In 2011 Game of Thrones premiered and took the world by storm, quickly rising to the top of the fantasy genre. Its popularity amongst not only fantasy fans, but fans of any genre was astounding. This began a cycle where anything even remotely similar to Game of Thrones in scale, tone or story was instantly compared to the HBO juggernaut. So let’s explore the shows that have been hindered by the phrase “the next Game of Thrones” and highlight how truly incredible they are in their own right.