George R.R. Martin loves television as much as he loves literature. The author is best known for his A Song of Ice and Fire book series, but he spent a great part of his early adult career writing for the small screen, a career path he still embraces whenever he has the time. Apart from penning a few critically acclaimed episodes of Game of Thrones, Martin wrote for other popular shows, including The Hitchhiker, Beauty and the Beast, and The Twilight Zone.
As someone who has worked extensively on television sets, Martin understands the key things that make a great show. Via a series of blog posts on his website GeorgerrMartin.com, the author has praised various shows, explaining why he finds them interesting. While many would expect Martin to be biased towards the fantasy genre, he appears to enjoy a wide range of genres. After all, he has dealt with enough magic and dragons. A little variety is welcome.
Here are the TV shows George R.R. Martin Recommends
‘The Sandman’ (2022 – 2025)
Based on DC lore, The Sandman pulls us into the adventures of Morpheus (Tom Sturridge), aka Dream, the personification of dreams and nightmares. A privileged yet unlucky character, he is one of the seven cosmic beings dubbed the Endless (Dream, Delirium, Death, Desire, Destiny, Despair, and Destruction). The show covers his exploits after he frees himself from 106 years of captivity, having been trapped via an occult ritual in the early 1900s.
Neil Gaiman Doesn’t Disappoint
A longtime admirer of Neil Gaiman’s work, Martin had waited patiently for The Sandman, and it didn’t disappoint. He describes the show as imaginative, dark, and visually pleasing, noting that it was “faithful where it needed to be, deviating where it needed to deviate,” adding, “If you loved the comics, you will love the show, and if you never read the comics, you will love the show too.” Indeed, the VFX is marvelous. New viewers are also likely to enjoy the performance of Tom Sturridge, who expertly injects humanity into his supernatural character.
‘The Queen’s Gambit’ (2020)
The Queen’s Gambit plucks its plot from Walter Tevis’s critically acclaimed novel. We are introduced to Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), an orphaned chess prodigy in the 1960s, and watch her as she rises to become a chess champion. Her interest in the game is sparked when a janitor at her orphanage informs her about it. But her chances at success might just be threatened by doubt and an addiction to tranquilizers.
Chess In its Purest Form
Anya Taylor-Joy allows the unruly and bold life in her young character to burst right through the meek exterior. She’s the show’s soul, but everyone is terrific. George R.R. Martin likes it more for the attention to detail, stating that even though the show is a “fine series in all respects,” he was “especially impressed that the producers and directors got the chess right.” The author declares that most of the chess games we’ve seen in movies tend to have inaccurate moves, so it was good to watch something that captured everything well. The miniseries ultimately won 11 Emmys and is credited with boosting public interest in chess.
‘The Terror’ (2018 – 2019)
Inspired by real historical events, The Terror is an anthology horror show that covers a fresh, eerie tale each season. The first chapter is about the doomed 1845 Franklin Expedition, where crew members are tormented by both starvation and a supernatural predator. The second chapter takes us to a World War II camp where people are haunted by a vengeful spirit.
The Best of Period Horror
Isolation, trauma, and survival are the recurring themes in The Terror. The show wows with how it disrupts the peace of its characters. You’ll marvel as incoherent shouts, laughter, and snatches of song are brutally put to a halt as the forces of horror rush headlong towards the characters. Martin specifically loves the first season, describing it as “brilliant” and “a masterpiece of historical horror.” He notes that “the setting was a character in itself, the cast was phenomenal, and the sense of dread was palpable from the first frame to the last.”
‘The Gilded Age’ (2022 – Present)
The wildly talented Louisa Jacobson stars in The Gilded Age as Marian Brook, a young woman caught in a late 1800s conflict between the nouveau riche Russell family (who made their fortune through industrialism) and her old-money van Rhijn-Brook family. The two feuding families are neighbors across 61st Street near Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side of New York.
Game of Influence
Mention the name Julian Fellowes and most people immediately bring to mind the writer and producer’s energetic, highly entertaining period drama, Downton Abbey. But there is this newer piece of awesomeness, too, which Martin feels is just as good. “Julian Fellowes has done it again,” writes the author on his blog, adding that this is “a sumptuous, splendid, and wonderfully acted series… a fascinating look at a pivotal time in American history, with all the upstairs/downstairs drama that Julian does so well.” It’s beautiful to watch as the Rhijn-Brooks, inwardly resentful of the Russels’ unchecked ambition and seemingly cloying “goody two-shoes” personalities, work hard to undermine them, while exhorting other high society members to challenge their legitimacy.
‘The Boys’ (2019 – Present)
Based on the comic series of the same name by Dynamite Entertainment, The Boys centers on the eponymous team of vigilantes as they face off against superpowered individuals who abuse their special abilities for personal gain. Known as “Supes,” the ‘superheroes’ are managed by a powerful company known as Vought International, which influences public perception and ensures that everyone views the villainous characters as heroes.
A Different Approach to a Popular Genre
“The Boys is a brilliant, brutal, and hilarious deconstruction of the whole superhero mythos…. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s one of the most original and exciting shows on television,” writes George R.R. Martin. Indeed, the Prime Video show has acquired something of a cult following, despite the fact that it is quite gory. Anyone who watches has no choice but to keep doing so, given the impressive characterization. The Boys know that the Supers are infantile and savage and that they can’t control them, so they alternate between derring-do actions and coursing back and forth between rage and frustration.
‘The Last of Us’ (2023 – Present)
Melancholy is the mood in The Last of Us. Events kick off in the early 2000s when a mass infection stemming from mutated Cordyceps fungi sparks a worldwide pandemic and causes people to morph into zombie-like creatures. Twenty years later, society has collapsed, and the protagonist, Joel (Pedro Pascal), lives in a Boston quarantine zone (QZ) managed by the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA). Now working as a smuggler, he faces fresh dangers.
A Masterpiece From PlayStation Productions
Based on the game of the same name, The Last of Us stays addictive, balancing drama, action, and lyrical social commentary. The pilot’s opening sequence (Joel’s struggle to save his daughter), a scene as tense and mindblowing on repeated viewings as it is the first time around, is the show’s unforgettable pièce de résistance, but you’ll enjoy many other sequences, while also appreciating the performances. “The writing is superb, the acting is superb… Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are perfect,” admits George R.R. Martin, declaring that “It’s the best video game adaptation ever made, by a wide margin, and one of the best television shows right now.”
‘The Expanse’ (2015 – 2022)
In The Expanse‘s fictional universe, humans have colonized the Solar System, and the three superpowers are now the United Nations of Earth, the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA), and the Martian Congressional Republic on Mars. Political tension is brewing between these three governing bodies, and the situation gets even thicker when ice hauler officer James Holden (Steven Strait) uncovers a deadly conspiracy.
As Detailed as Sci-Fi Shows Get
Looking for a show full of hard science concepts? This is a good bet. Looking for a show full of great action sequences? This is also a good bet. Visually, the award-winning sci-fi show also remains unmatched. “The first season of The Expanse was the best science fiction show on television in a decade… maybe the best since the original Battlestar Galactica… and the second season is even better,” declares the author of A Song of Ice and Fire.” For anyone in doubt, Martin convinces you further, explaining that “It’s a terrific show, with a great cast, and it looks fabulous.” He even names it the best space epic since the original Star Wars. Quite an endorsement.
‘The Witcher’ (2019 – Present)
No surprise that George R.R. Martin appreciates the show once labeled “the next Game of Thrones.” Born out of a fantasy world crafted by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher follows Geralt of Rivia (portrayed by Henry Cavill and later Liam Hemsworth), a famed monster hunter, as he slays beasts. Part of his goal involves protecting a crown princess from nefarious figures seeking to exploit her political and spiritual gain.
Best Monster-of-the-Week Fantasy Show
Like Game of Thrones, The Witcher is beautifully filmed and offers farcical glimpses into the infinite variations on the common yet complex mess we call power. All the actors are excellent, though most fans would have preferred if Henry Cavill never left. Martin agrees, saying that “Henry Cavill is great as Geralt of Rivia.” He adds: “The world-building is solid, and the ‘monster of the week’ format mixed with the larger arcs works well.”
‘Andor’ (2022 – 2025)
Set before the events of Rogue One, Andor is about the adventures of thief-turned-spy Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). As the tyrannical Galactic Empire pumps up its oppressive practices, Andor finds himself deeper in the Rebellion faction. We thus see how he becomes radicalized against the Empire and how the wider Rebel Alliance takes shape.
More Star Talks than ‘Star Wars’
More grounded and character-driven than other shows in the franchise, Andor walks the same line as many espionage dramas. We get spaced-out action sequences, but the main goal is to make fans understand everything better. Martin gave it the crown, stating that it is “far and away the best of the Star Wars spinoffs.” He goes deeper, writing: “It looked gorgeous, Diego Luna was first-rate, and there was a realism and tension to the story that was sadly lacking in most of the other spinoffs.
‘Murderbot’ (2025)
Based on All Systems Red, the first book in The Murderbot Diaries book series by Martha Wells, Murderbot stars Alexander Skarsgård as a private security construct (made from cloned human tissue and mechanical parts) that has circumvented its subservience protocols and found its own identity. It enjoys binge-watching soap operas, and as it’s given different tasks, it struggles to conceal its autonomy.
A Perfect Show for the AI Age
“The Murderbot stories are always a lot of fun, and the TV show did them justice,” says the author, while also admitting that he was looking forward to another season. It’s fun watching the bot in action, and as he crosses some serious boundaries, it’s easy to predict that the placid lives of those around him will never be the same. Alexander Skarsgård shines in the lead role more than he did in True Blood and Succession. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to ask why he never received any major award recognitions. Like George R.R. Martin, you’ll definitely be left yearning for Season 2.