To be fair, I enjoy “Game of Thrones” and have been happy to bear with it even when its appeal has seemed more actuarial or logistical than dramatic — during the long stretches of chessboard storytelling, when the writers seem mostly concerned with moving people around or keeping them apart. I’ve been an avid consumer of science fiction and, to a lesser extent, fantasy since childhood and share some affinities with those who see the show’s success as a validation — a succès de fantastique.

But the season premiere is a handy time to say, for the record, that the claims made in some quarters for “Game of Thrones” — including, ever more boldly, that it’s the best show on television — are overblown. Making the series a test case for the artistic validity of fantasy literature and film isn’t really necessary, or advisable, in the wake of greater achievements like Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” movies and the better entries in the “Harry Potter” series. A well-made and highly effective piece of popular genre entertainment shouldn’t be discounted, but it doesn’t need to be overrated either.

Both serialized television and sprawling fictional cycles can exert special holds, though, and their congruence here can go a long way toward explaining the fervor fans feel for “Game of Thrones,” where they see Mr. Martin’s nerdily meticulous fantasy world brought to life with respect and high production values.