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‘Game of Thrones’ creators confirm that they had no clue what they were doing

Published Oct 28th, 2019 6:04PM EDT
Game of Thrones
Image: Alex Berliner/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

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It was supposed to be a massive accomplishment for HBO and the Game of Thrones team, but season 8 was instead a huge disappointment. For the hundredth time, it wasn’t the final destination that bummed everyone out, but the road that got us there. Showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff were heavily criticized for the final six episodes, and the finale is the worst-rated episode in Thrones history.

The scripts were often rushed, forgoing logic and common sense, with D&D choosing to subvert expectations rather than deliver the final season fans wanted. Fans did not forgive them, and they were quick to Google bomb the showrunners — just search for bad writers and see what happens. Others started a petition asking for HBO to remake the final season with better writers, with more than 1,750,000 people having signed it since May.

Benioff and Weiss have avoided speaking publicly about season 8 since it aired. They even canceled their Comic-Con appearance, and haven’t really had anything to say since the Emmys. But the two just appeared at the Austin Film Festival, where they essentially confirmed that they are bad writers.

Twitter user @ForArya live-tweeted most of the panel that Benioff and Weiss attended, where they casually revealed details about how inexperienced they were when pitching and making Game of Thrones.


Pitching Game of Thrones was challenging:

The pilot was terrible, and HBO had to fix it:

Game of Thrones was film school for them, but they weren’t great students:

As for feedback from fans, they didn’t see any value in listening to them:

And they failed to grasp the scope of the books:

Essentially, they kept telling the audience they’re bad writers:

And yet they refused to seek help:

Making the show was either too energy- and time-consuming for them, or just a drunk party?

Going forward, Benioff and Weiss will continue to work on their Netflix shows and the Star Wars franchise, but fans will never forget the final season of Game of Thrones.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.