George R.R. Martin Pushed for More Seasons of ‘Game of Thrones’: ‘I Lost That One’

TL;DR:

• George R.R. Martin wanted Game of Thrones to continue for several more seasons.
• Fans felt the final season of HBO’s hit fantasy series was rushed.
• Game of Thrones could have benefited from a longer run in several ways.

It’s no secret that the final season of Game of Thrones marked a controversial conclusion to HBO’s hit fantasy series. In the years since the finale, many fans expressed that the show’s ending felt rushed. And apparently, author George R.R. Martin pushed for more seasons of Game of Thrones. Unfortunately, that’s a battle he didn’t win.

Fans felt ‘Game of Thrones’ ending was rushed

Game of Thrones Season 8 brought HBO’s beloved fantasy series to a close, but the finale has stirred division among fans. Although some were happy with the fates of characters like Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Jon Snow (Kit Harington), others felt the show’s ending was rushed.

Although the pacing wasn’t the only issue fans had, many complained on Reddit and Twitter that major developments felt too sudden. From Daenerys becoming the Mad Queen to Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) ruling Westeros, the build-up simply wasn’t there. That’s not to mention how quickly characters got from one side of Westeros to the other — and that’s after previous seasons took a painstakingly long time depicting their journeys.

Needless to say, viewers felt the series could have used more time to flesh out its big finale. And it seems George R.R. Martin agreed. Martin reportedly wanted Game of Thrones to continue for more seasons, something that, sadly, didn’t pan out.

George R.R. Martin pushed for more seasons of the show

That’s right, George R.R. Martin pushed for Game of Thrones to have a longer run, something he spoke about during an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

According to Martin, he felt Game of Thrones needed a minimum of 10 seasons to wrap its story — and he could have seen it continuing past that.

“I was saying it needs to be 10 seasons at least and maybe 12, 13,” Martin recalled. “I lost that one.”

Although HBO was reportedly on board for more Game of Thrones, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss felt eight seasons were enough to tell their story.

“HBO would have been happy for the show to keep going, to have more episodes in the final season,” Benioff told Entertainment Weekly back in 2019. “We always believed it was about 73 hours, and it will be roughly that. As much as they wanted more, they understood that this is where the story ends.”

How more seasons could have helped ‘Game of Thrones’

Game of Thrones may have stuck to David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’ vision, but many fans would have loved more seasons. Additional time could have improved upon the HBO series in a number of ways.

For one, the Night King and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) could have been handled separately, with the characters taking their time overcoming both obstacles. Likewise, additional episodes could have offered more insight into the Night King and his army.

Daenerys Targaryen’s dark turn may have gone over better with more build-up as well. With her descent into madness occurring over the course of three episodes, many viewers were left feeling whiplash. Giving the Mad Queen a proper arc may have changed some minds about the character’s fate. Unfortunately, now we’ll never know.

Hopefully, viewers will feel more satisfied with House of the Dragon‘s run. And although Game of Thrones had a shaky ending, there’s still plenty to love about the original series.

All eight seasons of Game of Thrones are currently streaming on HBO Max.