The massively popular HBO fantasy series is set to end after season eight, president of programming Casey Bloys confirmed. The show, however, may see a spin-off in the future.
Bloys told The Hollywood Reporter: “Yes, I think [the showrunners, D.B. Weiss and David Benioff] have a very specific plan about the number of seasons they want to do. If I could get them to do more, I would take 10 seasons but we want to take their lead with what they could do and what the best version of the show is.”
The spin-off, while potentially popular among fans, will only debut if it “makes sense creatively.”
Bloys added: “We’ve talked about it. It’s not something I’m opposed to but it has to make sense creatively. I’m not sure the guys can wrap their heads around it when they are about to start production. We’re open to it; the guys aren’t opposed to it but there’s no concrete plans right now.”
The series’ seventh season has been confirmed to consist of seven episodes as opposed to the typical 10-episode run. The episode number for season eight has not yet been confirmed, though producers are aiming for the series to end with roughly 75 in total.
Game of Thrones, which has received numerous Emmy nominations and accolades, is one of the most followed television shows of the last decade. Its sixth season received an average of 25 million in total viewers, making it the most-watched series on HBO.
Season seven is expected by summer 2017, with the series finale to air the following year.