Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. The series is based on George R. R. Martin's series of fantasy novels, A Song of Ice and Fire. The series takes place on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, and chronicles the power struggles among noble families as they fight for control of the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms. The series starts when House Stark, led by Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark (Sean Bean), is drawn into schemes surrounding King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy). The series premiered on April 17, 2011, on HBO. David Benioff and D. B. Weiss both serve as executive producers, along with Carolyn Strauss, Frank Doelger, Bernadette Caulfield, and George R. R. Martin. Filming for the series took place in a number of locations, including Croatia, Northern Ireland, Iceland, and Spain. Episodes were broadcast on Sunday at 9:00 pm Eastern Time, and the episodes are between 50 and 82 minutes in length. All eight seasons are available on DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray. The series concluded with its eighth season, which premiered on April 14, 2019, and consisted of six episodes. The show's episodes have won numerous awards including four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series. Series overview Episodes Season 1 (2011) In Winterfell, Ned Stark becomes Hand of the King to Robert Baratheon, bringing his daughters, Sansa and Arya, with him to King’s Landing. Ned's son, Bran, is paralyzed after stumbling upon Robert's wife, Cersei Lannister, having sex with her brother, Jaime. Ned discovers that Robert and Cersei's three children are in fact Jaime and Cersei's three children, and are not rightful heirs to the throne. Following Robert's death, however, Cersei's eldest, Joffrey, is crowned. Ned's refusal to recognize Joffrey as king leads to his execution. Meanwhile, Ned's bastard son Jon Snow joins the Night's Watch, an ancient order sworn to defend Westeros by maintaining the Wall. In Essos, the exiled Viserys Targaryen marries his sister, Daenerys, off to Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo in exchange for an army to take back Westeros, where his father was once king. Daenerys is gifted three dragon eggs while Viserys is eventually killed by Drogo, who later dies himself. Daenerys then hatches the dragon eggs, bringing dragons back into the world. Season 2 (2012) Ned's eldest son, Robb, takes Jaime prisoner in a recently declared war with