Game of Thrones is a television series.
Game of Thrones . The series has received 38 Primetime Emmy Awards , including Outstanding Drama Series in 2015 and 2016 , more than any other primetime scripted television series . Game of Thrones (season 1) . Like the novel , the season initially focuses on the family of nobleman Eddard Stark , who is asked to become chief advisor to his king and longtime friend , Robert Baratheon . Kit Harington . He rose to prominence playing the role of Jon Snow in the HBO television series Game of Thrones ( 2011 -- present ) , which garnered him a nomination for the 2016 Primetime Emmy Award . Eddard `` Ned '' Stark is a fictional character in the first book of George R. R. Martin 's A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels and the first season of its television adaptation .