In the era of “peak TV,” few shows actually have the opportunity to end on their own terms, and even fewer manage to satisfy every single one of their fans. And then there is Game of Thrones, which was immensely popular throughout its entire run before managing to divide its fanbase with an uneven final season that wrapped up last month. Well, despite the backlash, the creators of another popular show Rick and Morty expressed support for the minds behind Game of Thrones.
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Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland spoke with Entertainment Weekly and the two defended the decisions made in the final season, specifically when it came to Daenerys Targaryen‘s fall from grace.
“I was afraid to watch it for a while because I didn’t want it to end,” Harmon said. “I wanted to keep this soap opera in my life. But I knew it had to end, and I was as satisfied as I possibly could be watching a staple in my life wrap up and all of the characters taking each other out.”
Harmon continued, referencing his time as a showrunner on Community, “As a showrunner, I was amazed at the amount they were able to accomplish — especially given the meta-reality of having run out of books to adapt. Watching The Hound fight The Mountain on the stairs, I was like, ‘This is all great, man.’ I was aware of the disappointment factor with [Daenerys’] dark turn. I’m not going to say fans are too cynical and ungrateful, but I guess I did just say that.”
Roiland agreed with Harmon, though he admitted there could have been a merit to stretching out the season over more episodes.
“I echo all of Dan’s sentiments about the show,” he said. “Structurally, I think it was great. I just selfishly wanted more episodes. I wanted to get to those plot points at a slower pace. I didn’t want it to end either. I wished it was stepped out over three more seasons, or three of four more episodes.”
Roiland added, “There’s not going to be another show that big. I shouldn’t say that because there’s always something potentially looming around the corner. But that show was a phenomenon. It was insanely big. Everybody was watching it. And I love [showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss], they’re f—ing awesome guys.”
Every episode of Game of Thrones is now available on HBO TV.
The fourth season of Rick and Morty premieres on Adult Swim in November.
