TV buffs have weighed in on what they believe is the most monumental series of the century, with some arguing it’s a clear-cut case.
The dawn of the 21st century has spoilt us with a treasure trove of unforgettable TV and streaming spectacles, from the likes of The Sopranos to Breaking Bad, Peaky Blinders, Succession, and a raft of others.
The Daily Record reports how opinions poured in about which show takes the crown as the “biggest” following a Reddit thread created by a user posing the question: ‘What do you consider to be the ‘biggest’ shows of the 21st century?’. ‘
Their prompting note said: “I’ll let you interpret ‘biggest’. Obviously we could just look at viewership stats and call it a day but that’s not particularly fun.”
“I’m more interested in anecdotal experiences; the shows that felt like everyone around you was watching, had the biggest cultural impact or even singular seasons of shows that peaked high, even if the show as a whole dropped off.”
The thread quickly attracted a slew of comments as users were keen to join the conversation, with one show repeatedly emerging as the top pick.
A staunch fan commented: “Game of Thrones and it’s not even a contest. The show was so big people went to bars to watch it with dozens/hundreds of other people.”
“The finale of each season could easily have gotten 4-6 months of chatter post-airing. The trailers were as big as any major movie.”
Another concurred: “Cinemas near me aired the first episodes of seasons even. I went there and it was completely sold out. Tell me one show that ever achieved that.”
One fan was full of praise, saying “For almost a decade, it defined the conversation at the workplace and in pop culture. Kids were named after the characters.”
“Entire industries came up around it (tourist groups, leaker blogs, you name it). Even after it ended, the physical media sales remained high, and the show consistently ranks among the most rewatched series on HBO.”
Echoing the sentiments, another agreed: “Completely agree. I think what helped GoT too is that for nearly every season they were able to release a season per year. Kept it relevant and people were always super excited for the next season.”
Despite the widespread support for Game of Thrones, other shows also made their way into the dialogue.
One person remarked: “I feel like the beginning of survivor around 2000 was one of the biggest cultural phenomenons of all time. In a way, it brought in reality tv shows to the main stream.”
A Reddit user offered their two cents, saying: “The Office. This show is almost single-handedly responsible for boosting Netflix when it was still in its proof of concept phase to the behemoth it became.”
Launching in 2011 on HBO, Game of Thrones spanned eight seasons with 73 episodes before concluding in 2019.
Building upon its stellar success, the franchise has given rise to spin-offs including the prequel series House of the Dragon, as well as the eagerly anticipated A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
All eight seasons of Game of Thrones can be streamed on NOW TV