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'Game of Thrones' tops poll of most disappointing TV finales

Tom Butler
·Editor, Yahoo Entertainment UK
·3-min read
Daenerys and Jon Snow in Game of Thrones (Credit: HBO)
Daenerys and Jon Snow in Game of Thrones (Credit: HBO)

It’s been over a year since the finale of Game of Thrones aired on television, bringing Sky Atlantic and HBO’s fantasy drama to a close with a divisive final season.

In the UK, 3.2 million people stayed up until 2am on 19 May, 2019 to watch ‘The Iron Throne’, the last episode of the eight-season show, and it initially seemed to be a hit with viewers, but less so with critics who gave it the lowest reviews of the show’s history.

Now, punters seem to be in agreement with the critics with the show topping a recent poll of the most disappointing TV finales ever.

Of the 1,835 TV fans polled by OnBuy Electronics Team, 87% chose Thrones as the most disappointing end to a TV series ever. In second place was US sitcom How I Met Your Mother with 54%, in third place came Sherlock with 42%, followed by Lost (29%) and Dexter (27%).

LOS ANGELES - JANUARY 30: "The End of the Aisle" - ” With only a half-hour to go, both Barney and Robin have panic attacks about their upcoming nuptials. Meanwhile, Marshall and Lily rewrite their old wedding vows, on the final season of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, Monday, March 24(8:00-8:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: Neil Patrick Harris as Barney, Cobie Smulders as Robin. (Photo by Richard Cartwright/CBS via Getty Images)
Neil Patrick Harris as Barney, Cobie Smulders as Robin in How I Met Your Mother - "The End of the Aisle". (Photo by Richard Cartwright/CBS via Getty Images)

On Game of Thrones’ ending, which saw Bran Stark crowned as the ruler of Westeros, the research said: “the season finale subverted all expectations causing an explosion of resentment towards the show’s bitter ending.”

The final season of Thrones proved to be hugely divisive among fans, with many accusing its creators DB Weiss and David Benioff of wrapping up the show too quickly in order to move on to other projects. A petition for HBO and Sky Atlantic to remake the final season “with competent writers” was signed by over 1 million fans.

Read more: Thrones creator calls response to final season ‘toxic’

Speaking to Deadline about the backlash, HBO’s head of programming Casey Bloys said: “To tell you the truth, for a show this big and this sprawling and for a show that has this passionate a fan base, I don’t think there is any way that all fans would’ve been happy.

Creators and executive producers David Benioff, left, and D.B. Weiss pose together at HBO's "Game of Thrones" final season premiere at Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Creators and executive producers David Benioff, left, and D.B. Weiss pose together at HBO's "Game of Thrones" final season premiere at Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

“I think based on online reaction, which you do have to take with a grain of salt, it does seem split and I think that’s about right — some people are going to love it, some people are going to hate it. But the point is, everybody is feeling really passionate about it.”

In the inclusion of Sherlock in the data is rather curious however as the end of S4, which aired in 2017, was never intended to be the final ever episode of the show. The show’s creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have often discussed bringing the show back for a possible fifth season, citing stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman’s busy schedules as the reason for its hiatus.

Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection will be made available in 4K Ultra HD for the first time on 2 November, 2020.