The Top Shows of 2015, No. 16: Starz’ “Outlander,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones”

amp8220Thronesamp8221 plays out in an everexpanding fantasy world created by author George RR Martin with dozens of stories involving hundreds of characters all being inexorably drawn together in what promises to be the most epic confrontation ever produced on television But who can say for sure There are all kinds of questions in the wind because the narrative during the next season of amp8220Thronesamp8221 amp8211 the sixth amp8211 is going to move fully beyond the five novels in what Martin intends to be a sevenpart series because he has yet to complete the final two booksWill fervid fans of the franchise accept the television tale to come without the firsthand knowledge of the books to serve as a foundation Will the HBO series spoil whatever drama is to come in the last two novels Iamp8217ll bet it doesnamp8217t matter to most viewers since the majority have quite likely not read the books and care only about the television adaptation But itamp8217s an interesting position that all parties find themselves inFor now it seems that the only thing that really matters to fans of amp8220Thronesamp8221 is whether or not Jon Snow is alive and actor Kit Harrington pictured above is going to return to the show In many ways amp8220Thronesamp8221 seems to defy audience loyalty by continuing to kill off popular characters amp8211 especially the amp8220good guysamp8221 in the most violent of ways But itamp8217s working the audience for amp8220Thronesamp8221 was in its fifth season bigger and more vocal than ever and the industry finally chose to honor it with an Emmy Award for Outstanding Dramatic Series part of HBOamp8217s unprecedented Emmy sweep earlier this yearWhere amp8220Thronesamp8221 continues to widen the epic scope of its story sometimes leaving some of us confused or feeling that certain characters arenamp8217t as developed as we might like them to be amp8220Outlanderamp8221 accomplishes the opposite becoming ever more internal and intimate as its sweeping saga of time travel and forbidden loves continues to expandThe second half of this sometimes punishing romantic drama delivered shocks and surprises for those of us who are wholly unfamiliar with the novels but appreciate great television Itamp8217s impossible to go into detail without revealing ruinous spoilers but Catriona Balfe remained as quietly commanding and luminous as ever in her portrayal of Claire Randall a married World War II nurse inexplicably thrust back in time to 1743 Scotland and Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser the warrior with whom she falls in love Thatamp8217s the streamlined version there is a good deal more to their story Heughan impressively handled some of the most demanding scenes any actor was asked to play in any television series this year Their performances were as awardworthy as any other the same is true of Tobias Menzies in the dual role of Claireamp8217s amp8220present dayamp8221 husband Frank Randall and his evil 1743 double Captain Jonathan amp8220Black Jackamp8221 Randall Balfe and Heughan are pictured at top and aboveIt is no exaggeration to state that amp8220Outlanderamp8221 is as captivating and absorbing and sumptuously produced as any other highend series in this Second Golden Age of Television amp8211 or that its upcoming second season has fans eager with frenzied anticipationThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageMyersBizNet management or associated bloggersamp160

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The Top Shows of 2015, No. 16: Starz’ “Outlander,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones”

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Ed Martin

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The Top Shows of 2015, No. 16: Starz’ “Outlander,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones”

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