Game of Thrones May End After Season 8

There are very few shows that are more popular then HBO’s Game of Thrones. Many fans would probably be more than happy to see the show go on for more than 10 seasons. Nevertheless, all good things must come to end, and Game of Thrones now has a tentative season expiration date.

Initially, showrunners talked about hopefully concluding around the 70-hour mark (season 7). HBO programming president Michael Lombardo recently proclaimed that the series will go at least eight seasons.

“Seven-seasons-and-out has never been the [internal] conversation,” Lombardo said to critics at the Television Critics Association’s press tour Thursday when a reporter asked if the show would end after seven. “The question is: How much beyond seven are we going to do? Obviously we’re shooting six now, hopefully discussing seven. [Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss are] feel like there’s two more years after six. I would always love for them to change their minds, but that’s what we’re looking at right now.”

Lombardo also defended criticisms about the show’s violent season 5 content (Sansa Stark’s storyline in particular).

“In the pilot episode we see a 7-year-old boy pushed to seemingly his death from a tower,” Lombardo said. “This show has had violence from the first episode. I can’t speak to any single person’s particular taste, but I think the show is phenomenal. It went to 20 million viewers this year, it went up over 1 million viewers from the prior season. The show continues to grow dramatically. There are no two showrunners who are more careful about now overstepping what they think the line is—and everybody has their own line. [What they show] is critical to the storytelling.”

The president was also asked if Jon Snow is actually dead. Lombardo maintained the same stance as the staff.

 “Dead is dead is dead,” he said. “He be dead. Um, yes. Everything I’ve seen, heard and read, Jon Snow is indeed dead.”

Dead is dead?

Despite the largely dismal news, there is potentially a silver lining for fans. Lombardo also made remarks indicating that HBO would be open to a prequel show set during a previous struggle for the Iron Throne.

“We would be open to anything [Benioff and Weiss] want to do, there is enormous amount of storytelling in that world,” Lombardo said. “[But currently,] the focus is on figuring out the next few years of the show.”

Game of Thrones is set to return to HBO for its sixth season in Spring 2016.

We will be releasing more information as it is released. Stay tuned for details, and let us know what you think about the news in the comments below!