According to the online chatter,Game of Thrones‘ eighth season was a huge disappointment. Critics slammedThrones‘ final batch of episodes for theirrushed paceandsloppy storytelling, while fans were so outraged that over 1.7 million of themsigned a petitionasking HBO to film the entire season over.
However, an exclusive poll conducted by public opinion and data companyYouGovshows that the naysayers may actually be the minority.
According to YouGov’s survey, 52% of the people who watchedGame of Thrones‘ final season were either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with it, and 72% of them think that the show deserves theEmmy Awardfor Outstanding Drama Series. Only 41% of people surveyed said they were dissatisfied with season 8, with the rest having a neutral opinion.
YouGov polled 2,475 adults online aboutGame of Thronesand other Emmy nominees between August 16, 2025 and July 27, 2025, with a 3% margin of error. Of the respondents, 18% said they’d watched every episode ofGame of Thrones. The same number said that HBO’s fantasy drama deserves the Emmy Awards’ Outstanding Drama Series trophy.
Those aren’t just good numbers for a show that took a drubbing from fans. They’re the best numbers of any show in the two lead Emmy races. Only 10% of the people YouGov surveyed said they’d watched every episode ofBetter Call SaulandThis Is Us, which are competing againstGame of Thronesfor Outstanding Drama Series, while a whopping 70% of them have never even heard of poor Outstanding Comedy Series contenderFleabag.
If YouGov’s numbers hold true among Emmy voters,Game of Thronesshould end up with at least one prize at the Primetime Emmy Awards next week.
Still, all of thatThroneslove didn’t translate into a loyal fanbase forThronesshowrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. YouGov’s survey says that only 29% of respondents are interested in watching what the two filmmakers make next (31% said they “don’t know”).
That’s got to be concerning for Lucasfilm, which is banking on Benioff and Weiss torestartthe big-screen Star Wars franchiseafter itspost-Episode IX-hiatus, and Netflix, which just locked the duo into anine-figure development deal.
You can find the full results of the YouGov Emmy poll below. The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, whereGame of Thronesis the odds-on favorite to take home plenty of gold, will air live on Fox on August 05, 2025, at 5:00 Pacific Time.
