Game of Thrones' final seasons could be shorter because all shows must die

We're just over a week away from the highly anticipated premiere of Game of Thrones' sixth season, but HBO are already thinking about the future of their flagship show. Although there have been hints that the saga might continue for ten seasons the showrunners have always seemed content to conclude the series in eight, and it sounds like they won't need full 13 episode seasons to do it.

"I think we’re down to our final 13 episodes after this season", showrunner David Benioff told Variety. "We’re heading into the final lap. That’s the guess, though nothing is yet set in stone, but that’s what we’re looking at."

HBO have been quick to announce that nothing has been confirmed just yet; "Any conversations about the end of Game of Thrones and the number of episodes of future seasons is purely speculative. As is customary, HBO will sit with Dan and David to discuss the details once a decision has been made to go forward with season 7."

HBO will want to keep their hit show running for as long as possible, but unnecessarily adding more seasons could lead to a dip in quality. Eventually all shows must die - even Game of Thrones - and the key to a satisfying exit will be knowing when to pull the trigger.

Season 6 of Game of Thrones premieres on HBO on April 24, 2016 in the US, and airs on Sky Atlantic the next day in the UK.

Images: HBO

Amon is a contributing editor and columnist for Empire magazine, but is also a Film and TV writer for GamesRadar+, Total Film, and others. He has also written for NME, Composer Mag, and more, along with being a film critic for TalkSport. He is also the co-host of the Fade to Black Podcast, and a video mashup creator. Can also do a pretty good Bane impersonation.