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    Fantasy on TV: How <em>Game of Thrones</em> Succeeds Where <em>True Blood</em> Fails

    The two HBO shows illustrate the perils and opportunities of adapting books for the screen
    by Alyssa Rosenberg Aug 31, 2011 3 minutes
    Source: HBO

    The two HBO shows illustrate the perils and opportunities of adapting books for the screen

    alyssa_thronesblood_post.jpg

    HBO


    After a summer when HBO garnered critical acclaim and new audiences with its epic fantasy series , it's been fascinating to watch , the show that introduced HBO to the genre, go dramatically off the rails in its fourth season. Both shows face the challenges of mustering very large casts in the service of complex storylines that are not always obviously related to each other, along with detailed magical mythologies and histories. But while hewed closely to the original plotlines and, Alan Ball and his writing staff have diverged wildly from as they've moved deeper into . Taken together, the two shows represent the perils and opportunities of adapting an existing fantasy franchise.

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