Fifteen new shows that could fill the Game of Thrones void

11. Who Fears Death (HBO)

We’ve seen a lot of post-apocalyptic fare on television lately, but rarely do we see anything set in Africa. Who Fears Death, a new series from HBO, will show us the home of the Okeke tribe, where a rape victim has given birth to a daughter with magical powers. One of the best parts of this new show? Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin is set to be one of the executive producers.

Pros

Between the HBO label, the Martin touch and the fantasy tie-ins, we’ve got a project that sounds like it might just have a similar mojo to Game of Thrones. The show promises to have plenty of political overtones that comment on race and ethnicity, which should also invoke that “break the wheel” feeling we’ve come to crave.

Who Fears Death is based on a relatively recent novel and its prequel, both written by Nigerian-American author Nnedi Okorafor. It’s great knowing that there’s potentially several seasons worth of material here, all of which has been critically praised in book form.

Cons

As with Amazon, we can wonder if HBO is splitting its focus by taking on too many similar sci-fi/fantasy projects. This isn’t the last time they’ll appear on this list.

It’s also worth pointing out that the source material wasn’t without some controversy. No spoilers here, but there is a very graphic scene regarding a cultural tradition which received some criticism from Western readers. That being said, Game of Thrones itself proves that HBO is no stranger to depicting sensitive subject matter. Fingers crossed that the scene in question is handled with care.