As the premier of Game of Thrones’ final season looms, fans are feeling the tension of years of televised build up. The fantasy phenomenon first came to the screen in April of 2011, and it was a hit from the very start.

A Stark Start

Below are some nostalgic clippings from the months following the season 1 debut.

Game of Thrones review following the TV debut, 2011 Mon, Apr 25, 2011 – 32 · Calgary Herald (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) · Newspapers.com

Game of Thrones rave review, 2011 Fri, Apr 15, 2011 – G24 · The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) · Newspapers.com

Arya learning to fight, photo from 2011 review of the Game of Thrones TV debut Fri, Apr 15, 2011 – G24 · The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) · Newspapers.com

Review of Game of Thrones series debut, 2011 Sat, Apr 16, 2011 – D4 · Leader-Telegram (Eau Claire, Wisconsin) · Newspapers.com

Peter Dinklage, season 1 of Game of Thrones, 2011 Sat, Jun 18, 2011 – G4 · The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) · Newspapers.com

Eight years later, the clipping below is starting to feel like a game of bingo that’s still ongoing.

Who’s who in ‘Game of Thrones’? April 2011 Wed, Apr 13, 2011 – Page 33 · Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com

One Book Began it All

Of course, the show wouldn’t exist without G.R.R. Martin’s books. The sprawling (as-yet unfinished) series first began nearly 23 years ago with A Game of Thrones, released in 1996. And the story was just as popular in print as it has now become on screen.

A Game of Thrones – 1996 review of series debut Sun, Nov 24, 1996 – 58 · Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) · Newspapers.com

Are you tuning in this weekend, or do you prefer the books? Find more on the decades-long journey of this popular story with a search on Newspapers.com.

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