“Game of Thrones” -- The Top 25 Programs of 2017, No. 2

Many critics crabbed that this year’s abbreviated season of HBO’s blockbuster fantasy series was way too short at only seven episodes and that the plot was hurried along as a result.  In other words, they complained that too much happened, too quickly!  From where I sat, this was Game of Thrones’ best season in years for precisely that reason:  Miss a minute, miss a lot.  Every episode was a thrill ride.  I found it a welcome relief from the draggy pace of the last two seasons, when only a couple of episodes (Battle of the Bastards, for example, pictured below) really delivered the GoT goods.