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HBO announces a third season for 'Thrones' after only two episodes of season two.
By Josh Wigler
Nikolaj Coster Waldau as Jaime Lannister in "Game of Thrones"
Photo: Helen Sloan/ HBO
Like winter, we all knew this one was coming.
Baby-killing, incest and decapitations aplenty aside, the world at large really, really loves "Game of Thrones." So much so, in fact, that HBO has already ordered a third season of the critically acclaimed fantasy series, a decision made just two episodes into the currently airing second season.
"Series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss raised our expectations for the second season — and then surpassed them," HBO president of programming Michael Lombardo said of the renewal in a press release. "We are thrilled by all the viewer and media support we've received for the series, and can't wait to see what Dan and David have in store for next season."
A third-season pickup was all but guaranteed following the season two premiere's record-breaking ratings. The premiere, titled "The North Remembers," earned a walloping 3.86 million viewers during its initial airing. Those numbers were very steady in "Thrones'" second week on the air, drawing 3.8 million viewers. Even more impressively, HBO noted in the announcement of the renewal that the "Thrones" season premiere has so far accumulated 8.3 million viewers and is "on track to easily surpass the season one average of 9.3 million viewers."
In short, if you're not watching "Thrones" yet, you're missing out on one of the hottest TV shows on the air. Might want to look into that.
"Game of Thrones" is based on the best-selling "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels penned by George R.R. Martin. The series takes place in the fictional world of Westeros, a realm populated by men with little magic to speak of. It's a savage placed filled with murderers, liars, rapists and worse, with the wicked boy king Joffrey Baratheon flexing his royal muscles on the Iron Throne in King's Landing. But Joffrey isn't the only player in the Seven Kingdoms fancying himself a king; he's at war with several other parties, including his uncles Stannis and Renly — themselves at war with each other — and Robb Stark, the King in the North seeking vengeance against Joffrey for beheading his father, Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell.
In the midst of this political tug-of-war are Ned's bastard Jon Snow, currently on a journey in the uncharted icelands north of Westeros; the exiled princess Daenerys Targaryen, who is far east of Westeros with her starving companions and their newborn trio of dragons; and Tyrion Lannister, a man whose small size and stature pales in comparison to his tremendous wit and appetite for women.
Stay tuned to MTV News and our weekly video series "Watching the Thrones" for all of your "Ice and Fire" needs all season long.
What do you think of the "Game of Thrones" renewal? Sound off in the comments!
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