It was a cliffhanger unparalleled since "who shot JR?" but 10 months of agony are finally over Sunday as "Game of Thrones" returns to reveal the fate of Jon Snow.
The record-breaking fantasy serial ended its fifth season in June last year with the character stabbed and left for dead by mutinous followers, sparking intense debate about whether he really had met his end.
With more than 20 million Americans glued to each episode, the show's return has been touted as the biggest TV drama event since JR Ewing, the infamous antagonist in prime-time soap opera "Dallas," was gunned down in 1980.
READ: 'Game of Thrones': 5 big questions for Season 6
HBO's first full season six trailer released in early March opened and closed with what appeared to be a lifeless Snow where viewers left him, his body lying prone in a puddle of his own blood.
"He's gone," the knight Davos Seaworth opined ominously, to the backdrop of a plaintive cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game."
The 100-second sneak peek at season six promised more of what viewers have come to expect from the fictional world of Westeros – sex, violence and intense storylines for which the show has garnered widespread acclaim.
"Game of Thrones" tells the story of noble families vying for control of the Iron Throne, all the while keeping one eye on the "White Walkers" leading hordes of the undead toward an invasion from the North.
Nashville-based entertainment industry analyst Shawn Robbins described the show as part of a "new golden age of television" drawing global audiences to social media to debate its plotlines.
"There's something very attractive to today's audiences about developing connections to these stories and sharing the experience with other people," he told AFP.
Complex mathematics
"Game of Thrones, and the recent 'Walking Dead' season finale, have been great examples of how cliffhangers and the dangling fates of beloved characters capture a zeitgeist and elevate their already high 'event' statuses."
While many viewers of AMC's "The Walking Dead" may have spoiled the next series by reading the comic, season six of "Game of Thrones" moves past George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels for the first time.
Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have kept their cards close to their chest but told Variety magazine that the first season with no source material to rely on was the "strongest year of the show to date."
Benioff said production "became a real endurance test for everyone on the crew," with filming taking place in five countries, at times using up to four crews at the same time.
The pair have killed off rumors of a possible spin-off, announcing that they would soon use up all their ideas and were considering following the sixth season with 13 final episodes split between two shorter runs.
"Whatever happens to Jon in 'Game of Thrones: Season 6', it appears from all the trailers and officially released photos that this will be the most exciting and potentially violent season yet," wrote David Harris, of the "Winter Is Coming" fan blog.
Such has been the clamor for insights into the fate of the show's favorite characters that fans have resorted to complex mathematics in an attempt to work out where the plot will go.
A computer science class at the Technical University of Munich in Germany has scoured "Game of Thrones" data to find who will die next using an array of machine learning algorithms.
Obama's sneak preview
One algorithm, which accurately predicted 74 percent of character deaths in the show and books, has several surprises in store, the university said in a statement, placing a number of characters thought to be relatively safe in grave danger.
The season six opener, entitled "The Red Woman", premieres on HBO at 9:00pm ET on Sunday (0100 GMT on Monday).
Three US cities – Atlanta, Boston and Denver – have theatre screenings planned at the same time, while the ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas, is also screening the opener.
Outside of those involved in the production and accredited media, the only American who got a chance to see the show early was President Barack Obama, according to Benioff and Weiss.
"I think for both of us, finding out the president wanted advance copies of the episodes – that was an 'Aha!' moment," said Weiss, giving the game away at a recent preview screening.
AFP
Fri Apr 22 2016
Actor Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow in 'Game of Thrones', arrives at the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, on Jan 30, 2016. - AFP Photo
Kadar penerimagunaan 5G hampir 36 peratus, liputan 80.3 peratus - Fahmi
Kadar penerimagunaan 5G di negara ini telah mencecah hampir 36 peratus setakat pertengahan bulan ini, manakala kadar liputan perkhidmatan itu telah mencapai 80.3 peratus pada Februari lepas.
Kontroversi UM: Mahasiswa tuntut penjelasan atau boikot kuliah
Sekumpulan mahasiswa Universiti Malaya yang berang dengan tindakan Institut Pengajian China, Universiti Malaya (UM) menjemput individu pro-Zionis, akhirnya turun berdemonstrasi bagi menyuarakan bantahan dan akan memboikot kuliah pengajian jika tiada reaksi dari pihak pentadbiran UM.
Lima anggota polis disyaki samun berdepan tindakan dalaman
Lima anggota polis antara tujuh individu yang ditahan kerana disyaki terbabit dalam kes samun warga asing membabitkan wang tunai berjumlah RM260,000, berdepan tindakan dalaman antaranya pertukaran jabatan.
JKDM beli 20 anjing pengesan dadah libat kos RM1.9 juta
JKDM dalam proses perolehan 20 ekor anjing pengesan dadah serta tiga unit mesin pengimbas 'backscatter' dalam usaha perangi dadah.
Sultan Selangor berangkat ke majlis bacaan yasin, tahlil di Pangkalan TLDM
Sultan Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah yang juga Kepten Yang Dipertua Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) berkenan berangkat ke Pangkalan TLDM Lumut.
MOT, Khazanah, MAG perlu perkukuh tadbir urus MAB - PM Anwar
Jelas Anwar lagi, pengurusan syarikat penerbangan yang baik juga akan memberi manfaat kepada kakitangan melalui gaji yang setimpal dengan perkhidmatan mereka.
Kontroversi UM: Mahasiswa protes, tuntut tindakan tegas pihak jemput profesor pro-Israel
Sekumpulan mahasiswa Universiti Malaya (UM) hari ini mengadakan perhimpunan membantah tindakan menjemput penceramah pro-Zionis memberi ceramah di institusi itu baru-baru ini.
[INFOGRAFIK] Penstrukturan Semula Akaun KWSP | Berkuatkuasa 11 Mei 2024
Berikut adalah info berkenaan dengan Penstrukturan Semula Akaun KWSP.
Sekatan terhadap penceramah asing pro-Zionis demi keselamatan negara - Zambry
Sekatan terhadap penceramah asing pro-Zionis perlu dilihat dari aspek keselamatan dan imej negara yang boleh terjejas akibat kenyataan mereka.
Kekejaman zionis: Universiti Columbia ilhamkan gelombang protes nasional
Protes di Universiti Columbia membantah perang Israel di Gaza telah mencetuskan gelombang demonstrasi serupa di kampus kolej seluruh Amerika Syarikat.
'Squid Game' ungguli carta teratas Netflix untuk hari ke-47
Siri sensasi Korea Selatan "Squid Game" kembali ke kedudukan No. 1 carta rancangan TV Netflix paling popular untuk tempoh paling lama, lapor Agensi Berita Yonhap.
Pelakon 'Game of Thrones' cipta rekod angkat beban 501 kg
Bjornsson berjaya memecahkan rekod 500 kilogram yang sebelum ini dipegang oleh warga Britain, Eddie Hall yang pada tahun 2016.
Game of Thrones, Fleabag ungguli kemenangan di Anugerah Emmy
Anugerah Emmy yang ke-71 menyaksikan kemenangan besar buat dua drama siri Game of Thrones dan Fleabag
Game of Thrones cipta rekod, terima 32 pencalonan Anugerah Emmy
GoT sudah memegang rekod sebagai siri yang paling banyak memenangi trofi Emmy, dengan 42 kemenangan.
Impak Game of Thrones berakhir, 'Jon Snow' jalani rehabilitasi kerana masalah peribadi
Pelakon Game of Thrones, Kit Harington masuk pusat rehabilitasi berikutan penggambaran terakhir siri tersebut disebabkan 'masalah peribadi'.
"Berakhir sudah pengawasan kami" - Kata penghargaan pelakon Game of Thrones
Episod terakhir Game of Thrones ditayangkan hari ini lalu mengakhiri lapan musim siri televisyen fantasi itu.
Game of Thrones: "Bila Ratu Naga mengamuk, terbakar seluruh alam"
Selepas hampir sembilan tahun, siri fantasi Game Of Thrones (GoT) bakal menemui penghujungnya pada minggu hadapan, 20 Mei 2019 jam 9 pagi.
Joe Jonas dan Sophie Turner kahwin ekspres guna cincin gula-gula
Penyanyi Joe Jonas selamat mendirikan rumah tangga bersama pelakon drama bersiri 'Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner.
Perhatian peminat Game of Thrones! Ini tarikh musim kelapan bermula
Musim kelapan dan terakhir siri Game of Thrones akan ditayangkan bermula 15 April ini jam 9 pagi.
'Game of Thrones' satukan cinta Kit Harington dan Rose Leslie
Kit Harington dan Rose Leslie secara rasminya telah berkahwin pada Sabtu lalu di sebuah gereja di Aberdeen, Scotland.