15 shows that define prestige TV

8. Game of Thrones

Right as it looked like AMC had claimed the title of Best Prestige TV Network, HBO stormed back onto the scene in 2011 with nothing less than the most ambitious television project of all time. Seven seasons later, Game of Thrones has taken prestige TV to new heights in terms of scale, budget and the storytelling taboos George R. R. Martin was famous for scoffing at.

What other freshman show would (spoiler alert) be willing to kill off its ostensible main character that quickly? And then off a character who seemed to be the successor for the show’s main protagonist? And then do the same thing to a character that appeared to be positioned as a real force for good going forward?

And THEN do that AGAIN to a beloved character, proceed to spend 10 months lying about it and then “Gotcha!”-ing everyone the next year? The fact that fans have been willing to stick by this show as it continually plays with their emotions and straight up lies to their faces is proof of the  goodwill Game of Thrones has rightfully earned.

In addition to earning a reputation for killing off fan-favorites, Game of Thrones also made a name for itself with the boundaries it pushed, including its famous sexposition scenes that are exactly what they sound like. It’s also probably the most expensive show of the prestige TV era. Any series that features this much CGI destruction clearly has the full support of its parent network.

It’s really unfair to compare Game of Thrones to other shows in the prestige TV pantheon because no other series has the champion’s purse David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have to work with to create this epic fantasy world. But hey, as they say in Westeros: “If you want justice, you’ve come to the wrong place.”