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Lili Reinhart dragged the ‘Game of Thrones’ petition, sparking debate about TV and ‘fan service’

'This is not how television works.'

 

Eilish O'Sullivan

Streaming

Posted on May 18, 2019   Updated on May 20, 2021, 12:22 pm CDT

This post contains spoilers.

Game of Thrones fans are unhappy with the way season 8 is unraveling, so unhappy that they created a petition just to have it remade. Actress Lili Reinhart has spoken out against that petition.

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“This is not how television works … TV shows are not fan service,” Reinhart wrote on Instagram. “It’s ridiculous of people to think they can demand creative change from artists.”

But viewers fired back at Reinhart’s comment.

“TV is fan service,” one person wrote in response. “The only way a show is successful is by the fans, by the people who watch the show.”

Others commented on Reinhart’s own show, Riverdale, by stating that it was the epitome of “fan service.”

“Riverdale has so much fan service!” another wrote. “Like characters using names that fans gave them… bughead, choni… that’s fan service.”

Reinhart is not the only celebrity to speak out against the petition. Stephen King recently wrote on Twitter that he thinks people are just upset that the series is coming to an end.

After episode 4, “The Last of the Starks,” aired on HBO, a viewer created a petition to have the whole season remade calling the showrunners “incompetent writers” due to not having the books to “fall back on.” The last two books in the series haven’t been written yet.

The petition has been signed by nearly 1 million people.

“I don’t think people can reasonably expect HBO to completely remake the season or any part of this particular series … I think most signers understand that,” the petition’s creator, Dylan D., wrote before quoting Heath Ledger’s character, the Joker. “’It’s not about the money, it’s about sending a message.’”

The season and the last two episodes, in particular, have been met with distaste from fans and critics alike. From the showrunners killing off one of the series’ only Black characters to turning Daenerys Targaryen into a mad queen and then offing one of the world’s most complex villains with a pile of bricks, viewers are unhappy.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the final season pales in comparison to its former seasons with a 71%. The last two episodes stand at a 57% and 41%, respectively–the lowest of any Game of Thrones episode ever.

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H/T BuzzFeed

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*First Published: May 18, 2019, 9:42 am CDT