HBO execs wanted Game of Thrones to have a “swan song-worthy” final season with more episodes

The Game of Thrones season 8 debate is still fresh in the minds of die-hard fans. It’s been three years after HBO’s money-making mint completed production, yet fans still can’t get enough of it. After all, the extremely popular and record-breaking show split its fanbase with a contentious and rushed-up final season. Even HBO execs themselves were shocked at how David Benioff and D. B. Weiss were treating a juggernaut of a show.

HBO executives wanted a longer final season for Game of Thrones

James Andrew Miller’s book Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers features detailed interviews with various HBO executives and showrunners. HBO programming president Michael Lombardo recalls in the book that both him and then-HBO CEO Richard Plepler wanted more episodes so as to “maximize financial benefits to HBO and simultaneously give fans a swan song worthy of this most favored offspring.”

Why did HBO execs agree to Game of Thrones showrunners’ plea for a shorter season?

If the HBO execs were so against it, why did they give in to Benioff and Weiss’ demands? Game of Thrones producer Carolyn Strauss explained, “Dan and David earned the last word. The guys had delivered on the show for a number of years, the most successful show that HBO ever did. HBO always tries to go with the creators’ instincts. And clearly in this instance, the guys had earned the right to land the plane however they wanted.”

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