HBO programming president Casey Bloys finds himself in a very odd predicament. You see, the network just ended its biggest hit show with record viewership numbers. While that’s all good news, the finale of “Game of Thrones” also brought with it some intense debate and criticism. So, when Bloys sat down in a new interview with Deadline, he talked about the finale, the future of the franchise, and why we won’t ever see an Arya spin-off.
The HBO exec isn’t shocked by fan reaction to the finale and expected the passionate fanbase to be split about the final episode. However, that doesn’t change how he views the finale, which is unsurprisingly positive.
“I think [David Benioff and D.B. Weiss] did a spectacular job,” said Bloys. “They landed a big plane, which was not easy. You are never going to keep everybody happy, but I don’t think that’s what they were trying to do.”
Now, with “Game of Thrones” done, compiling record viewership in the process, the next logical question is: What’s next? Well for HBO, the network has plenty of other offerings, but for fans of George R.R. Martin’s world, all eyes are on the upcoming prequel. But as the HBO boss says, the cable network isn’t rushing into a new ‘Thrones’ just yet.
“I think this is the last thing you want to do with any show — prequel or not — you try not to rush it,” he said.
Bloys added, “We are going to do that pilot and take our time and do it right. Hopefully, I expect we will love it and we will move forward, but I don’t want anything that happened with this final season to dictate anything that is happening in that process.”
As for a timetable for when the prequel series hits the network, Bloys wouldn’t nail a date down, but did say that 2020 “feels a little rushed.” That being said, the news that Martin shared recently that three total prequels were still in the pipeline might be a bit optimistic. In fact, the HBO boss plainly said that more than one prequel at a time seems unlikely.
“I doubt it, I don’t think so,” he said. “I certainly do not want to overdo it. We have so many varied shows coming up in 2019 and ’20 and even into ’21. I think ‘Game of Thrones’ is a fantastic property but I don’t want to just be the home of prequels and sequels and all that stuff.”
Of course, all this prequel talk doesn’t answer the obvious question: What about sequels and spin-offs? The series finale ended almost everyone’s story in a way that didn’t make sense for further adventures. However, one character, a fan-favorite, Arya, seemed destined for more great battles and hijinks. Alas, it doesn’t appear that sequels and spin-offs will ever be part of the plan.
LISTEN: ‘Game Of Thrones’: Breaking Down The Good, Bad & Ugly Of The Final Season [Podcast]
“But in terms of wanting to be careful not overdoing it or not killing the goose that lays the golden egg, Dan and David’s show as it stands in eight seasons, I want to leave it as it’s own work of art and not have shows directly, having Arya do that,” said Bloys. “I think it’s best to try the prequels in other areas of George’s massive universe — just feels like the right thing to do, let the show stand on its own.”
So, HBO’s watch has ended, for now. The network will live on, even if many people unsubscribe. And for the next year, Bloys and the rest of the folks there will have to figure out what the network looks like without a dragon show bringing in the viewers.
