With the worldwide popularity of HBO's "Game of Thrones," alleged rip-off series were bound to follow.
Two fantasy-themed shows that will be (or already) accused of ripping off the Emmy Award winning series have met contrasting reviews.
First off, ITV's "Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands" already got the "blatant rip off" diss from Unilad along with a barrage of mean tweets that could put the show on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Unilad declared that "its similar tone and themes (in relation to GOT) has seen it branded a 'blatant rip-off' of the hugely popular fantasy series."
Critical opinions on Twitter called it "a poor man's version" of the HBO series and also a "weak adaptation" of the original literary source material. There are also eloquent reviews that branded it "a steaming pile of horse turd."
It does not bode well for the network that they signed the cast to 5-year contracts, as reported by Digital Spy. The network had high hopes for the series, as "Downton Abbey" star Ed Speelers confirmed.
"There was a time I didn't work for months so the fact that someone wants to offer me a five-year contract... a lot of people would look at this as being tied down but I take it as a compliment," Speelers said, as he will play the role of antagonist Slean.
Despite all the harsh comments, there are also some tweets that reminded viewers that "Game of Thrones" was also not as promising in their debut. Some asked viewers to "give it time."
There could be hope for the show if they would improve on "unrealistic battled and dodgy CGI" which were the main points criticized, according to Unilad.