Why We Need a Game Of Thrones Prequel Show

The Game of Thrones television has captivated the world and set our collective minds on a journey that’s beyond breathtaking. George Martin’s world of Knights, kingdoms, war, love, hate, and dragons has become such a phenomenon that it’s difficult to imagine a time before GoT was in our lives.

The show is currently on its 5th season, which coincidentally is the same amount of books author George R. R. Martin has completed. The series puts the books into live-action and does a phenomenal job of capturing the essence of the novels. But the TV series can only fit so much in a 10 episode per season run.

Which is why HBO should seriously consider either making a spin-off of the original show, or give the viewers a mini-series event to expand on a backstory that so many people are curious about.

If you’ve read the books, or have done any background reading on the entire A Song of Ice and Fire novel series, the HBO series only scratches the surface of what’s happened prior to Eddard Stark arriving at Kings Landing to become Robert Baratheon’s Hand of the King.

And instead of fans having to go searching for the info in bookstores or online, HBO could capitalize on the viewership and fame the current show already has, and give the world an entirely new experience with a Game of Thrones origin story.

The War of The Usurper, Anyone?…

On numerous occasions I’ve had friends and family ask me questions about the events leading up to Episode 1 of the HBO series. People are aware that Ned and Robert Baratheon are as close as brothers, but not many people know the details of how the two become so close and why.

This is where HBO could kill two birds with one stone. Not only would it continue to raise its viewership on all things Game of Thrones, but it would also give novice GoT fans a lot of gap fillers.

In the show now, people hear references to various characters like the Mad King Aerys II Targeryn, Rhaegar Targeryn, Elia Martell, Lyanna Stark, Ser Arthur Dayne, and a host of other legendary characters. With a spin-off focusing on the events of Robert’s Rebellion, it could become a reality.

Imagine being able to give more context to the duel between Prince Oberyn Martell and Gregor “The Mountain that Rides” Clegane. We know that Prince Oberyn wanted to avenge his sister and her children, but being able to watch the actual sacking of Kings Landing and what transpired that day to make Prince Oberyn this furious would be great TV.

The show would also have lots of action revolving around the war, introduce young versions of characters people have come to love already, and this would be another excuse to sit down in front of the television on Sunday nights with friends and family and live through George Martin’s imagination all over again. A spin-off or mini-series would be a win for both fans and HBO.

This Would Be Part Of A New TV Trend…

AMC is one of the most successful networks on television, and it is currently delving into the spin-off business which seems to be working out perfectly for them. Piggy-backing off blockbuster shows like Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, AMC already has Better Call Saul doing well for the network, and in the summer of 2015 AMC will be releasing a spin-off to the Walking Dead called Fear The Walking Dead.

I’ve watched Better Call Saul and I like it, and I can’t wait until Fear the Walking Dead premiers in the summer, and this is what HBO would have on its hands, expectation viewership.

Anything that HBO puts out that associates itself with the Walking Dead is going to get viewership, and just like the two spinoffs I mentioned above, they take place prior to the events of their hugely popular predecessors. So a Game of Thrones spin-off would essentially be the same thing.

As long as the writing is good, which is difficult to mess up since Game of Thrones is basically already written for you, and the casting is spot on, there’s no reason why a mini-series or spinoff wont work.

Of course some of the characters we’ve grown to love like the Stark children wouldn’t be part of the show, but the new characters and the young version of the current Game of Thrones characters would more than make up for it.

This may all be a pipe dream, or, this may be something that HBO execs may have already discussed while noticing the current spin-off prequel trend. The allure of all things Game of Thrones has never been greater. Adding to this current HBO series with a backstory would be epic for viewers on so many levels. Make it happen HBO. Long Live Westeros. Long Live Game of Thrones.

Follow @LSN_Frantz on Twitter