There was a series called Game of Thrones which was very popular here in the United States, a post-Tolkien kind of thing. It was garbage, yet very addictive garbage — because there’s lots of violence, all the women take their clothes off all the time, and it’s kind of fun. In the end, it’s well-produced trash, but there’s room for that, too. — Salman Rushdie, on watching tons of television to prepare to write his TV show.
While we all have different definitions of what’s trashy, “addictive” and “fun” are definitely two compliments I’d welcome if directed at my own work, and it sounds like over all Rushdie probably enjoyed marathoning GoT. At least Rushdie doesn’t think that the sex was added to entice women to watch because women don’t enjoy fantasy novels. Something he likely knows quite well, as an author who uses numerous supernatural themes in his work.
For what it’s worth, he also likes The Sopranos, Deadwood, Dexter, and Breaking Bad, but thinks The Wire was just another cop show. Let the internet controversy commence!
