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Game of Throneshas been a very influential show in mainstream television. There was one thing that the Sean Bean starrer did well, and that was manage audience expectations (at least initially). With the killing of Ned Stark,Game of Thronesopened up a new trope in mainstream media, where shows decided to set a precedent about the fate of their characters by killing off high profile characters who play central parts.
Something similar has been seen in Taylor Sheridan’sLandman, which echoes this trope in its first season. However, this has not been necessarily as well received by the public, which was not the case inGame of Thrones. WhileGame of Throneswas a trendsetter, this has become a cheap trick in shows likeLandman, which just use major character deaths to set the stakes, instead of it having narrative precedence.
‘Kill the star in the beginning to show stakes’ is becoming a troublesome trend in Hollywood
Fans on the internet have seen a troubling trend emerge in prestige television in the wake ofGame of Thrones. Usually, the shows would take up a high-profile actor as a part of its cast, following which the character that the actor would be playing is killed by the narrative to set up stakes in the show or the film’s story.
This might not necessarily be a narrative need, but it causes the show to have its ‘shock moments’ to keep audiences engaged. It rests on the fact that a high profile actor would usually stick around in the show, so when they are killed off, audiences are caught off guard.
However, fans have caught up to this and have decided to call it out on multiple platforms, especiallyReddit.
There is also another issue that is married to the death of characters played by high-profile actors in prestige shows likeLandman. In this case, Michael Peña found his character offed in the first episode of the show, despite being a high-profile actor who would have attracted a few audience members to it.
Shows, and films that feature high-profile actors often end up marketing their shows with the help of the face value that these artists have, only to kill them off early to set up stakes. This causes fans to feel betrayed, which leads to a lot of issues when it comes to the viewership of the show.
What made Ned Stark’s death so impactful inGame of Thrones?
Game of Thronesset the precedent when it came to killing off characters that fans thought were safe.Sean Bean‘s Ned Stark was very much introduced as a protagonist in the show, and when the character was killed off, fans had a lot of things to say about how the show is willing to keep audiences on their toes. The reason that this worked was because of multiple reasons.
“His death was more shocking than that of Ned Stark”: Game of Thrones Fans Absolutely Hated to See the Downfall of the Promising Richard Madden’s Robb Stark After His Romance With Talisa Maegyr
The death of Ned Stark made narrative sense, with no character having to act against their own motivations or out of character to have it come about. Ned Stark’s death set the tone for the show, which was carried forward regardless of what fans expected. While this was thrown out in later seasons, it was fun while the framework lasted.
Landmancan be streamed on Paramount+.
Anuraag Chatterjee
Content Writer
Articles Published :1633
Anuraag Chatterjee, Web Content WriterWith a passion for writing fiction and non fiction content, Anuraag is a Media Science graduate with 2 year’s experience with Marketing and Content, with 3 published poetry anthologies. Anuraag holds a Bacherlor’s degree in Arts with a focus on Communication and Media Studies.
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LandmanSean BeanTaylor Sheridan
