Game of Thrones attracted a record viewership on HBO and has a broad, active, and international fan base. The third follows the Night's Watch, a military order defending the realm against threats from beyond Westeros' northern border. The second focuses on the last descendant of the realm's deposed ruling dynasty, who has been exiled to Essos and is plotting to return and reclaim the throne. The first major arc concerns the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros through a web of political conflicts among the noble families either vying to claim the throne or fighting for independence from whoever sits on it. Set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, Game of Thrones has a large ensemble cast and follows several story arcs throughout the course of the show. The show premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and concluded on May 19, 2019, with 73 episodes broadcast over eight seasons.

Martin, the first of which is A Game of Thrones. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of fantasy novels by George R. Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D.