Game of Thrones is an HBO fantasy drama television series developed by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It is based on George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire trilogy, the first of which is A Game of Thrones.
The show was shot in the United Kingdom, Canada, Croatia, Iceland, Malta, Morocco, and Spain. It started on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and finished on May 19, 2019, with 73 episodes shown across eight seasons.
Game of Thrones is loosely based on George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novel series, and is set in the fictitious Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and the continent of Essos. The show pursues numerous plot threads at the same time.
The first plot arc chronicles a battle for sovereignty of the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, with other noble families battling for independence from the throne. The second is about the exiled scion’s efforts to recover the throne, and the third is about the coming winter, as well as the fabled animals and ferocious peoples of the North.
Game of Thrones – Season 1 – Trailer
Game of Thrones – Season 1 – Summary
The first season of Game of Thrones begins in the frozen North, where the Stark family of Winterfell finds a litter of direwolf pups, each child bonding with one. Meanwhile, King Robert Baratheon arrives to name Ned Stark as his new Hand after the previous one, Jon Arryn, dies mysteriously. Ned reluctantly accepts, leaving Winterfell with his daughters Sansa and Arya. Across the Narrow Sea, exiled princess Daenerys Targaryen is married off to the fearsome Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo by her cruel brother Viserys, who hopes to reclaim the Iron Throne.
As Ned travels south, his bastard son Jon Snow heads to the Wall to join the Night’s Watch, a brotherhood guarding the realm from northern threats. Tragedy strikes when young Bran Stark is pushed from a tower after catching Queen Cersei and her twin brother Jaime Lannister in an incestuous affair. Bran survives but is left paralyzed, while Catelyn Stark, believing the Lannisters responsible, arrests Tyrion Lannister, sparking tensions between the two great houses.
In King’s Landing, Ned uncovers dark secrets about Jon Arryn’s death and the true parentage of Cersei’s children—Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen—who are actually Jaime’s bastards, not Robert’s heirs. Meanwhile, Daenerys grows stronger among the Dothraki, embracing her role as Khaleesi and becoming pregnant with Drogo’s child. When King Robert dies from a hunting accident, Ned refuses to acknowledge Joffrey as the rightful king and is betrayed, imprisoned, and forced to confess treason to save his daughter Sansa.
Despite his confession, Joffrey orders Ned’s execution, shocking the realm and igniting war. Robb Stark, now Lord of Winterfell, rallies the North against the Lannisters, while Arya escapes King’s Landing disguised as a boy. Jon Snow, now a sworn brother of the Night’s Watch, faces the growing threat of the White Walkers beyond the Wall. Across the sea, Daenerys loses her husband and unborn child but emerges from fire with three newly hatched dragons, marking her as the last true Targaryen and a force to be reckoned with. The season ends with the Starks scattered, the realm divided, and ancient powers awakening.
