Most years, I wait until the entire season of Game Of Thrones has been broadcast and saved on the Sky box's HD before binge watching them. However, as I am likely to miss at the very least half of the season while on my drug free adventure, and will not realistically be able to watch the rest until the Autumn, I with great excitement, have just watched S7EP1 of the series, which had it's UK premier on Sky Atlantic last night. No need to go into specifics in case I spoil stuff for anyone who has not yet had the chance to watch the episode, or discover this amazing show but it was a perfect opener without one scene that was not spot on and completely riveting.
Also got around to finishing S1 of 'The Sopranos'. I bought the complete 7 season series boxset for my dad the Christmas before last The idea was to watch it together, as I had heard that the only other HBO shows that can genuinely compete with 'The Wire' are 'Boardwalk Empire' 'The Sopranos' and 'The West Wing' in terms of serial drama - the last 2 of which I have never seen (Game Of Thrones is likely to join this list, but cannot be properly assessed until the final season, due for broadcast next year, can show the overall quality of the show as a whole) - but it's taken us 18 months just to get through season 1 (going back to our attempt to get through The Sopranos;, which will be understood by those unfortunate to have read my whinge posts about my domestic situation. Loved it, and by all means the remaining six seasons are just as quality. RIP James Gandolfini - one great example of the beauty of the big and small screens unique ability to immortalise many of these spectacular actors that are sorely missed. How wonderful it was to see a man still in great health (he appeared very over overweight in his last few performances), at the top of his game, in what is surely his defining role (I have been a fan since first seeing him in 'True Romance' which I first saw in 1996).
Just a couple of honourable mentions in context of what I have said above - There are other HBO shows up there with 'The Wire' etc in terms of the mini - series they have produced. 'Band Of Brothers', 'The Pacific' and ' Generation Kill' rank among the best television programmes as highly as any other. 'From The Earth To The Moon' is also really good but is more of a docu - drama than a completely original piece (The three wartime mini - series I mentioned before were based on eye witness accounts but have been fully dramatised, where the majority of the script in FTHETOTM is 95% exposition to get across how the Apollo programme achieved what it did).