Catching Up on Game of Thrones Just in Time

What is it about?

This article examines how Mexican viewers became fans of Game of Thrones at the very end of the series, just months—or even days—before its final season aired. Rather than following the show for years, these “last-minute fans” joined the phenomenon through intensive binge-watching, motivated by social pressure, curiosity, and the desire to be part of the public conversation surrounding the series’ conclusion. The study is based on 10 semi-structured interviews with university students aged 18 to 25 from a public university in provincial Mexico. All participants watched most of the eight seasons in a short period of time—often through marathons using digital platforms, including illegal streaming sites, shared files, and, in some cases, HBO Go. The interviews explored three key aspects: their personal history with the series, their experience of binge-watching, and what it meant for them to consider themselves fans.

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Photo by Kylo on Unsplash

Photo by Kylo on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The findings show that being a fan is no longer tied to how long someone has followed a series, but to how deeply they engage with it. Even though these viewers joined Game of Thrones late, they quickly adopted typical fan practices such as sharing memes, discussing theories, doing cosplay, buying merchandise, and using phrases from the show in everyday life. The study highlights how today’s television environment—characterized by on-demand access, massive content availability, and social media pressure—makes it possible for audiences to “catch up” rapidly and feel part of a global cultural event. Social networks, friends, family members, and even university professors played an important role in encouraging viewers to start watching the series before its ending, driven partly by a fear of missing out (FoMO). Overall, the article shows how binge-watching and digital distribution have transformed not only how people watch television, but also how and when fandom could emerge.