HBO has announced that After the Thrones, an official show centered around recapping and commenting on Game of Thrones will be debuting this month. Hosted by television critic Andy Greenwald and experienced pod-caster Chris Ryan, the somewhat unimaginatively titled After the Thrones will be released weekly, a day after each new episode of Game of Thrones, allowing fans a chance to re-live recent events in Westeros, while gaining “lively, humorous, and sophisticated” insight into the show. For those often confused by the complex plot-lines and histories that Game of Thrones the show it is, this should be an entertaining opportunity to enrich one’s appreciation of the show. The hosts of After the Thrones have previous experience commenting on the Game of Thrones; both have previously hosted the Game of Thrones podcast, “Watch the Thrones,” so we are in good hands. The show will be available to anyone with HBO GO, HBO NOW, HBO on Demand, as well as other affiliate portals.
This is not an unprecedented move; The Walking Dead has a similar show, The Talking Dead, which is popular among fans. It does seem, however, that HBO’s choice to air After the Thrones an entire day after the relevant episode of Game of Thrones is a little naive. In the fast moving world of the Internet, one can gain access to often very high quality fan-generated commentary, speculation, and recaps, in a matter of hours after Game of Thrones airs, and I cannot help but wonder if this will render After the Thrones a little obsolete by the time it is aired a full day afterwards. Nevertheless, I can see the show being 
attractive to casual fans who don’t have the time or inclination to engage with the Game of Thrones community online, and hard-core fans of the show will probably also be drawn to After the Thrones, if only to get their Westeros fix in between episodes.
Overall, this is an exciting development, and it will be interesting to see how After the Thrones fairs. Check it out on every Monday beginning April 25. Will you be tuning in to watch it? Comment below!
