Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season

Pay cable is always looking for the next buzz show—one that will get people talking, watching, and subscribing. HBO's Game of Thrones delivers, serving up an epic fantasy set in a medieval world of warring kingdoms, cutthroat royal families, barbarians, dragons, and some undefined evil kept at bay (at least until now) behind a massive wall taller than a skyscraper. Based on George R.R. Martin's ongoing fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire and faithfully adapted for TV with big-screen production values, Game of Thrones features a vast canvas of characters, stories, and landscapes, as dynasties plot their way to power through marriages, war, and political gamesmanship, and an exiled princess unites the barbarian hordes of a land across the water to take back her familial legacy. The casting is superb (especially Peter Dinklage in an Emmy-winning performance as Tyrion Lannister, the ruling clan's “black sheep”—a man with a fierce intelligence hidden under a clownish front), the production values are amazing, and the writing is intelligent and surprising, with major figures sacrificed to the ruthlessness of the story. Garnering 13 Emmy nominations (and winning two), the 10-episode 2011 debut season bows on DVD and Blu-ray with extras including select audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and character profiles, while the Blu-ray version adds exclusive bonuses such as an interactive guide and an in-depth episode anatomy. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (S. Axmaker)