Game Of Thrones Has Defeated The Sopranos, Officially Becoming The Most Watched Show In HBO History! And We Know Why!

Game Of Thrones has officially won the game of ratings.
The ongoing fantasy epic has finally bested The Sopranos to become the most-watched show is HBO history!
This season has averaged 18.4 million viewers per episode, edging out the 18.2 million of The Sopranos‘ best-rated season, a feat made even more impressive by the sheer amount of options out there on Sunday nights.
We mean, The Sopranos didn’t have to compete with Mad Men!
So how did GoT take down the reigning mob family? By being superior in three big ways:

Violence:
The Sopranos was famous for killing characters at a time when TV just didn’t do that. It was probably a big component of the “It’s not TV, it’s HBO” motto.
But GoT brought that to a whole other level! Not only do they kill fan favorites left and right, they do it unexpectedly and with unprecedented brutality!
It’s just so much more visceral seeing your beloved characters beheaded, impaled, and crushed than just being shot with a gun.
When it comes to violence, Tyrion has taken Tony Soprano’s head and squished it like a melon!

Sex:
Most of The Sopranos‘ T&A came from the dancers at the Bada Bing, whereas GoT gives us gratuitous nudity both through brothels AND the sexual escapades of main characters.
Not only does GoT give us higher quantity, they also give more variety. We’ve seen whore, slaves, even queens naked- and more importantly we’ve seen peen. And lots of it!
For our premium dollar, the more nudity the better! When it’s artistically important to the story that is. Or not. Whatever, show us boobs and peen!

Fans:
Frankly, the biggest edge GoT has is its fan base.
Sopranos fans didn’t love their show any less, but it was a different time. The Internet was still in its preadolescence. Back then when they talked about water cooler moments, they actually had to BE at a water cooler!
And if you had asked them to make a GIF, you would probably get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!
But with the Internet, fans around the world can share their love of the show- and keep talking about it throughout the long winter hiatus.
No wonder it’s the most watched of all time!
[Image via HBO.]