'GoT' Season 6 Might Be Even Further Away

If you thought waiting a whole year is hard, now there's news that Game of Thrones Season 6 might have a later premiere than you expected. Don't worry, it's not set in stone. While a GoT premiere hasn't been announced, HBO did announce the premieres of their winter shows on Thursday. These include the new drama Vinyl, as well as the returning Girls and Togetherness. The shows will air in late February and run for 10 episodes, later than usual in comparison to the network's previous programming.

Since HBO typically airs all of its original programming on Sunday nights, there isn't a lot of time for overlap. Since these shows are starting later, it seems likely that GoT won't start until after these shows are finished, which would put the premiere in May, rather than the traditional April. This shift could have nothing to do with GoT, and more to do with promoting those shows that aren't already a guaranteed hit like GoT. In the meantime, there are plenty of ways that you can get yourself pumped up for the new season, from obsessing over fan theories to watching the cast's other movies.

Or you can speculate why HBO would do this to us. Here are some reasons why they might have made this decision.

1. To Build Up Anticipation

HBO has us all where they want us; they know we're going to watch the show regardless. Why not let us psych ourselves up a little longer?

2. Because They're Behind Schedule

It's possible that the CGI, epic scale, and pressure of high audience expectations has hit a few snags, and the show wanted a little extra time to prepare.

3. Because Vinyl Is Just That Good

The show that might be responsible for pushing GoT back is the music industry drama Vinyl, which was created by Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger, and Terence Winter. It looks pretty great, and HBO would be smart to hedge their bets on it.

4. They Want To Keep Us Speculating About Jon Snow

Oh, HBO thinks they can squeeze a few more wildly speculative articles about the status of Jon Snow out of us? They're... probably right.

5. So It Won't Interfere With Finals

Wow, it's so nice of HBO to consider the fact that GoT interferes with the study schedules of its young college-aged audience!

6. It's George R.R. Martin's Fault

OK, this is the most likely explanation. As Vanity Fair points out, George R.R. Martin's Winds of Winter, the sixth book in his Song of Ice and Fire series upon which the show is based, is likely to come out in early 2016. HBO could be giving the book more time to stand on its own and simultaneously build up hype for the sixth season.

Hopefully, these will provide a good source of blame for the next few GoT-less months. Hang in there.

Images: HBO; Giphy (7)