Game of Thrones season 3 is over, and now our watch begins. But before you seal off your hiatus hibernation cave, check out these five other great dramas we think you’ll love.
If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, we’re sure you’ll agree that there aren’t many dramas on television as clever, shocking, sexy, engaging and visually stunning.
But alas, we only get to enjoy new Thrones episodes for three months out of the year, and the remaining nine may as well be a Westeros-style winter, White Walkers and all.
If you’re anything like the Game of Thrones fans on the Hypable staff (read: almost all of us), you’re currently sitting around sulking over the fact that there won’t be anything good – at least not as good – on television until season 4 finally premieres in 2014.
But fear not! We have put our heads together and come up with a list of five shows worthy of Game of Thrones fans’ attention that we hope will help get you through the hiatus.
These shows might not be carbon copies (how could they be?!), but they’ve all got something in common with the HBO series. Read our list and decide for yourself if any of them can ease your wait.
Selina’s recommendation:
Battlestar Galactica
At first glance, Battlestar Galactica doesn’t seem like it’ll have much in common with Game of Thrones, considering that, well, it’s set in space. But actually, the locations and time periods are pretty much the only things that separate BSG and GoT.
Created by Ronald D. Moore, Battlestar Galactica is a remake of the cheesier 1980s series of the same name. The modern version is sleeker, sexier, and more violent – and most importantly, deeply political.
Whereas George R.R. Martin claims that his A Song of Ice and Fire series doesn’t serve as a commentary on modern-day politics, BSG makes no secret of the fact that its characters and the political and humanitarian dilemmas they face (contemplating mutiny, genocide and infanticide) are a reflection of what was happening in the real world at the time the series was made (2004-2009).
Airing on the Sci-Fi Channel, Battlestar Galactica was able to take both the violence and the nudity further than network television would have allowed.
And of course we had the brilliant, complex characters – some of whom we started out hating and ended up loving, some the opposite, and others were in a constant state of beautiful moral ambiguity, which made you question your own opinions and prejudices.
At their core, Battlestar Galactica and Game of Thrones are both about how a selection of widely different, yet ultimately average people (apart from a few “chosen” individuals) react when the worst happens; when the dust clears and they are left standing in the ruins of what used to be their lives.
Power is thrust into incapable hands, promises are made and broken, and nothing and nowhere is safe. If you take all their fancy green screens and costumes away, ultimately these shows explore the same topic: what every single person, no matter what their lot in life, will do to survive.
Brook’s recommendation:
The Tudors
Let’s talk Tudors shall we? Like the name suggests, this Showtime series is set in the Tudor period of England where Henry the VIII reigns supreme over all, except when it comes to the Catholic Church of course. But the good thing with this show is that you don’t need to be a history buff to enjoy it.
Just like with Game of Thrones, it’s not necessary to read every book or have extensive knowledge about background mythology to follow along. Although that information may heighten the experience for some, enjoying the surface elements is still going to provide a person with a rich viewing experience.
If you come from the Game of Thrones world, the Tudors’ dashing royals set on seducing young ladies, plots to overthrow monarchies and continuous backstabbing will most definitely satisfy your summer hiatus appetite. Much like the former show, there is a cunning and bloodthirsty tone to Henry the VIII. But he is less driven by a desire to conquer territory and more motivated by the beauty of the young ladies around him. Should anyone attempt to remove either from his grasp, however, Henry will be sure they never make such a mistake again.
Another parallel between the two shows are the exquisite costuming and production designs. Both programs are as brilliant to look at as they are exciting to watch. These elements take the show to a regal level and enrich the view experience ten fold.
As the show unfolds, each character becomes both more and less than what you imagined them to be. The villains win you over, the heroes fall from their noble steeds, and ultimately you’ll learn that ‘king’ is nothing more than a title. So if that doesn’t peak your interest as a Game of Thrones fan, we’re not really sure anything will!
Marama’s recommendation:
Rome
No one does intrigue, manipulation, or conspiring quite like the Romans. Set against the tumultuous backdrop of the late Roman Republic, Rome presents the end of Julius Caesar’s reign, and the battle for the control of Rome that waged after his death.
As in Game of Thrones, the show focuses on a large company of characters rather than any specific one – although in contrast, Rome does place a larger emphasis on the role of the ‘normal’ people, in this case two soldiers who become inadvertently tangled with many of the divided noble families.
The characters in Rome are warring over a single prize – control of the Roman empire. And the characters you are cheering for one episode will not be the ones you are supporting in the next – that is, if they even make it that far.
In many ways, Rome was the necessary precursor to Game of Thrones. As a joint project between HBO and BBC, it allowed HBO to experiment with the huge scale of production that would become essential to the production of Game of Thrones, and the development of the highly detailed set design and costuming that Thrones fans expect.
Aside from the political concerns, Rome also deals with many other issues currently playing out on Game of Thrones, such as slavery, the role of women, and the concept of true power. It seems Ancient Rome and Westeros are not so different.
Game of Thrones fans might also spot some familiar faces in Rome. Watch out for Mance Rayder (Ciarán Hinds) as Julius Caesar and Edmure Tully (Tobias Menzies) as Marcus Brutus.
Unfortunately, Rome only lasted two seasons, however this means Game of Thrones fans will have no trouble watching the entire show during the hiatus. Watch Rome for everything we love about Game of Thrones – sex, murder, betrayal, incest, warfare, intrigue, politics, and wonderfully complex characters. And as with Thrones, prepare for heartbreak.
Laura’s recommendation:
Da Vinci’s Demons
One of biggest draws for Game of Thrones is that it mixes what feels like medieval history with intrigue and the supernatural. Well, there is another show that does just that, Da Vinci’s Demons on the Starz Network. The show just started its second season, but it’s easy to marathon the first season’s eight episodes on Netflix. In fact, you can probably even jump right in this season and not be too lost with a little help from Wikipedia.
We’ve all seen Da Vinci’s drawings, things like the first prototype for flight, and even advanced weaponry such as an early predecessor of the machine gun. In Da Vinci’s Demons you see these items leap off the page in a world where it’s kill or be killed in a battle of knowledge and power where the church and the local royalty battle for supremacy. Da Vinci, a bastard son of no standing, longs for recognition and respect from these two warring factions.
If you are a fan of the Borgias, you’ll like Da Vinci’s Demons. Italy’s legendary Medici dynasty is key to the plot, and they were among the only families the Borgias feared. The Medici family ruled Florence with a ruthless cunning that would make Cercsei and Tyrion proud, while at the same time they wanted to outdo Rome with their artistic accomplishments.
The cast is mostly filled with relative unknowns to American audiences. Standouts are Tom Riley, who plays the title role; Tom Bateman, who plays the jealous and conniving Giuliano Medici; and Lara Pulver of Sherlock fame, who plays Clarice Orsini, wife of Da Vinci’s patron Lorenzo Medici.
Jimmy’s recommendation:
Firefly
Oh look at that. A professional geek is recommending Firefly. Never seen that before.
We at Hypable pride ourselves on our originality, but the simple (and devastating) fact is that there are still people out there that don’t know The Rim from The Reavers. This don’t sit too pretty with us.
Game of Thrones takes place in just about as complete of an alternate universe that you can imagine. They consider every detail, and every moment comes to the viewer in a way that simply makes sense for that world. Similarly, Joss Whedon has created his own future ‘verse with Firefly, and like Game of Thrones, every detail, every character, every piece of equipment, every action, and every line comes to us fully developed and with its own backstory.
The crew ventures to a bevvy of exotic worlds, and since our heroes are flying under the radar and constantly on the run, we get the same sense of danger at every turn that Game of Thrones was able to impart to us with every episode. Like most Joss Whedon adventures, Firefly is more episodic than serialized, which is the major way it differs from Game of Thrones, but since the entirety of the saga runs at just over 13 hours (hardly enough to last until Spring 2014), every moment feels precious.
Also, if you’re a language nerd (as I am), you’ll be delighted to see how languages have evolved over time in the show. Since the “Earth that was” evolved during a primarily Chinese/American rule, they function as the main languages of the expanded ‘verse, and it’s fascinating to see some familiar Western tropes and language styles (cowboy speak like “She described the plan real simple. That job’s awful hard to do.”) return in times of similar civilization expansion. If you’re a fan of the fancy talking that you heard in Westeros, then you may be similarly taken by the simple speech that you hear on board Serenity.
The only difference really is that the swear words are all in Chinese. This isn’t HBO after all. In short — 下車你的屁股，觀看螢火蟲.
Only 10 more months of agony until the next season of Game of Thrones launches. Until then, don’t forget to follow the Game of Owns podcast, co-hosted by Hypable’s own Selina, to get the latest filming and casting info. Maybe even, tackle the A Song of Fire and Ice series over the summer and see where the books and HBO series differ.