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How Game of Thrones Redefined HBO–and prestige TV

An oral history of the moment that changed television forever.

Chances are, if you are in any way, shape, or form a student of popular culture or television, it’s not news that the final season of Game of Thrones will air on Sunday, April 14. If you are, in fact, a member of this category, you probably also know the exact length of the first episode (54 minutes); how many episodes there will be this season (six); and that this season is the grand finale for a series that has rocked the culture, shattering record after record in terms of viewership and awards. The show, which HBO launched in 2011, averages more than 23 million viewers an episode and has won more Emmys than any other prime-time series. These accolades are all the more impressive given our fractured, too-many-television-choices times, when getting a meaningful swath of the population to watch the same show week after week, year after year, is, more often than not, an impossible challenge. 

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