‘Game of Thrones’ Becomes HBO’s Most-Watched Series Ever, Surpasses ‘The Sopranos’
We've previously mentioned that HBO's "Game of Thrones" already reigns on top of the list of most pirated shows.
Variety reported that the most recent season of "House of Cards" attracted 90,841 illegal downloads within the first two days of its sophomore release, and "Game of Thrones" pulled in a staggering 1.17 million pirated downloads in the first 15 hours of its Season 4 premiere.
But what's arguably more impressive is that "Game of Thrones" has taken the spotlight away from the forever-classic series "The Sopranos" to become the official most-watched series to ever air on HBO. It should also be noted that "Game of Thrones" only beat "The Sopranos" by an extremely slight difference, so "Sopranos" fans shouldn't be too upset.
Philly.com reported that last week, "Game of Thrones" passed "The Sopranos" as the most-watched show in HBO history with an average gross audience of 18.4 million people this season, surpassing the 18.2 million who watched the hit mob drama back in 2002.
Though congratulations are in order for the success of "Games of Thrones," critics are still slamming HBO for their choice to air crude television content on their network. Desert News noted that HBO shows, such as "Game of Thrones," "The Sopranos," "Sex and the City" and even "Silicon Valley," have all been criticized for their overly explicit content. However, based on the successful numbers HBO earns for its shows, it forces one to ask whether or not crude content is what's most appealing to audiences.
In April, Robert Tracinski of The Federalist wrote an essay titled "Our Sick National Obsession With Game of Thrones."
"It's as if our highbrow culture is trying to cultivate in us the aesthetic taste of a sociopath," Tracinski wrote. "The question isn't whether there is talent behind these shows, but why that talent is employed on such a brutal, bloodthirsty subject matter. Is there nothing else in the world interesting enough to make a television show about?"
Despite Trancinski's opinion and the opinion of many other critics, "Game of Thrones" continues to prosper and cultivate fans.
Do you agree with Tracinski's point of view? Or are you a fan of HBO's edgy content? Share your comments below.
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