To get this out of the way right from the start — Carnival Row is not "the next Game of Thrones." It was never going to be, and it never had any intentions of being so. Carnival Row is very much its own thing, and to get the full power of the Row, you've got to watch the full season. Trade in that broadsword for a fashionable bowler hat, if you please.

When people talk about "the next Game of Thrones" they probably aren't talking about the next gargantuan fantasy epic that is loosely based on the War of the Roses. What is more likely is that people are checking to see if this is going to be the next big thing in televised fantasy, a show that has the world talking and tweeting, whether or not those people care for swords and sorcery.

Carnival Row is an original tale created by Travis Beacham and Rene Echevarria, and it does its own Victorian-esque/steampunk/fairy-wing thing. Every time you try and classify the show so you can put it in a box, it will defy you. Don't try and label the Row, just enjoy it. Enjoy all of it, I should add.

You won't get all of the copious pleasures that the first season has to offer if you only watch an episode or two. To really get into this brand-new world (one not based on any pre-existing book), then you've got to be in it for the long haul. Eight episodes is not that long of a haul, either. Some may balk and say, "If you have to wait four or five eps for a show to get good, then forget it."

Well, so it goes, I guess? Last time I looked, Game of Thrones didn't storm out of the gate — it took at least nine episodes (and the lead character's head) to really get people to notice. Just in case some extraordinarily beautiful design and some of the most ridiculously fun names heard this side of Grindelwald aren't enough of a reason for you to get streaming, here are just eight reasons why you should stop worrying and learn to love the Row ... all of it.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the authors', and do not necessarily reflect those of SYFY WIRE, SYFY, or NBC Universal.