# So why didn't they milk out Game of Thrones one more season? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [May 23, 2019, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404 "2019-05-23T13:26:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/21 "2019-05-23T18:01:04Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I would say the actual breakouts from Game of Thrones are Sophie Turner, Emilia Clarke, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Right now they are coasting on their GoT popularity, but Emilia already bombed with Terminator and Star Wars, and the word of mouth on the new X-Men movie is pretty terrible. I haven’t seen Nikolaj on anything prominent yet. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/22 "2019-05-23T18:06:07Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Right now they are coasting on their GoT popularity, but Emilia already bombed with Terminator and Star Wars, and the word of mouth on the new X-Men movie is pretty terrible. I haven’t seen Nikolaj on anything prominent yet. He had a supporting role in the 2013 Tom Cruise SF movie Oblivion. The reviews were mixed . ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/23 "2019-05-23T20:00:37Z")
While I didn’t hate the last season nearly as much as a lot of people did, there was barely enough story left to fill out the final six episodes. Another season would have been a huge mistake. Whether or not Benioff and Weiss were anxious to be done with it, ending it when they did was the right choice creatively. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/24 "2019-05-23T20:06:17Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > While I didn’t hate the last season nearly as much as a lot of people did, there was barely enough story left to fill out the final six episodes. Another season would have been a huge mistake. > > Whether or not Benioff and Weiss were anxious to be done with it, ending it when they did was the right choice creatively. There was plenty of story left to tell. Varys’ betrayal would have been a season long arc in previous seasons, we got two scenes. Dany and Jon fell deeply in love in like two episodes. Dany’s heel turn should have taken multiple seasons of her getting progressively worse. Give one single reason for Bran to end up as king that makes sense. Make Euron a real character instead of a magical Deus Ex Navis. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/25 "2019-05-23T20:08:59Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > He had a supporting role in the 2013 Tom Cruise SF movie Oblivion. The reviews were mixed . LOL I saw that movie and have absolutely no memory of him being in it. I do remember him in _Mama_ though, which came out in the same year. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/26 "2019-05-23T20:15:10Z")
They didn’t have to do another season - I think making seasons 7 and 8 eight episodes each would have helped - if they could have written good enough material to use it. My take on ‘breakout’ stars is that a key skill for an actor is knowing how to choose a role. There are some great actors who are just terrible at picking movies to star in, and others who grow as actors because they manage to hook up with directors and scripts that keep them growing in stature. So on a TV show like Game of Thrones, all the actors get enough exposure to get offers to do various projects. The ones who ‘break out’ are the ones who know how to find the best material for them, and who are talented enough to play more than one type of character. Sophie Turner really impressed me, as she had to express a huge range of emotions and behaviors on the show, and was always totally believable. I notice no one mentioned Kit Harrington, and perhaps for good reason. I really don’t know how good an actor he really is, because Jon Snow was a fairly one-note character. He neveer managed to pull off any chemistry with Emilia Clarke, and even the with the actress who plays Ygritte, even though they are now married. So I guess we’ll see if he’s any good once he tackles something else. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/27 "2019-05-23T21:48:56Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Right now they are coasting on their GoT popularity, but Emilia already bombed with Terminator and Star Wars, and the word of mouth on the new X-Men movie is pretty terrible. I haven’t seen Nikolaj on anything prominent yet. Americans tend to discount anything not made for US audiences. He was already a big star in his own country and he was well known in Europe. Liam Cunningham is starring in a miniseries that is coming out next week. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/28 "2019-05-23T21:51:02Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I notice no one mentioned Kit Harrington, and perhaps for good reason. I really don’t know how good an actor he really is, because Jon Snow was a fairly one-note character. He neveer managed to pull off any chemistry with Emilia Clarke, and even the with the actress who plays Ygritte, even though they are now married. So I guess we’ll see if he’s any good once he tackles something else. He was in Pompeii, where he basically played Roman Jon Snow. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/29 "2019-05-23T21:52:49Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > He was in Pompeii, where he basically played Roman Jon Snow. I liked him in that. I didn’t particularly care for MI-5, where he played a modern person. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/30 "2019-05-23T21:52:51Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I would say the actual breakouts from Game of Thrones are Sophie Turner, Emilia Clarke, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. I know the Red Wedding was some time ago but have you forgotten Richard Madden? He recently won the Golden Globe for The Bodyguard which I just read is the most watched British series since they started tracking. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/31 "2019-05-23T22:03:45Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > > [@DigitalC](#): > > > > Right now they are coasting on their GoT popularity, but Emilia already bombed with Terminator and Star Wars, and the word of mouth on the new X-Men movie is pretty terrible. I haven’t seen Nikolaj on anything prominent yet. > > Americans tend to discount anything not made for US audiences. He was already a big star in his own country and he was well known in Europe. > > Liam Cunningham is starring in a miniseries that is coming out next week. Nikolaj was on a Fox series called New Amsterdam about a decade ago, in which he played an immortal guy in NYC. The show only lasted a season but he wasn’t completely unknown to an American audience. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/32 "2019-05-23T22:05:51Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I know the Red Wedding was some time ago but have you forgotten Richard Madden? He recently won the Golden Globe for The Bodyguard which I just read is the most watched British series since they started tracking. I’ve seen multiple ads for The Bodyguard and didn’t realize at all that it was him. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/33 "2019-05-23T22:10:15Z")
Holy cow - we watched, and liked The Bodyguard, and I had no idea that was Robb Stark. But now that I know, it should have been obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/34 "2019-05-23T22:15:32Z")
look at the Sopranos, HBO’s major hit before GOT. Very few of those actors did a lot post Sopranos. James Gandolfini did some good movies but he died in 2013. Edie Falco did Nurse Jackie. I’ve seen some of the others in episodes of L&O SVU , ironically 2 of them played judges on SVU. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/35 "2019-05-23T22:15:52Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > As GOT was a massive hit for HBO I’m left wondering if they profited from it in the best way. > Seems like they were selling themselves short to make money off this thing. Viewership was huge but the revenue generated seems small. For season 8 which was over 7 hours of content they basically collected $15 for myself, my wife, and my friend to view it using their app. > Have they calculated how many viewers they’ve had vs. how many $$ per person they’ve collected in HBO subscriptions? > Seems like they could have made a ton of cash if they had made the final episode over 2 hours and released it in theaters. What HBO wants, more than anything, is to be seen as, in the words of an old NBC slogan, Must See Television. They want the show that everyone is talking about at the water cooler on Monday morning and that people feel they need to subscribe to HBO so they can watch. They don’t just want your fifteen bucks for the month but want you to subscribe all year round. HBO in fact stopped broadcasting boxing matches because their research showed people don’t subscribe on the basis of being able to watch boxing matches. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/36 "2019-05-23T23:15:35Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > While I didn’t hate the last season nearly as much as a lot of people did, there was barely enough story left to fill out the final six episodes. Another season would have been a huge mistake. > > Whether or not Benioff and Weiss were anxious to be done with it, ending it when they did was the right choice creatively. This is a weird statement. Most of the criticism was that they rushed things, handwaved some things and were teleporting people all over the place. I don’t advocate for more seasons, I think 8 seasons is a good number, but they really should have made 7 & 8 the full 10 episodes. Giving each big event time to breathe and people time to travel, grieve and plot. Maybe characters would have appeared to be acting a lot less stupidly if they’d have had more scenes illustrating motives and reasoning instead of lazy exposition. Would people have hated “Beyond the Wall” quite as much if they’d have had an episode or two where our heroes needed to go north of the wall for some less idiotic purpose and retrieving the wight was done opportunistically? Maybe Jon and the boys are on a rescue mission more similar to Hardhome and they get trapped. Would Bran’s arc have been less of a headscratcher if they’d have had a number of scenes of him basically giving recon info ahead of each battle? Maybe he witnesses the attack on Last Hearth and gets some useful tactical info, or at least he gives everyone an ETA on the Night King instead of Tormund. Would the Cersei, Jamie and Brienne triangle have felt like less of a WWE-style heel turn if Jamie had maybe had a few extra scenes to become jaded and cynical? Maybe the visit from Bronn is timed a bit differently. In my opinion the key flaw of the last couple seasons was that they leaned really heavily on fan service, lazy exposition and big set pieces. There simply wasn’t enough “show, don’t tell” and the characters acted in ways the facilitated a neat and tidy conclusion while often being mostly out of character. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/37 "2019-05-24T11:50:27Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > What HBO wants, more than anything, is to be seen as, in the words of an old NBC slogan, Must See Television. They want the show that everyone is talking about at the water cooler on Monday morning and that people feel they need to subscribe to HBO so they can watch. They don’t just want your fifteen bucks for the month but want you to subscribe all year round. HBO in fact stopped broadcasting boxing matches because their research showed people don’t subscribe on the basis of being able to watch boxing matches. Mmm. I’d disagree, sort of. What HBO wants is a merchandising machine. GOT inspired a lot of merchandising. Figurines, books about the series, artwork, whatever. That’s where the real money is on something like that. If HBO is going to drop that much money producing something they’ve got to get a multi-quadrant return on that investment. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/38 "2019-05-24T12:34:22Z")
I think everything that happened in the series was leading up to a conclusion. To keep the series going just to keep it going would have diminished it. Every “game” eventually ends with a winner and a loser, and it was time for that to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/39 "2019-05-24T12:49:20Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I would say the actual breakouts from Game of Thrones are Sophie Turner, Emilia Clarke, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Trouble with Jamie is that he’s one of the nordic clones: blonde hair, sometimes bearded, square faced, and when they appear on something I struggle to work out if its Jamie, Sawyer from Lost, Eric from True Blood or Aaron Eckheart 20 years ago. And I’m sure there’s about three more I’ve forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404/40 "2019-05-24T14:34:34Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Nikolaj was on a Fox series called New Amsterdam about a decade ago, in which he played an immortal guy in NYC. The show only lasted a season but he wasn’t completely unknown to an American audience. I really liked New Amsterdam but I think only 3 of us watched it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-didnt-they-milk-out-game-of-thrones-one-more-season/834404.md?page=3)