Towards A Definition Of Twenty-First-Century Epic: Audience Responses To GAME OF THRONES (2011–2019) and his dark materials (2019–) As Epic Television

Abstract

In closing, we return to the paradigmatic quality television series of the twenty-first century, Game of Thrones, this time through the eyes of its viewers and fans. Amanda Potter looks away from the form and content of specific television episodes and redirects our focus onto the audience, in order to better understand what the nebulous term ‘epic’ means to contemporary viewers. By interrogating responses to audience surveys on two series described by series creators as ‘epic television’, not only Game of Thrones but also His Dark Materials (season one, 2019), Potter finds that the term ‘epic’ continues to be a marker of quality, even though it may mean different things to different viewers. Importance is placed on scale, plot and character development, all required if a series is to be classed as epic in the minds of contemporary audiences.