Will We See A Phenomenon Like Game Of Thrones Ever Again?

[DavidDesu]

I'm curious, what about GoT hooked the average person that other fantasy shows could not? Was it the shocking deaths in the early seasons?

Was it huge from the first season, or did it really shoot up in popularity after a certain season?

So many people are chasing GoT like Wheel of Time, Amazon's LotR show, Kingkiller Chronicles if it ever happens, maybe some sort of Dark Tower series.

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It was an adult show, no pussyfooting around or censoring itself. Lots of swearing and violence and yeah some nudity too. Kind of unheard of in your average big budget (or any budget) American show. I think that endeared it to a lot of people who felt good about being treated like a grown up. Also it just had a very good aesthetic and yeah even just the title sequence and music was top class. It hit the ground running of a quality that had never really been done on a tv show before. Even The Witcher looks kind of cheap and generic up against it (going by trailers for it, not watched it yet).

 

[Carl2291]

It would be great if Lord of the Rings saw equal or greater success. It has the potential.

 

[Jon Carter]

No. Genuine worldwide ratings phenomenon. Also by all indications by far the most pirated show of all time. It's probably not an exaggeration to say on a weekly basis it was the most watched show ever.

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I really doubt that.

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/98375-most-watched-man-on-television/

American actor David Hasselhoff has the distinction of being the most-watched man on television of all time. Having first come to public attention as Michael Knight in the popular US series Knight Rider he went on to star as LA County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch, which at its 1996 peak had an estimated weekly audience of 1.1 billion viewers.

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[UltraMagnus]

It would be great if Lord of the Rings saw equal or greater success. It has the potential.

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Unless there's a lot of swearing, fucking, and nudity allowed ... I don't think it will have the broad range appeal.

 

[Wracu]

Wasn't Top Gear the most at one point? I seem to recall hearing viewership for that was in the hundreds of millions.

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That would probably depend on how many hundreds of millions or if you consider pirated views as counting lol.

 

[Wracu]

I really doubt that.

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/98375-most-watched-man-on-television/

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Well, I wouldn't argue with those numbers lol. At least not legal views. It's quite possible the late seasons beat that including illegal dls/streams.

 

[Lashes.541]

They better do the smart thing then and not release the entire season at once.

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Amazon has never done weekly shows, outside Of the grand tour. I might be wrong but I watch three or four amazon prime series and they all are binge shows.

 

[Deleted member 49611]

yeah, for sure. it will happen when it does. all these TV shows trying to be the next GoT just won't be able to live up to it.

So far i've heard that His Dark Materials would be the next GoT. As much as I love the show it didn't happen. It will only have 3 seasons.

The Witcher was meant to be the next GoT. It was a fun watch but has a lot of flaws. has a lot more potential because it could easily have 8 seasons based on the books. If it was hugely popular they could even approach CDPR to adapt the game plot to TV and that'd add another 3 to 6 seasons.

The Lord of the Rings show from Amazon is also meant to be the next GoT. it could be but it's far too early to tell.

 

[ZackieChan]

Toss a coin to your Witcher

 

[Wracu]

I mean, the next huge thing probably won't be fantasy at all.

 

[Advance.Wars.Sgt.]

Kind of hard to judge past shows on viewership popularity when the way we watch and even interact with programming has changed so much. But, I will contend there have been other shows to crossover into the cultural zeitgeist ( someone already mentioned Sopranos, I'll contend The X-Files), so GoT isn't entirely groundbreaking in that regard.

 

[BringBackSonics]

Remember LOST?

We'll see stuff like that and GoT again for sure, even bigger I'd wager.

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I remember lost, it was no where near GoT, especially globally. Domestically it was the rage for 3-4 years

 

[InaudibleWhisper]

I remember lost, it was no where near GoT, especially globally. Domestically it was the rage for 3-4 years

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It was definitely the biggest thing before GoT. 20+ million viewers for the first couple of season in the US. Most torrented show worldwide. In the top 2 in many countries (CSI was usually 1). Referenced and parodied in dozens of other shows, easter eggs in probably a dozen video games. The way we consumed and discussed TV was very different then though. More confined to bubbles of fandom across many sites as social media was just becoming a thing, and there wasn't a reaction culture on YouTube. But at the time, there was nothing else like it.

Lost resulted in a bunch of copycat shows like Flashforward, The Event, Revolution etc. Game of Thrones has resulted in a bunch of fantasy shows. Whatever the next big thing will be, it won't be predictable.

 

[DoubleYou]

To those that say it only got so popular because of boobies and violence are really downplaying the amazing writing, story and vast amount of interesting characters it had. Thats what we came back for, and that's what the later seasons were lacking. Its also why say, Breaking Bad got so popular in the end.

 

[skeezx]

yeah we'll get "another GOT" next decade, maybe more than one. whether it's pound for pound as popular as GOT, i kinda doubt it but maybe

 

[UltraMagnus]

To those that say it only got so popular because of boobies and violence are really downplaying the amazing writing, story and vast amount of interesting characters it had. Thats what we came back for, and that's what the later seasons were lacking. Its also why say, Breaking Bad got so popular in the end.

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Definitely not solely popular on that basis, but it was definitely a hook that opened up the show to a lot of people who wouldn't touch fantasy with a 20 foot pole otherwise.

 

[rycisko]

I don't think LOST was ever near as popular as GoT got. Especially globally.

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Lost grew massive after Season 1. In all my years of TV GoT was the only other show I had attended viewing parties for and watched episodes at bars with people on theme nights, trivia, etc.

I mean we had Breaking Bad and a few other great shows between those two but not really great week-to-week hype shows with cliffhangers that you'd want to watch with a group of people.

But yes, another show will come by a raise the bar once more. And hopefully learn a lesson and stick the landing when it needs to this time around

 

[UltraMagnus]

GoT is the only show where it basically became like a sporting event more than a TV show almost. Like the hype and hysteria felt almost more like a big time boxing match or the Superbowl or something.

 

[NullPointerException]

I remember lost, it was no where near GoT, especially globally. Domestically it was the rage for 3-4 years

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Lost's first 2 seasons had mass mainstream appeal based on hype (formulated from media buzz I guess) when it began but its popularity dipped slightly after S3. Its appeal was still present until it ended though. GoT kinda worked the other way round (much like Breaking Bad) where its hype grew as the show progressed perhaps because of Word of Mouth.

Back to topic, 100% yes. Many popular shows existed prior to GoT. Many shows encouraged people to have in-depth conversations and private viewing parties prior to GoT. Many many older shows has captured the attention of the nation/world prior to GoT and many more will after GoT.

 

[UltraMagnus]

Lost's first 2 seasons had mass mainstream appeal based on hype (formulated from media buzz I guess) when it began but its popularity dipped slightly after S3. Its appeal was still present until it ended though. GoT kinda worked the other way round (much like Breaking Bad) where its hype grew as the show progressed perhaps because of Word of Mouth.

Back to topic, 100% yes. Many popular shows existed prior to GoT. Many shows encouraged people to have in-depth conversations and private viewing parties prior to GoT. Many many older shows has captured the attention of the nation/world prior to GoT and many more will after GoT.

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How many were that popular for almost an entire decade, building momentum every year?

Picked up in basketball sneaker marketing?

Visited on set by the Queen of England?

Have musical water shows at the Bellagio in Vegas?

Have musical numbers performed by the Weeknd?

The show's stars become so popular that even A-list megastars like Beyonce are clamouring to talk to them at parties?

This stuff definitely wasn't "normal hit TV show" stuff. Was stuff like this happening to the cast of LOST:

 

[Khanimus]

Its already happening...

Disney+ just needs to come out for the rest of the world.

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The story and characters have none of the draw beyond the cuteness of the puppet.

 

[Rand a. Thor]

Depending on how its handled, Wheel of Time is an easy bet imo.
1. Diversity cast. I'm not entirely opposed to this in general, but for Wheel of Time it does make sense in that Jordan's vision of the world totally allows for anyone and everyone to be a minority bar a few choice kingdoms. And beyond that like 1/10th of the book characters are actually white, so its not gonna cause a shitstorm like other franchises(see:Ghostbusters)
2. Shock Potential. Its safer than Game of Thrones in some ways, but in other ways its gonna totally hook the audience. Entire kingdoms are matriarchal. The male population has a culling issue tied to the magic system. The female villains are far more competent. All this could go horribly wrong and has potential to be construed into that incel hellscape people were prophesizing Joker would be, but again it all boils down to how its handled.
3. An entirely new and unique world. People correlate fantasy to the Middle ages, castles and dragons, medieval times and low tech. Which is mostly true, at least when it comes to castles and fantasy creatures. Wheel of Time is more Renaissance in its world building amd aesthetics, borderline Enlightenment Era. Some castles are practically skyscrapers. And that's not even factoring in the flashbacks or stasis boxes that bring back some old tech which are far more advanced. I think someone even had lightbulbs at one point. Anyway, 1600s High Fantasy is as close as a description you can make for Wheel of Time, its gonna be visually far more distinct than Game of Thrones or even Lord of the Rings.

There is a lot more that might get people excited about the show or cause momentum for another Game of Thrones pop culture phenom, but these are the 3 main points I have always seen as the main reason why it will rise to the occasion and cause enough waves to be recognized.

 

[Noppie]

Ever is a long time you know. Even if you can't think of anything, the answer will undoutebly be yes.

 

[Raonak]

of course there will.

 

[Joni]

Game of Thrones wasn't the first, it won't be the last. But it is always a surprise, always something else. I mean MASH and Roots for instance share nothing with each other, and they share even less with Game of Thrones. The next Game of Thrones will not be a Game of Thrones like show, it will be something completely else.

 

[DIE BART DIE]

To be honest I think the last show that crossed over into pop culture like GoT was Seinfeld in the 1990s. Lost really can't compete with any of the above type of thing.

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Nah, Seinfeld was a uniquely American phenomenon. Nobody gave a shit about it here in the UK. You're forgetting how popular Lost was. Not on GoT's level, but it was international and people were pirating it, browsing wikis and talking about it around the watercooler.

 

[UltraMagnus]

Nah, Seinfeld was a uniquely American phenomenon. Nobody gave a shit about it here in the UK. You're forgetting how popular Lost was. Not on GoT's level, but it was international and people were pirating it, browsing wikis and talking about it around the watercooler.

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Seinfeld in the US at least definitely impacted even language, people would say stuff like "yada yada yada" right into casual conversation, which was nuts.

 

[Deleted member 17990]

Amazon's Lord of the Rings

 

[Mirage]

yeah, for sure. it will happen when it does. all these TV shows trying to be the next GoT just won't be able to live up to it.

So far i've heard that His Dark Materials would be the next GoT. As much as I love the show it didn't happen. It will only have 3 seasons.

The Witcher was meant to be the next GoT. It was a fun watch but has a lot of flaws. has a lot more potential because it could easily have 8 seasons based on the books. If it was hugely popular they could even approach CDPR to adapt the game plot to TV and that'd add another 3 to 6 seasons.

The Lord of the Rings show from Amazon is also meant to be the next GoT. it could be but it's far too early to tell.

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I feel like any show going after a similar genre probably isn't going to be the next GoT.

 

[Deleted member 9932]

Yes, there's always new popular stuff.
Will there be another friends is probably a better question tho.

 

[Joni]

Seinfeld in the US at least definitely impacted even language, people would say stuff like "yada yada yada" right into casual conversation, which was nuts.

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It was also used by Cheers, Magnum and The Simpsons. Especially Cheers wasn't exactly unpopular.

 

[DIE BART DIE]

Seinfeld in the US at least definitely impacted even language, people would say stuff like "yada yada yada" right into casual conversation, which was nuts.

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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_Fools_and_Horses

Have you heard of a sitcom called Only Fools and Horses? It is essentially our Seinfeld in the UK. Ran from 1981 to 1996, is a beloved critical and cultural darling, impacted the national language with words like "plonker" and 30 million people tuned in for the finale (half the UK's population). It was revived for 3 special episodes in 2002 which drew 20+ million viewers nationally.

But its impact is self-contained to the UK, much like Seinfeld was to the US. Friends is the US sitcom which broke out internationally.

 

[Deleted member 46948]

Yes, and increasingly more often.

 

[Hydeus]

Yes.

 

[DeltaRed]

Forever is a long time, so yes. Probably sooner rather than later.

 

[Epcott]

Every generation has a "phenomenon" like GOT. Hell, even Flintstone's "Birth of Pebbles" episode brought in a big crowd.

I don't doubt it'll happen again. I think the Marvel shows might just do that, if handled well. Not to mention LOTR and Dune on the horizon.

 

[TheGhost]

Lost started the tv show podcast discussion craze. That's for certain.
Before LOST, there was Twin Peaks, before Twin Peaks, there was Dallas, before Dallas there was MASH and before MASH there was I Love Lucy

huge TV shows will always happen and we might.....see it with Fire and Blood.

 

[nitewulf]

Yep. Back in the day Dallas, Knight Rider and MacGuyver were all extremely popular globally. Before the internet age. Growing up as a kid in Bangladesh, the whole country would basically shut down during the weeknight for MacGuyver.

 

[Deleted member 52442]

It will definitely happen again but i highly doubt it will be lord of the rings like people are saying. Not fresh enough, we've been there before in media. It's got to be something new to the screen

 

[Aldo]

I think that with the fragmentation of pop culture, we'll at least see less and less of huge phenomenons like these. I feel that GoT and Endgame were some of the last we'll experience.

 

[Doober]

I'm curious, what about GoT hooked the average person that other fantasy shows could not?

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Boobs, a shocking amount of violence for a fantasy show, some wild twists if you've never heard of the source material, and boobs.

 

[Sanka]

I don't think anything will come close to GoT's popularity in quite a while.

 

[Pudie]

In actual numbers? Maybe not. The TV landscape is still changing.

But in cultural discussion? Absolutely. People love to be in on something with everyone else. I think it's ridiculous to predict what it will be or to try and make the "next GoT" but there's no doubt in my mind something will capture the worlds attentions like that again.

 

[Shelbyville Milhouse]

GoT in a pop culture sense was on another level from Lost IMO.

Sneaker/apparel companies were aping it in marketing campaigns for basketball wear (of all things)

Terms like "Khaleesi" and the "Winter Is Coming" become common.

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Yeah, because the show was hot right now. That's nothing special.
When Lost was the hot thing I knew people who could recite the number combination and would do so at any opportunity.

 

[Doober]

I remember a lot of my coworkers - big, burly oil men - going nuts for Spartacus too back in the day.

Put violence and fucking out in front and you could make even the Five Finger Death Punch crowd sit down and watch Lord of the Rings.

 

[Chibs]

I feel like the show "Dark" had the potential if it was in English

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It's one of my favorite show, but nah. Show is way too complex to attract that kind of following.

 

[Deleted member 46489]

Will we see a phenomenon like Harry Potter ever again?

Will we see a phenomenon like Avengers Endgame ever again?

Will we see a phenomenon like The Star Wars series ever again?

Will we see a phenomenon like Hamilton ever again?

Of course we will. The world is getting more connected every day, and more people are coming online. And artists will keep creating great art that transcends barriers. Before GoT ever started, people probably thought that phenomenon like 'Friends' and 'Lost' would never be repeated. And here we are.

 

[ShadowFlare]

I thought The Witcher had a chance of getting as popular, but after watching the first season, it's probably not going to happen. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but you have to have everything perfectly lined up to become a phenomenon. The show has all the violence, nudity, and incest you could want, but due to how Netflix dumps the entire season, and how it leans a little too hard on the fantasy side, I just can't see it catching on.

 

[Kyuuji]

I don't know how you could genuinely think that such an occurrence won't happen again within global popular culture.

 

[Dary]

Lost started the tv show podcast discussion craze. That's for certain.
Before LOST, there was Twin Peaks, before Twin Peaks, there was Dallas, before Dallas there was MASH and before MASH there was I Love Lucy

huge TV shows will always happen and we might.....see it with Fire and Blood.

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GoT hit around the same time social media really took off, which I think inflates its sense of popularity, especially for people who might be too young to remember certain shows - or dismissive of them based on genre. Soaps especially.