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HBO executives will review the episode before
deciding whether to make a full season but Casey Bloys,
president of programming at the network owned by AT&T Inc,
appeared upbeat about what he had seen so far.
"It looks really good. The cast was amazing," Bloys said in
response to questions at a Television Critics Association event
where networks preview upcoming shows.
With "Game of Thrones" concluding its eight-season run in May,
many fans are eager to return to the fictional world of Westeros
created by author George R.R. Martin.
The series was a cornerstone of HBO's primetime offerings, but
its final season was divisive, with both fans and critics
finding specific plot twists, particularly the handling of one
primary character, troubling. Nearly 1.7 million people signed
an online petition calling for a rewrite of the final season.
Despite the uproar, "Game of Thrones" led this year's Emmy
contenders with 32 nominations.
Bloys said the backlash did not change the network's approach to
the prequel, which stars Naomi Watts and is set thousands of
years before the events of "Game of Thrones."
The petition showed "a lot of enthusiasm and passion for the
show," Bloys said, but "wasn't something we seriously
considered."
"There are very, very few downsides to having a hugely popular
show," Bloys said. "One I can think of is when you try to end
it, many people have opinions on how it should end ... I think
it just comes with the territory."
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine)
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