VIDEO : ?Game of Thrones? Leads Fantasy TV?s Transformation

Winter is coming, and with it, a slew of fantasy projects hoping to be TV?s next top direwolf. Few series dominate the cultural conversation like HBO?s ?Game of Thrones,? which has been namedropped everywhere from ?The Simpsons? to ?Sesame Street,? while garnering critical acclaim and 24 Emmy nominations.
With such auspices, it?s only natural for other content creators to want to emulate the show?s dragon-sized success. On tap for the 2015-16 season are no fewer than five series based on literary works that deal with magic, monsters, mythical realms or heroic quests. But despite the success of ?Thrones,? there?s still reluctance to recognize the artistic merit of genre properties as a whole, both among awards bodies and network executives.