Game of Thrones showrunners hoped response to finale was “a little more 50/50”

Not everyone found Season 8 of Game of Thrones to be appealing. The fan base was split in two after the season finale. Some claimed the lack of George R. R. Martin’s upcoming novel in the series to be the culprit. Some pointed the finger at the showrunners’ increasing eagerness to collaborate with Lucasfilm, a division of Disney, on a parallel Star Wars feature film trilogy. However, the showrunners had initially hoped more fans would like the controversial finale.

David Benioff and D. B. Weiss wished the Game of Thrones series finale response was more positive

It is widely known that the majority of the viewers hated the final season of Game of Thrones. It was the lowest-rated episode in the show’s history. Showrunner Benioff said:

“I think we knew it would be controversial, I think we hoped that it would be a little more 50/50. I think you hope for a better proportion of … We definitely didn’t want it to be quite so much hate. We were prepared for some of it.”

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 19: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss attend 2020 Netflix SAG After Party at Sunset Tower on January 19, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Netflix)

Game of Thrones showrunners blame HBO

Dan Weiss also went on to talk about how the network also played a role in the show’s failure, “I guess I hadn’t really taken into account the network effects. The network’s effects, it can help the show when they’re working in your favor as a positive feedback loop…

It’s hypocritical to love it when it’s blowing in your direction and to decide it’s the end of the world when it’s going the other way. But yeah, I think maybe that was the part of it that we hadn’t really accounted for, in knowing that some people were going to like it and some people weren’t.”

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