is a series co- executive producer and wrote one episode for each of the first four seasons. Young, Alex (April 9, 2019). "HBO announces Game of Thrones-inspired album For the Throne". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on July 27, 2019 . Retrieved May 22, 2020.