Game of Thrones was a gritty (realistic) and violent television fantasy series based on the fiction of the American author George R. R. Martin . In the series, various characters, families, and groups struggled for control of the continent of Westeros. The overthrow of a tyrant (harsh ruler), the “Mad King” Aerys Targaryen, had plunged the fantasy land of Westeros into a power struggle. “Game of Thrones” was produced by the cable television network HBO. It ran from 2011 to 2019. “Game of Thrones” became popular for its engaging plot, graphic violence, cinematic (motion-picturelike) visuals, and the shocking deaths of major characters. The show and its cast won numerous awards, including many Emmy Awards .
Much of the action in “Game of Thrones” involved the noble families of Westeros, particularly two rival clans—the honorable Starks and the scheming Lannisters. The Starks were headed by the family patriarch (respected father) Eddard “Ned” Stark (played by Sean Bean) and his wife, Catelyn (Michelle Fairley). Different storylines followed their children Robb (Richard Madden), Sansa (Sophie Turner), Arya (Maisie Williams), Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright), and Rickon (Art Parkinson).
The Lannisters were represented chiefly by the plotting Queen Cersei (Lena Headey) and her brothers Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Tyrion (Peter Dinklage). Other notable characters included Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). Snow was a ranger raised by Ned Stark and sworn to protect Westeros against invasion by demonic beings known as White Walkers. Daenerys, the exiled daughter of the Mad King, worked to gather forces to retake her father’s throne. 
“Game of Thrones” was based on Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series of novels. It was named for the first book, A Game of Thrones (1996). Only four of a planned seven books had been published when the television series premiered. A fifth novel was published in 2011. However, it soon became apparent that the television show would be finished before the books, which worried fans. Martin reassured fans that he had shared important future details of the plot with the show’s creators, the American producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.
Fantasy stories sometimes are criticized for representing characters as either strictly good or evil. “Game of Thrones,” like Martin’s books, has been praised for its more complex characters. For example, the dwarf Tyrion Lannister, scorned for his physical differences, was shown as an intelligent and sensitive soul struggling with loneliness and alcoholism. His brother Jaime Lannister at first appeared insensitive but was revealed through his sufferings to have a hidden depth of character.
