Just as all men must die, all shows must end — and the end is coming fast for Game of Thrones, as the final season will consist of just six episodes.
Seasons 1 through 6 were all ten episodes long. The penultimate seventh season will be abbreviated at seven. It’s been rumored the final season would be even shorter, and now Entertainment Weekly has confirmed that Season 8 will end with six episodes. This will make the entire series 73 episodes.
The end of Season 6 set up a bloody endgame for the final stretch. Cersei sits on the Iron Throne, Daenerys has finally set sail for Westeros, and Jon Snow has been crowned King in The North. Unbeknownst to Jon, the audience and Bran Stark have learned that his true parents are really Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen, which gives him claim to the Iron Throne, too. This three-way fight has thirteen more hours to resolve.
Although the end is in sight for Game of Thrones, there could be as many as five spin-off shows at HBO set during different time periods in the show’s world. While Daenerys and Jon’s screen time dwindles, then, there’s still plenty in store for Westeros and Essos.
Game of Thrones Season 7, which will consist of seven episodes, premieres on July 16th, 2017.
