'Game of Thrones' Season 8 revealed! Hit show's makers reveal anecdotes about sets, viewership and accolades
'Game of Thrones' fans are all set to watch the final season of their favorite show this week. The HBO series, that began airing in April 2011, caught the attention of viewers when it was well into its third season and has a massive following and the viewership the show received in the U.S. reiterates this. The makers of the show starring Kit Harrington (Jon Snow), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister) and Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) among others, shared some interesting anecdotes Thursday about the show including its viewership.
Not today. @Maisie_Williams remembers her first day on set. #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/HFQgctlkcl
— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) April 10, 2019
The show received 9.3 million viewers in its first season and that multiplied with season 7 of 'Game of Thrones' seeing a viewership of 32.8 million in the U.S. The viewership for season 2 was 11.6 million, season 3 was 14.4 million, season 4 was 19.1 million, season 5 was 20.2 million and season 6 was 25.7 million, respectively.
Also, did you know the show has received 132 Emmy nominations so far? Of this, they won 42! It also received seven Golden Globe nominations and one win, 18 SAG Award nominations and seven wins, 17 Critics' Choice Award nominations and one win, and seven AFI award wins.
Other interesting anecdotes start from the number of weeks spent on post-production since season 1 to the number of wigs used for the show. For instance, 12,137 wigs were used on the show and Daenerys' wig specifically is a result of more than two months of testing and seven prototypes. The VFX in the series is a combination of work done from 40 different centers in countries such as U.S., Canada, the U.K., Northern Ireland, Spain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, China, France, Sweden, and India. The total number of shots with VFX effect? 13,250. This does not include season 8.
The show was primarily shot in 10 countries which includes Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Morocco, Malta, Spain, Croatia, Iceland, United States, Canada, and Scotland. The interiors of Winterfell, Castle Black, High Hall of the Eyrie, the Sky Cells in the Eyrie, the Hall of Faces, the House of Black and White, the Great Sept of Baelor, the Great Pyramid of Meereen Throne Room and the iconic King's Landing Throne Room are all sets in Titanic Studios, which is in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The fight for the throne will continue starting April 14 at 9 pm EST on HBO. The last season of the show will consist of six episodes which are anywhere between 50 to 80 minutes long.