10 TV Shows That We Expected to Be the Next Game of Thrones (But Weren’t)

Ever since Game of Thrones managed to become the most talked about show on TV, every new big-budget television spectacle was lauded as “the next Game of Thrones” only to quietly fail. While series like Breaking Bad managed to keep up with Game of Thrones in terms of relevance, and HBO’s Succession elicited the same excited audience response, very few other series could believably claim the title of HBO’s most popular fantasy series successor. The runaway popularity of Game of Thrones was not a manufactured occurrence and series that attempted to reproduce its success artificially were always doomed to fail.

There are some television series that were trying to mimic the success of Game of Thrones, such as Emerald City which tried to replicate its intricate worldbuilding and dark, edgy storytelling into the already-established world of The Wizard of Oz. Another successful fantasy franchise, The Lord of the Rings created their prequel television series The Rings of Power which many felt had the potential to repeat Game of Thrones mainstream success. There are plenty of TV shows that were thought to be the next Game of Thrones, that sadly were not.

10.Marco Polo (2014 – 2016)

Marco Polo had all the tenents of Game of Thrones but lacked the prestige quality of it

As a series that explored the story of real-life adventurer Marco Polo as he traversed a world filled with betrayal, greed, rivalry, and sex, Marco Polo looked like it all the elements to become the next Game of Thrones. However, despite its ambitious premise, Marco Polo was canceled after just two seasons as it was too expensive to make and reportedly lost Netflix $200 million. Despite this, the second season of Marco Polo received critical acclaim and currently has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

9.Emerald City (2016 – 2017)

Emerald City attempted to imbue the world of The Wizard of Oz with darkness of Game of Thrones

As a dark, edgy version of The Wizard of Oz, Emerald City took the detailed worldbuilding of Game of Thrones and transported it into the whimsical Land of Oz created by L. Frank Baum more than 100 years ago. While Emerald City had a unique concept it was stuck between the two worlds of children’s entertainment that was The Wizard of Oz and mature adult-based fantasy series like Game of Thrones. Sadly, the two did not mix well and Emerald City became a series that nobody resonated with.

8.Black Sails (2014 – 2017)

Black Sails lacked the compelling characters and engaging pacing of Game of Thrones

As a prequel to Treasure Island, Black Sails had the potential to mix all that was great about Game of Thrones-style narratives with the box office smash aesthetics of Pirates of the Caribbean. While the series did connect with some viewers and had an impressive visual appeal, in the end, Black Sails lacked the strong characters of a story like Game of Thrones and suffered from slow storylines that felt like they were treading water. While Black Sails improved upon subsequent seasons the series never managed to make it in the way that Game of Thrones did.

7True Detective (2014 – Present)

True Detective failed to live up to its Game of Thrones level potential after its first season

When the first season of True Detective aired it felt like Game of Thrones may finally have a competitor for best series on HBO. With standout performances by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, True Detective was a dark, brooding, murder mystery, that explored masculinity, philosophy, and religious themes in a clever narrative that received audience and critical acclaim. When the anthology series was renewed for a second season it felt like if True Detective could maintain its atmosphere and quality, it would become the next big thing, but later seasons failed to reach the same highs as that initial outing.

6Westworld (2016 – 2022)

Westworld was too complex to gain the mainstream acclaim of Game of Thrones

The mind-bending dystopian Western series Westworld had all the characteristics of a Game of Thrones-style success story, with clever writing, engaging characters, and a multilayered complicated narrative the HBO series felt like it could be the next big thing when Season One was on the air. With The first season ended with an interconnected timeline twist that got viewers talking and television obsessive analyzing every last detail the show had to offer. However, as Westworld continued to plot became too convoluted and the series’ viewers declined with each subsequent season.

5.The Witcher (2019 – Present)

The Witcher never quite managed to gain the audience levels of Game of Thrones

Based on the fantasy book series of the same name, The Witcher had a similar origin to Game of Thrones and benefitted from an inbuilt audience of the novel’s readership. The series intially had a strong lead performance with Henry Cavil taking up the role of Geralt of Rivia and , the first season felt like a good dark fantasy alternative to fill the Game of Thrones-sized hole that recently appeared in audiences’ lives. However, despite the popularity of The Witcher it never managed to break into mainstream pop culture in the same way Game of Thrones did.

4.Watchmen (2019)

Watchmen did not run for long enough to build up an audience like Game of Thrones

As a sequel series set 34 years after the original Watchmen comic by Alan Moore, HBO’s Watchmen set itself the difficult challenge of developing new characters within a world already beloved and established for decades. However, somehow, showrunner Damon Lindelof managed to do the impossible and create an engaging story that felt like it had something relevant to say about the state of the world. Had Watchmen continued for further seasons it may have been able to build up support similar to Game of Thrones but with just nine episodes it ended before it really had time to take off.

3.The Wheel of Time (2021 – Present)

The Wheel of Time did not have the narrative heft to compete against Game of Thrones

As an Amazon Prime high fantasy series, The Wheel of Time contained all the magical worldbuilding that made Game of Thrones such a success but unfortunately did not have the narrative heft to stand against its competitor. Despite being an expressive piece of fantasy spectacle, The Wheel of Time suffered from pacing issues and failed to reach its full potential in storylines such as its Dragon Reborn mystery. Despite aspirational ambitions, The Wheel of Time has yet to leave its mark on the mainstream in the same Game of Thrones did.

2.Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022 – Present)

The Rings of Power did maintain viewership in the same way as Game of Thrones

In terms of fantasy franchises, The Lord of the Rings felt like the only thing that could compete with the popularity of Game of Thrones. Considering this, the prequel series The Rings of Power felt like it had all the qualities of the next beloved TV show and with the backing of Amazon Prime Video even had the budget to match these lofty expectations. While Amazon revealed the show had their biggest debut ever (via CNBC) it failed to connect with audiences as more than half of the viewers didn’t finish watching the first season of Rings of Power.

1House of the Dragon (2022 – Present)

House of the Dragon has a long way to go before it can stand agaisnt Game of Thrones

Of course, the television series that faced the most pressure to become the next Game of Thrones was its prequel spin-off House of the Dragon. Set nearly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and focused on members of House Targaryen, House of the Dragon had lofty shoes to fill and delivered a strong first season with interesting new characters. While House of the Dragon has been renewed for Season 2 and received widespread acclaim, it has not yet reached the level of cultural significance seen by Game of Thrones, and only time will tell if it ever reaches those grand ambitions.