Game Of Thrones: 10 Undeniable Ways How HBO’s Epic Changed Pop Culture Forever

Game of Thrones was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, TV shows of all time. Through a unique blend of fantasy, political maneuvering, and gratuitous sex, Game of Thrones managed to assert itself as one of the most-watched and loved TV shows of all time.

The simple viewership of this show has undoubtedly had an impact on modern popular culture that will be felt for years to come, continuing to influence how TV is made, our expectations from future TV shows, and even how we watch and interpret TV shows. This article will list ten ways Game of Thrones influenced pop culture forever.

10 Golden Age Of TV

The ‘Golden Age of TV’ is a topic that has been discussed for several years now. While some believe that the Golden Age started with The Sopranos, there is more reason to believe that Game of Thrones truly instigated the Golden Age of TV.

While the Sopranos was undoubtedly an iconic TV series, its impact on TV around it was not as wide as the impact of Game of Thrones. Since Game of Thrones, we’ve seen shows such as Westworld, His Dark Materials, Black Mirror, and even Stranger Things debut on our screens. This clearly represents a trend of greater TV than there was in the era following the Sopranos. 

9 More Fantasy On TV

Since Game of Thrones ended (and even while it was still airing), many have tried to replicate the success of the HBO series. The race to become the ‘next Game of Thrones‘ is clearly underway. We’ve seen Netflix’s The Witcher, HBO’s His Dark Materials, and even Amazon has invested hundreds of millions of dollars on their own Lord of the Rings series.

It is clear that HBO and Game of Thrones have reinvigorated the fantasy genre to the extent that there is clearly a huge appetite for fantasy on our screens.

8 Gratuitous Nudity

If you were to ask the average person the street to name three features of Game of Thrones, they would be sure to mention nudity. While some of the nudity in the show clearly had a narrative purpose, it wouldn’t be controversial to suggest that some nudity was pointless.

Game of Thrones’ liberal use of nudity has certainly impacted TV, with TV shows such as The Witcher also implementing similar uses of nudity and being labeled ‘the next Game of Thrones‘ (partly) as a consequence.

7 Tag Your Spoilers

The 2010s were certainly the year that people became more aware of spoiler culture. While the sudden requirement that we include ‘spoiler warnings’ and tag our spoilers cannot be solely attributed to Game of Thrones, the HBO show certainly helped popularize the notion that we should tag our spoilers.

This huge awareness of spoilers was seen most clearly in the final season of the show. Fans of the show that lived outside the US had to stay off social media in order to avoid spoilers, or even block certain keywords on their social media.

6 Big Budget TV Shows

Before the advent of Game of Thrones, TV shows were not known for having particularly big budgets. This certainly changed with the release of Game of Thrones’ final few seasons, most notably in season 8, in which episodes were said to cost a whopping $15 million each.

This has certainly fuelled other studios, most notably Amazon, with their Lord of the Rings series, to invest huge amounts of cash into their TV properties.

5 Main Characters Aren’t Safe Anymore

The first season of Game of Thrones set a precedent that would become synonymous with the franchise – the major character deaths. Ned Stark was, essentially, the main character of the first season, and he was swiftly killed in the second to last episode.

The death of Ned Stark, in addition to events such as the Red Wedding and the death of Oberyn Martell, led fans to believe that no characters were safe and plot armor was a thing of the past. Not only has this had an impact on how TV shows are written, but also on how movies are written.

4 References In Other Media

Like Star Wars before it, Game of Thrones is set to be referenced in other media for years to come. Not only will studios be trying to make the next Game of Thrones, but shows will also continue to make references to the plot of the show.

Whether it be the Simpsons or shows like Family Guy, it is clear that events like the Red Wedding or phrases like ‘winter is coming’ will continue to be name-dropped and discussed for years.

3 The Idea Of Event TV

The idea of event TV is the concept that everyone is talking about a particular TV show. While this happened to some extent with shows such as Pop Idol or the Got Talent franchise, there was little like it with regard to drama or fictionalized TV programs.

Game of Thrones changed this forever. During the show’s runtime, people could start small talk with complete strangers by discussing the events of the show.

2 TV Shows Looking Like Movies

Even the most ardent hater of the final season of Game of Thrones would have to admit that the show looked stunning. The CGI was incredible, and the cinematography was amazing, the small screen has truly begun creeping into the territory of the big screen.

While this was undoubtedly due to the big-budget of Game of Thrones, it has led other studios such as Amazon to also invest heavily in their shows. This could certainly start a trend of TV shows that look just as good (or even better) than movies.

1 TV Show Adaptations

Prior to Game of Thrones, there was a trend that focussed on movie adaptations of books rather than TV show adaptations. While this can result in fantastic movies, such as the Harry Potter series, it can also result in poor adaptations such as the Percy Jackson series and the Seventh Son.

A TV show adaption allows for more time to explore the characters and delve into plot threads that may have been cut out of a two-hour movie adaptation. The Witcher and the upcoming Lord of the Rings TV show are examples of how TV may have become the preferred medium for adaptations of extensive literary works.

About The Author

Sam Hutchinson
(374 Articles Published)

Writer living in Adelaide, Australia. Long-suffering post-graduate student and lover of pop culture from Game of Thrones to DC.
Twitter: @samchinson

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