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  ===Overview===
  Kit Harington plays the role of Jon Snow in the television series.
  Martin told ''Rolling Stone'' in 2014 that some early inquiries he received about adapting ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' suggested identifying the story's "important character" and focusing on that individual plot line: Jon and Daenerys Targaryen being the two most popular choices. Martin was not interested in sacrificing so much of the overall story. When the pilot for the HBO adaptation went into production years later, one of the first parts cast was Jon, with Kit Harington announced in the role in July 2009. Alfie Allen and Iwan Rheon had also auditioned for the role, and were brought into the show to play Theon Greyjoy and Ramsay Snow instead, respectively. In October 2014, Harington and several other key cast members, all contracted for six seasons of the series, renegotiated their deals to include a potential seventh season and salary increases for seasons five, six, and seven. ''The Hollywood Reporter'' called the raises "huge", noting that the deal would make the performers "among the highest-paid actors on cable TV". ''Deadline Hollywood'' put the number for season five at "close to $300,000 an episode" for each actor, and ''The Hollywood Reporter'' wrote in June 2016 that the performers would each be paid "upward of $500,000 per episode" for seasons seven and the potential eight. In 2017, Harington became one of the highest paid actors on television and will earn £2 million per episode for the show.
  The costumes of Ygritte, Jon Snow, and  Tormund Giantsbane in the show
  As the series premiered, ''TV Guide'' called Harington a "soulful heartthrob" whose Jon is idolized by his younger siblings and who "seeks purpose" by joining the Night's Watch. Creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss later noted that Jon "tries to live with honor, while knowing that honor often gets his family members murdered". They explained that he is one of several characters in the series who must "face hard truths about the world they live in, and adapt themselves to those truths. The struggle many of them face is how to do that without losing their grip on who they are." Matt Fowler of IGN wrote in 2013 that while Jon and Daenerys' storylines in season 1 and season 2 "felt very separate" from the rest of the series' plot, for the first time in season 3, "Jon's entire situation felt incorporated into the larger picture." Fowler also added that Jon's "oath-breaking romance with Ygritte added a lot of heat to the story". In May 2015, ''International Business Times'' called Jon "clearly the most popular character" of the series.
  In a 2015 interview Benioff said, "The problem with Jon is, he’s not a cautious man. It's the problem with him, and also the reason we love him. He is a hero, but heroes are inherently incautious." Weiss added, "At the end of the day, Jon is his father’s son, he’s a person who’s honorable to a fault and does the right thing even when the right thing is extremely dangerous to him personally." In the June 2015 season 5 finale "Mother's Mercy", Jon is stabbed to death by Alliser Thorne and several men of the Night's Watch after being labeled a traitor. With Martin's 2011 novel ''A Dance with Dragons'' vague on Jon's fate, Harington confirmed the character's death in an interview with ''Entertainment Weekly'', saying "I’ve been told I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m not coming back next season." He added, "I loved how they brought the orphan boy Olly in to be the person who kills me. I love how the storyline with Thorne was wrapped up." Benioff also said of the episode:
  Writing for ''The New York Times'', Jeremy Egner called Jon's demise "the biggest death on the show" since Ned Stark's beheading in season 1. Amid strong fan reaction over Jon's death on social media, immediately following the episode journalists began theorizing how the show could resurrect the character. Nate Jones of Vulture.com noted:
  A July 2015 sighting of Harington arriving in Belfast, a primary filming location for the series where other actors were arriving for season 6 script read-throughs, prompted further speculation about the character's return. However, a story in ''Vanity Fair'' pointed out that Charles Dance had been seen in Belfast the previous year after his character Tywin Lannister's death as well, and he only appeared in the first episode of the subsequent season as a corpse. Another photo that showed Harington on set in Belfast in a costume that varied from the Night's Watch outfit was published on September 25, 2015. A season 6 ''Game of Thrones'' promotional poster released in November 2015 featured a bloodied Jon.
  Jon is resurrected by Melisandre in "Home", the May 2016 second episode of season 6. Though calling it a "predictable move" for a television series, David Sims of ''The Atlantic'' praised the plot development as "the right choice" for the show's narrative. In a subsequent interview with ''Entertainment Weekly'', Harington said:
  Joanna Robinson of ''Vanity Fair'' credited Jon's much-discussed cliffhanger death as a primary factor behind ''Game of Thrones'' subsequent 25% ratings increase for season 6. Harington's performance in season 6 earned the actor his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination in July 2016. Harington as Jon has the most screen time of any other character in the seven seasons released to date.