re: Am I the only one that never got into Game of Thrones?

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Apparently boobies and killing brings in the masses, while powerful drama set in a fantasy realm brings in the nerds.

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Well point is that the massive popularity is a bit misleading. Because for those two reasons. You would think the fantasy setting drives away non-geeks, and the low-fantasy setting wouldn't make it so beloved by geeks (It's also the most emo-thing on television since True Life: Cutters, so there's that).

I think the popularity doesn't necessarily come from the quality, but more from the ability for geeks and non-geeks to interact. Doesn't make it smarter, just makes it a bridge between cultures. (Which makes it seem smarter than it is really. Everyone can engage in it and THAT's the important part).

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And btw, I don't believe I was insulting to the OP. Condescending, perhaps.

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I also agree that GoT doesn't take a significant intelligence to enjoy. I believe I said that I would think GoT would, not that it does. The reasoning is that shows such as GoT are usually watched by an audience with a higher intelligence due to the material.

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Semantics. You insinuated that only "intelligent" people can enjoy it or like it.

So boobies are intelligent? Where is the case to back up this "only smart people can decipher" GoT nonsense.

I like the show, but damn, it isn't rocket science. And the plot is no more complicated than any other serial genre show. Does that put it a smidgen above your common procedural? Sure, but only because there's more to remember. But again, it's fairly normal storytelling with little to interpret (which is actually a big problem for me, but the entertainment value is still there).

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And before someone gets their panties in a bunch, nerdish (fantasy, D&D, sci-fi) material generally draws nerds and nerds in general have a higher intelligence than average.

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You don't know enough nerds then. They aren't a "smarter" subculture by any means. Do lots of smart people tend to be nerds? Sure, but that has more to do with society's reaction to them and general cultural boundaries more than their level of intelligence. There are a significant amount of lazy, unmotivated, dumb nerds, just as much as any subculture. And they like boobies just as much as non-nerds.

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No. I said that I would think that would be the case. But it is not the case.

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Fair enough, I still don't see where the idea of it requiring intelligence even comes from. You think it would but it doesn't, but why would it?

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So it's like every other TV show out there then. Anyone that watches it can discuss with other people that watch it. Gotcha.

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That's missing the point. GoT is a novelty, that is where the popularity comes from. Yes, you can be reductive and say it's like every other TV show, people can talk about it. But there's no other popular TV show about fantasy worlds and dragons and zombies. So people who don't engage in that stuff can talk with people who do. That's what makes it popular. Non-geeks get to "slum it," and probably talk about things they might enjoy but would never admit to enjoying in a normal situation.

And it's very much like Walking Dead. I know people who've never even seen a zombie film enjoy Walking Dead. Both properties are valuable for that alone. They make "geeky" content more accessible. Neither is a particularly strong show, but they bridge cultures.

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I'm not getting into a nerd/geek discussion.

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Ok.

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I would say that GoT would require a certain intelligence level or enjoyment of fantasy genre

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Not really. I am typically not a super fan of the LOTR type stuff but I really like GOT.

And to answer the OP, it doesn't tail off. I think it's gets better as it progresses.

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Fair enough, I still don't see where the idea of it requiring intelligence even comes from. You think it would but it doesn't, but why would it?

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I was starting with the shows genre. I believe that a fantasy, medieval, science fiction setting leans towards a certain audience. Easily GoT is a cross culture hit and watched by many.

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That's missing the point. GoT is a novelty, that is where the popularity comes from.

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Then Lost was a novelty too. It was a crossover hit as well.

I will say that if you asked me 10 years ago if a show like GoT or Lost would encompass as many viewers as they have, I would have said no.