No, this is not an April Fool’s joke. According to Variety’s Stuart Levine, HBO has set the premiere date for the second season of Game of Thrones as April 1st, 2012! This date matches an earlier rumor that we had heard. Here is the Variety article:
HBO has set April 1 as the date for the 10-episode second-season premiere of ”Game of Thrones.”
Fantasy drama was a huge ratings winner for the pay cabler in its debut last year, as well as a massive profit center for the net since HBO produces the series as well. In addition to be a domestic hit, ”Thrones” drew millions of viewers around the world.
Winter Is Coming: We will update this post once we get official word from HBO, but I’d say it is safe to circle this date on your calendars. Season two is coming!
UPDATE: HBO has made it officially official with a press release. April 1st it is! The full press release is after the break…
HBO CONFIRMS DEBUT DATES FOR HBO FILMS’ GAME CHANGE, RETURNING SERIES GAME OF THRONES AND NEW SERIES GIRLS AND VEEP
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 13, 2012 – HBO has confirmed the debut dates for HBO Films’ GAME CHANGE, the returning series GAME OF THRONES and the new series GIRLS and VEEP.
GAME CHANGE debuts SATURDAY, MARCH 10 (9:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT). Starring Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson and Ed Harris, this HBO Films presentation follows John McCain’s (Harris) 2008 presidential campaign, from his selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (Moore) as his running mate to their ultimate defeat in the general election. Harrelson portrays Steve Schmidt, McCain’s senior campaign strategist. Based on the bestselling book of the same name by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, the film is directed by Jay Roach and written by Danny Strong , whose previous collaboration was HBO’s Emmy®-winning “Recount.” A Playtone Production in association with Everyman Pictures; executive producers, Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Jay Roach.
GAME OF THRONES kicks off its ten-episode second season SUNDAY, APRIL 1 (9:00-10:00 p.m.). Based on the popular book series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” by George R.R. Martin, this hit Emmy®-winning fantasy series chronicles an epic struggle for power in a vast and violent fantasy kingdom. Among the returning members of the ensemble cast are Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Emmy® winner Peter Dinklage, Michelle Fairley, Lena Headey and Kit Harington. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss executive produce.
The new comedy series GIRLS launches its ten-episode season SUNDAY, APRIL 15 (10:30-11:00 p.m.). Created by and starring Lena Dunham (“Tiny Furniture”), the show looks at the assorted humiliations and rare triumphs of a group of girls in their early 20s. Dunham executive produces along with Judd Apatow and Jenni Konner. The cast also includes Jemima Kirke, Allison Williams, Zosia Mamet and Adam Driver.
The new comedy series VEEP begins its eight-episode season SUNDAY, APRIL 22 (10:00-10:30 p.m.). Created by Armando Iannucci (Oscar® nominee for co-writing “In the Loop”), the show stars Emmy® winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus as former Senator Selina Meyer, who becomes vice president, only to discover the job is nothing like she expected, but everything she was warned about. Tony Hale, Anna Chlumsky, Matt Walsh, Reid Scott, Timothy C. Simons and Sufe Bradshaw also star. Iannucci executive produces along with Frank Rich and Christopher Godsick.
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98 Comments
FIRST SO EXCITED!
Harry The HeirQuote Reply
Great news!
We all new it was an April date, and this one is the soonest.
The DarkStarQuote Reply
OMG!OMG!OMG!OMG!
SO EXCITED! BEST EASTER EVER!
DraigQuote Reply
Go ahead Winter, activate that count-down clock!!
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
great news! ealier than expected and so!
thanks for enlightening my day, HBO!
Thiago SlashQuote Reply
also, this! countdown ftw!
Thiago SlashQuote Reply
April is coming!
Thank you WiC. Very Good News!
Tar Kidho,
I think he will, after HBO Confirmation
No-OneQuote Reply
Well, I’m pencilling it into my diary until official confirmation comes around.
78 more days of hype and build-up…
http://mycountdown.org/Celebration/April_Fools_Day/
EvilPicnicQuote Reply
Hooray, that’s my birthday. What a great birthday gift from HBO and D&D. I knew it would pay off being born on April Fool’s Day one day.
Epic doodlesQuote Reply
So nice, this year we have to wait less than 80 days from the announcement :)
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
great, the countdown clock is a go!
there’s more than enough time to re-read all the books until the premiere! haha
Thiago SlashQuote Reply
Man, I missed this frigging clock!! :)
We’re back in business.
Andrija Andrew PQuote Reply
Yup, the clock is back! I’d like to update the background with a better season two image, but nothing is out there currently that would work. Hopefully we will get a new trailer soon.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
that is still 2.5 months away
Nimble DickQuote Reply
April fools! I mean, DROOLS! Very happy news.
Franny_BeeQuote Reply
it. is .ON!!!!!
gooberQuote Reply
Going head to head with Mad Men (that starts a week earlier). Ooooooo
dizzy_34Quote Reply
the show is gonna start and is going to show up on screen “April Fool’s Suckers! See you April 15.”
João AmaralQuote Reply
There, fixed that for you. ;)
LisaQuote Reply
AWESOME! An earlier start date, and 20 less days on the countdown clock than last year.
Less than 3 months to go! (I’ve said it before, but I can’t believe how the time flies).
LexQuote Reply
will it be another cold open of the book’s prologue? I wonder.
digQuote Reply
Wohoo!
Johan SporreQuote Reply
Wonderful news. But at what cost? At what cost?
I’ll tell you the cost: Reek.
The price was too high. I WANT MY REEK BACK, HBO. I WANT MY REEK.
Theon GreyjoyQuote Reply
If it starts on a Sunday in the US… whats the date for the UK???? Day after…? If it’s the week after I’ll kill myself! (I wont, but I like dramatics!) x
houndloverQuote Reply
SECOND!!!!
houndloverQuote Reply
I do like seeing that countdown clock ticking the time away!
fywinterfellQuote Reply
Game of Thrones is on at 8:00 and Mad Men at 9:00 on my cable.
ClobQuote Reply
Theon Greyjoy,
I’m not sure how the show airing earlier affects Reek’s presence (or lack thereof) on the show. It’s still the same number of episodes/hours.
You’re right though, if he’s not there, he will be missed (but hopefully if he isn’t on-screen this season his arc will remain mostly unmolested and appear next season).
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
The Borgias second season starts a week after too .
JohnQuote Reply
Ooooh, I like this show.
houndloverQuote Reply
Very excited to hear that the rumored April 1st premiere date is correct! (Fingers crossed that they aren’t pulling a Cartman’s Father cliffhanger/Terrance & Philip- “Not Without My Anus” episode swap on us. :P )
Now, off to dig up a countdown clock for the tumblrs…
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
Praise R’hllor!
So it looks like I’ll be missing Ep 4 as I am currently on the standby page for Coachella tix. Although I am still hunting for a condo with HBO and a DVR.
the goatQuote Reply
Hell to the Yeah! Bring on the King in the North!
Jen@House StarkQuote Reply
FUCK YEAH! :)
houndlover,
last year it was the day after the US boardcast :)
Elena AmiciQuote Reply
Easter sunday is April 8, will they still air a new episode on that day or will they take a week off after the premiere and have episode 2 air on April 15?
JamesQuote Reply
Hallelujah to the Gods old and new !
OsidianQuote Reply
Yikes! I was so excited I typo’d my own name..:)
ObsidianQuote Reply
James, they aired on Easter Sunday last year, so I assume they will do it again this year.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW SNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!
:D
Julian WalkerQuote Reply
Two and a half months can go by quick. And the trailers, internet leeks and updates will be increasing as the premier gets closer.
Should be a downhill ride from here.
surfKrakenQuote Reply
Countdown clock is back!
Yipeeeeeee :)
The RabbitQuote Reply
Ohh yeh! Victory dance! It’s ridiculous how a date more than 2 months away can cause such a reaction!
On the other hand, I hope the fact that it’s premiering on April Fool’s Day won’t jinx the show…
BroQuote Reply
Let’s just hope this doesn’t happen:
It’s April 1st. Millions of GOT fans are tuned anxiously to HBO, excited beyond belief. The familiar HBO logo appears, then the screen goes black… and the following words appear:
“April Fool’s!”
Fade to black.
LexQuote Reply
Lex,
you know, this is exactly what I thought. It’s not going to happen, though…I guess
BTW, I love the picture in this post. It’s amazing
Elena AmiciQuote Reply
OhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygod
John WQuote Reply
Thanks for bringing back that bad memory.
Not Without My Reek
MWQuote Reply
April the 1 is my birthday so it will be a nice birthday present for me.
GhostQuote Reply
YEEEESSSS!!!
RobbetQuote Reply
Praise R’hllor, Lord of Light, the only true God
Elena AmiciQuote Reply
April 1? That’s like 12 more weekends.
spacechampionQuote Reply
Yahoo! premieres the day before my Birthday! what an excellent present that will be :D
John-Michael LelievreQuote Reply
so…
we have 2.5 months to prepare for the best hour-long rick-roll in the history of trolling.
arya snarkQuote Reply
So I guess we can expect a full length trailer (not that cold winds are rising bullshit) around late January?
Julian WalkerQuote Reply
http://www.tv.com/news/game-of-thrones-has-a-season-2-premiere-date-plus-hbo-announces-debuts-for-game-change-veep-27562/
I love how the people at tv.com seem to be such fans of this show, to promote and buzz the hell out of it the way they do. This article went up not long after it was posted here (in fact, they’re probably constantly watching this site for more news.)
Nothing new in the article that we don’t already know, but OMG HAHAHAH that link to Sean Bean in drag!
Rukie44Quote Reply
Excellent! Hopefully we get another trailer soon.
Blasphemy!
FacelessManQuote Reply
may you be burned for your sins
Elena AmiciQuote Reply
I’m gonna have to stay off the internet after it shows in the US, although I love spoilers I need to go in with no idea whats gonna happen!
I honestly won’t be able to cope with myself the 24 hours before it shows, I may have to book the day off work if it’s on a Monday & the day after cos I’m just gonna be fan girl ‘squeeing’ at every moment… my housemate already gets annoyed when I shout stuff at the TV about certain characters…
I may also wet my pants. Just saying
houndloverQuote Reply
It’s gotta be the debut of Luck on Jan 29, as that is the next big premiere event for HBO.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Julian Walker,
The premiere of Luck is January 29. I’d be very surprised if there isn’t a trailer by then.
UPDATE: Ne’er mind – Winter beat me to it!
Maxwell JamesQuote Reply
Can’t wait. Can’t wait. You know I just can’t wait.
Tyrion4LyfeQuote Reply
Lex,
That’s not what will happen.
Instead, it’ll be that everyone turns on their TV and Hung is on instead. With Kristian Nairn instead of Thomas Jane.
Maxwell JamesQuote Reply
April 1st?
Open on Ned Stark waking up from a nightmare…
ShinyteapotQuote Reply
Surely Catelyn waking from a dream to find Ned in the shower…?
Tickler’s GoldQuote Reply
IT’S A TRAP!
MordinQuote Reply
When will we know the episode titles?
Blueberry2Quote Reply
Under the sea shows premier early. I know , I know , oh oh oh!
Two FeathersQuote Reply
^___^
The whole world will collectively cry (and then revolt) if on 4/1 at 9PM they say, “April Fool’s!”
Can’t wait!
DreamlifeQuote Reply
Amen!
Alexander DubrovskyQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
I’m starting to froth!
surfKrakenQuote Reply
This is awesome news on an already stress full day. Doing the Charlie brown dance!
HildaQuote Reply
Really guys? Really ? ….. In fantasy, as in life, I respect your right to choose a religion. And as in life I won`t be pushing my choice onto you guys. Just please think hard before you abandon the old gods of earth and tree and beast, for this new red god of smoke and mirrors. The basic premise of R`hllors way is either your with me or your toast, can you honestly say you would subscribe to this philosophy ? ( if you lived in Westeros…not Earth obviously).
Two FeathersQuote Reply
What great news on a Friday the 13th!!!
Thanks for the countdown clock – only2-1/2 months!
uno0Quote Reply
It’s the day after my birthday so it seems the shift between March to April has generated a healthy amount of Thrones fans. :)
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Awesome! Two week earlier than i’d expected! So it looks like it’ll be blu ray boxset in March and season two in April. Sweet! Will rewatch season one on blu ray and be finished just in time for the next one. Kinda like Christmas only better :D
Cricky LyttleQuote Reply
Two Feathers,
There’s only one god and to him we say only one thing; not today.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Hilda,
Or more appropriately…the Charles Dance Dance.
Josh AtreidesQuote Reply
Hmmm? You say there is only one god, and Elena and Alexander they say there is only one god ( except they also must believe in another god, whose name shall not be spoken. Which is two gods.) yet your one god is not the same as their one (two) gods.
No , not for me these strange faiths. You know where you are with a tree.
Two FeathersQuote Reply
Cannot wait. It’s my birthday on the 23rd so nice early b’day present if we’re getting on the 2nd in the UK!
Intoduced my sister to this show a couple of weeks ago after Sky Atlantic repeated it over xmas and she loves it! Hates me for the fact I introduced her to a show where Sean Bean loses his head but loves the show!
radQuote Reply
always wise.
andreaQuote Reply
Great news… APR 1st ?…much earlier than I expected…
Coltaine777Quote Reply
Trees are only fuel to R’hllor’s fire!
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
Two Feathers, it must be said you walked right into that one! lol
BroQuote Reply
Josh Atreides,
LOL! Charles Dance with ‘wolves’ it is!
uno0Quote Reply
I really hope Foxtel doesn’t wait for months to release this like last year. I mean, Australia isn’t so backward that we can’t stream it, right? I have to download so I don’t get spoilers when I look up anything GoT related on the internet.
ElizabethQuote Reply
It’s pretty convenient if it turns out to be an April’s Fool joke, huh?
LouisaQuote Reply
Yeah what do people think the episodes will be called? My guesses:
1. Stannis is a beast
2. Stannis starts growing a beard
3. Stannis’ Hair starts falling out
4. The Teethgrind
5. The Stag and the other Stag
6. A Brown Beard
7. “You are Stannis or You Die”
8. The Stormy End
9. Blackwater
10. Fire and Stannis
StannisQuote Reply
Yay! Tick, Tock, Countdown Clock!
Just yesterday, a friend asked me with an anxious mewl when Season 2 will air and I told him, probably April 15. He’ll be as glad as I am to hear our sentence has been reduced by two whole weeks!
I must say I am looking forward to the buzz climbing towards fever-pitch from now on.
HirondelleQuote Reply
Great news!!
Trailer. When?
JohnQuote Reply
I was watching HBO tonight and saw they updated the “Cold Winds are Rising” tease to have the Season 2 April 1 Premiere date as the third horn blasts at the end. I know it’s a few weeks old now, but if anyone wants a 1080p version of the tease for screen capping purposes (or just to archive) I uploaded it to YT since all the versions I have seen on YT were 720p.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6UUUVb8tHE&feature=youtu.be
darquemodeQuote Reply
John,
I’m guessing Sunday since HBO Go has a new video scheduled for Monday I believe.
darquemodeQuote Reply
Can’t wait!
New trailer, episode names, I want them all!
Lise BollumQuote Reply
Love the sannis-centric list!
My first thought was somewhat Stannis-centric too….
Episode 2.01 – ‘Dragonstone’… but my second impulse was
Episode 2.01 – ‘Cold Winds are Rising’ much like last year’s premiere episode being called ‘Winter is Coming’.
Although now I kind of hope they call it Charles Dance with Wolves! XD
darquemodeQuote Reply
darquemode,
I’m hoping for an episode titled: ” The Night is Dark and Full of Turnips”
Susan CQuote Reply
would Baldrick be making an appearance in that?
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
And what happens when trees burn? They meet the only true god; Death.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
That comedyshow Veep looks like fucking gold, Armando Iannucci writing with a stellar cast. Now my expectations are probably already too high for an HBO-comedy.
KnurkQuote Reply
Finally, great news! Yesssss sirreeee! Winter is f**king coming back to HBO! Love the countdown clock!
At best I thought that an April 15th premiere would be possible, this is so much better!
Once I get that DVD set I’ll do several marathons of GoT…I’ve already watched the bonus DVD with Ep. 1-”Winter Is Coming” twice now…uh oh and I got to get that HBO subscription running again sometime in March…
loc073Quote Reply
It remains to be seen,Tar Kidho, who shall prevail when your fire meets my ice. For this reason I have a modicum of respect for your decision to align yourself to this red fellow.
Tywins Bastard, I am afraid you are just delusional………:)
Two FeathersQuote Reply
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