Game of Thrones: Quality Television and the Cultural Logic of Gentrification

Abstract

The success of the television adaptation of Game of Thrones marks a crucial transitional moment in the relationship between cult audiences and the global élite associated with ‘quality television’. By looking not only at the specific changes made to the novels as they were adapted for television, but also at the reception practices that have surrounded the series on fan forums and social media, this essay argues that the ‘mainstreaming’ of cult genres has troubling political implications. Increasingly, fan activity is in the process of being commodified by corporations that mobilize their most loyal consumers as brand-name ambassadors and online ‘influencers’.