In mid April, Variety reported that Game of Thrones' executive producers were considering ending the show earlier than expected, with only 13 more episodes in the final two seasons.

"I think we're down to our final 13 episodes after this season. We're heading into the final lap," David Benioff told Variety at the time. "That's the guess, though nothing is yet set in stone, but that's what we're looking at."

At the time, this seemed preposterous. Before Season Six kicked off, this show was nowhere near it's end. We still hadn't even seen Bran in two seasons. Jon Snow was maybe/probably not dead. There wasn't an ending in sight. Throughout the first six episodes of Season Six, free from the constraints of the books, showrunners have been strategically (and quickly, much to most fans' delight) guiding this show to a conclusion. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Jack Bender, who did a brilliant job directing the last two (and best two!) episodes of the season, just confirmed the show is shortening its typical 10 episode seasons to seven. When asked if he'd be returning next season, Bender told Vanity Fair:

I don't know the answer to that. They're only doing seven [episodes], and they've got their regulars who have done it forever. I know that I had a wonderful experience doing the show and I know that Dan and David are thrilled with the shows, but I've got this series I'm mounting for the beginning of 2017 based on Stephen King's trilogy of books, starting with Mr. Mercedes. Brendan Gleeson is playing the lead, which I'm thrilled about, Anton Yelchin, and I'm in the process of mounting that. I haven't been asked yet and I also don't know what their schedule is going to be. But under the best of circumstances, schedule and everything, I had a great experience doing the show. If available and they wanted me to, I would love to do that.

And, honestly, it's good to hear showrunners are aiming for brevity (something the Game of Thrones books are certainly not known for). Most great shows go on forever—too long, in fact. They drag on, and the quality begins to decline. Look at Lost (which Bender actually worked on) or The Simpsons, or The Office, or True Blood, etc., etc.

Matt Miller Culture Editor Matt is the Culture Editor at Esquire where he covers music, movies, books, and TV—with an emphasis on all things Star Wars, Marvel, and Game of Thrones.

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