HBO Reveals How Long the Final Game of Thrones Episodes Will Be

CBR

By Narayan Liu

Published Mar 11, 2019

Ahead of the final season of Game of Thrones, HBO has revealed the surprising number of super-size episodes the show will end with.

Thanks to the release of HBO's spring schedule, we finally have an idea of how long the final six episodes of Game of Thrones will be. While we still don't have any titles or synopses for the final season's episodes, they might not as long as some fans were hoping.

Contrary to several persistent rumors, only four of the episodes will be longer than the show's standard 60-minute run time. The first two Season 8 episodes will be roughly an hour long, about as long as the majority of past episodes in the series. The final four episodes will each clock in at around 80 minutes in length, which is long enough to qualify them as feature-length films.

The season's first episode will be 54 minutes long and premiere on April 14. The season's second episode will clock in at 58 minutes and premiere on April 21, and the next episode will be 82 minutes and debut on April 28. The season's fourth episode will be 78 minutes long and debut on May 12. The final two episodes of the series will be 80 minutes long and premiere on May 12 and May 19, respectively.

The season will be shorter than the show's last seven which might seem surprising, considering the expectations long-time fans have for it. Within the span of roughly 420 minutes, the season has to bring an end to the war for the Iron Throne, and it has to conclude the threat of the Night King and his army of undead while delivering on promises made over the course of the series and tying up any loose ends.

Whatever doubts or worries fans might have, the cast members themselves have offered assurances that the Season 8 will be every bit as emotional as audiences would expect it to be. Emilia Clarke, for example, recently described the final season as "epic," and if the reports of a battle that dwarfs the Battle of the Bastards are true, that isn't difficult to believe.

Season 8 of Game of Thrones, the show’s final season, will premiere April 14. It will feature six episodes with longer than usual runtimes. The HBO drama stars Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister, Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Maisie Williams as Arya Stark and Kit Harington as Jon Snow.

(via ComicBookMovie)

Update: The following article has been updated the runtime for episode 3, which was later confirmed (via IndieWire) to be longer than previously indicated.