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Game of Thrones broadcaster HBO breaks silence on final episode backlashBy Evening Standard

HBO bosses have defended the Game of Thrones final, saying they are “proud” of the ending and knew they were “never going to please everybody”.

Fans were divided by the last scenes, with many lashing out at the “disappointing” ending while others signed a petition calling on bosses to “remake” the final series.

But HBO’s programming president Casey Bloys has hit back at critics, saying he “expected” that some fans would be left unhappy by “such a big show” because you can’t “make everyone happy”.

“It’s always sad when a show departs, but that’s part of the TV life cycle, and life moves on. But obviously we’re really proud of the show,” Bloys told Variety.

“There’s no way you’re going to please everybody. It’s roughly split with some people loving it and some people disliking it. You’re never going to make everybody happy, nor should that be the goal.”

He heaped praise on series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for “landing a massive plane and doing a great job” and insisted that the final season was “well thought out,” right down to the number of episodes – something fans also criticised.

Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 6

Bloys told the publication: “The guys have had a very, very specific plan in their head for a long time. This was not something that was kind of slapdash, where at the end of last season we said, ‘Eh, we only feel like doing six.’ They were very, very deliberate.”

Bloys did not comment on the petition created by fans to “rewrite the season with competent writers” but several cast members including Sophie Turner have slammed the response.

“All of these petitions and things like that — I think it’s disrespectful to the crew, and the writers, and the filmmakers who have worked tirelessly over 10 years, and for 11 months shooting the last season,” she told the New York Times.

“So many people worked so, so hard on it, and for people to just rubbish it because it’s not what they want to see is just disrespectful.”

Game of Thrones is available to watch now on Sky Go and NOW TV