Winter is here: 4 series that are just like Game of Thrones

***Update: The entire boxset of Game of Thrones S1 to S8 is now available to binge-watch on Showmax.***

For those of you who are still behind on the news, we are sending a raven. HBO has greenlit a pilot for a Game of Thrones prequel series from Kingsman writer Jane Goldman and George RR Martin, who’s reassured fans that this prequel won’t delay his next book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series (on which GoT is based). According to Littlefinger’s little birds (actually Entertainment Weekly, but let the dead man have this), this spin-off takes place thousands of years before the events in Game of Thrones. Here is a little breakdown released by HBO:

“The series chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. And only one thing is for sure: From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’ history to the true origin of the white walkers, the mysteries of the East, to the Starks of legend … it’s not the story we think we know.”

Dramatic pause as we let this sink in … but before you break into a celebratory ballet twirl, this spin-off will only air after the final season of Game of Thrones (S8) in 2019. Take heart, while we wait for both, here are other series on Showmax that are similar to Game of Thrones to keep you warm and entertained during this cold season.

Here is a little reminder before you dive in, you can still stream Game of Thrones S1-7 on Showmax.

1. True Blood

Partly horror, partly fantasy, True Blood has the unashamed boldness and bloodthirst that Game of Thrones is known for. But unlike the fight for the control of the Iron Throne, here vampires and humans are caught in a never-ending struggle for survival and a show of might as they attempt to live together “amicably”. Other than Anna Paquin, who won hearts by portraying the charmingly naive mind-reader Sookie Stackhouse, True Blood also gave us the tall hunk that is Alexander Skarsgard as Eric Northman.

True Blood S1-7 is available to stream on Showmax.

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See Skarsgaad as Perry Wright in the addictive mystery drama Big Little Lies, also streaming on Showmax.

2. Westworld

Take the antics of the cruel boy king Joffrey Baratheon and those of the gleeful psychopath that is Ramsay Bolton and you basically have two pleasure-seeking sadists who would fit right into Westworld’s futuristic theme park. Westworld offers its elite visitors a chance to live out their wildest fantasies, no matter how dangerous or disturbing, without any consequences whatsoever.

Stream Westworld S1 on Showmax and see what happens when man and robot coexist in a sadistic world where men are willing to do anything to satisfy their  innermost desires.

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3. Black Sails

Like Game of Thrones, Black Sails does not sugarcoat its violence and filth as it takes you through the brutal high seas piracy of the 18th Century. Stakes are always higher as Captain Flint and his crew fight for survival of their own home after it is threatened by the British Empire, while also facing backstabbing from their own people. Filmed in South Africa, Black Sails has garnered immense praise as the show that could go head to head with Game of Thrones.

Welcome to the cut-throat world of piracy, Black Sails S1-2 is available to stream on Showmax.

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For another fix of royal drama and scheming, the British drama Victoria is also streaming on Showmax.

4. Boardwalk Empire

Do you miss Littlefinger and his maneuvering and double-dealings in the dark “power corridors” of Westeros? Well, meet his Boardwalk Empire alter ego Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi), the treasurer in Atlantic City during Prohibition in the 1920s, who is really the man pulling all the strings in the politics of the town. On the side he is also the gangster you do not want to cross. For this role, Buscemi won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in Dramatic Series.

Boardwalk Empire S1 – 5 is available to stream on Showmax.

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You can also find Buscemi as criminal Carl Showalter in the Coen Brothers’ classic Fargo, also streaming on Showmax.

And… two bonus titles that are similar to Game of Thrones

Rome: In this historical drama, the lives of two common soldiers unfold against the backdrop of major historical moments in the Roman Empire from assassinations and power struggles to great wars. Watch now »

Vikings: Perhaps more aggressively compared to Game of Thrones than the others on this list, Vikings tells the story of Ragnar Lothbrok, an ambitious warrior who rises to greatness by challenging his dictatorial chieftain and triumphantly plundering and conquering the world to become king. Watch now »

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