Mistakes were made during the final season of “Game of Thrones,” according to British star Kit Harington, who portrayed the beloved character Jon Snow in the acclaimed HBO series. During a profile interview with GQ Magazine, Harington resonated with the sentiments of fans, acknowledging that the eighth and final season, which premiered in May 2019 to widespread negative reviews, felt “rushed.”
“I think there were mistakes made, story-wise towards the end maybe. I think there were some interesting choices that didn’t quite work,” Harington confessed. He elaborated on the challenging conditions faced by the crew, stating, “I think if there was any fault with the end of Thrones, is that we were all so f**king tired, we couldn’t have gone on longer. And so I understand some people thought it was rushed and I might agree with them. But I’m not sure there was any alternative.”
Indeed, the final season of “Game of Thrones,” which aired in 2019, faced a barrage of criticism from both fans and critics. The most common grievance was that the show’s climactic events were squeezed into just six episodes, a startling departure from the intricate plots and character developments it had meticulously built over the years.
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Many fans felt particularly disillusioned with the way key character arcs were concluded, with Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen often cited as a primary example. Harington acknowledged the legitimacy of these critiques, while also highlighting the immense exhaustion felt by the cast and crew after a decade of intense production.
“I look at pictures of me in that final season and I look exhausted. I look spent. I didn’t have another season in me,” he reflected. He went on to describe the tumultuous reception of the final season: “I went in and everyone loved Thrones; I came out and everyone hated it … I thought, ‘What the f**k is going on?’”
Harington also addressed speculation about a possible spin-off series focusing on Jon Snow, confirming that such a project is no longer in development. “I don’t really want to say. Because it starts a whole thing,” he explained.
. Reports first emerged in June 2022 indicating that HBO was developing a Jon Snow spin-off, with Harington in talks to reprise his iconic role. However, by April this year, the actor disclosed that the project was “off the table.”
When HBO initially approached him about the spin-off, Harington admitted his first reaction was “no.” However, he later envisioned a potentially compelling narrative centered on “the soldier after the war.” He added, “I felt that there might be something left to say and a story left to tell in a pretty limited way.”
Despite the initial enthusiasm, the project’s development hit a snag. “We spent a couple of years back and forth developing it. And it just didn’t… nothing got us excited enough,” Harington revealed. Ultimately, he chose to withdraw, preferring to leave the character’s legacy intact. “In the end, I kind of backed out and said, ‘I think if we push this any further and keep developing it, we could end up with something that’s not good. And that’s the last thing we all want.’”
The candid nature of Harington’s reflections provides fans with a rare glimpse behind the curtain of one of television’s most monumental undertakings. The actor’s acknowledgment of the fatigue and challenges faced by the cast and crew lends context to the creative decisions that shaped the series’ finale. As discussions about “Game of Thrones” and its polarizing conclusion continue, Harington’s insights serve as a reminder of the human effort behind the epic fantasy that captivated audiences worldwide.
