There are many Game of Thrones fans who weep for the extended waiting period that we’ll all have to endure for the next season of Thrones, which will come out in April or perhaps even later in 2017 instead of the usual March release Thrones has. Fans of the books weep even harder than Oberyn’s groupies during the duel that ended in his death, since Winds of Winter won’t be released until GRR Martin’s hostage demands are met…

I, like many of you, love Game of Thrones and without it I feel a deep hole within my heart. But luckily we live in a day where there are tons of shows out there. Almost way too many shows, I mean there’s literally no way to keep tabs on all the stuff out there. In the giant web of shows that exist of TV, and the Web (Netflix, etc.) there are obviously a couple of lame Tommen’s but there’s also a few awesome Jaime’s. So for all you Thrones fans who have a hole in your heart that needs to be filled with “pre-hand soap era” violence and gratuitous sexual content, here are some shows to fill you’re Thrones hole (until next season)…

Marco Polo – I’ve talked about Marco Polo on the blog before, If you haven’t seen it I haven’t a clue what you are waiting for. It’s a wild show with sex, swords, and snakes (metaphoric ones) much like Game of Thrones, only this takes place in actual 13th century Mongolia/China instead of fictional Westeros. For the most part we follow the on again off again bromance between Marco Polo (who looks like Bam Margera plus Theon Greyjoy) and Kublai Khan, but there’s tons of factors like nude martial arts and blind martial arts that’ll surely keep that Thrones hole in your heart corked.

Vikings – At first I was like “dude no way it’s on the History Channel can’t be good dude” – Me. But then someone convinced me to give it a try and much to my surprise I was instantly hooked. You can stream the first four seasons of Vikings on Amazon, I’ve made it through two and just started the third but I’m proud to say I am without a doubt a Vikings fan. Much like Mr. Robot with USA it has surpassed the stereotypical expectations of its channel becoming a powerhouse of a show. Sure you won’t ever see graphic nudity and or violence but you get close, it’s almost like sugar-free Game of Thrones, but that definitely doesn’t mean it hides from gratuity. You get tons of battles, back stabbing, and bastards in Vikings and because of that I think it makes an excellent show to binge while you lay awake at night pondering whether Arya will bump into the Hound in the Riverlands.

Black Sails – Black Sails is crazy awesome. Only made it through two of the three seasons, will buy the blu-ray once it’s out (don’t have Starz), but from what I hear its totally wild, and knowing how wild the last two seasons were I’m almost scarred for what I’ll end up seeing once I get my hands on season three. Black Sails is a gritty pirate show and sort of like Starz’ answer to Game of Thrones (kind of like Marco Polo with Netflix, just my opinion not really a fact) produced by Michael Bay, making it quite possibly the best thing he’s ever made, it’s one of the most exciting shows you’ll watch. It’s a show that makes you hate that you weren’t born during the time period and grateful you weren’t alive during it as well. So check it out if you can for a hefty dose of swash buckling and pirate politics that more often than not end in fights.

Peaky Blinders – If you loved Board Walk Empire (which you did) you’ll love Peaky Blinders. It basically takes place in the same prohibition-era time period only this time we follow a street gang in London climbing the criminal power ladder. It’s got a great unique style and even though each of the three seasons only has six episodes they still have the same impact and lasting impression that any ten of twelve episode season has. Also, not sure if they had soap back then, obviously I’m pretty sure they did even a few decades before that period but they didn’t have dove dish soap or anything like that so no worries stills counts.

Everybody Loves Raymond – I mean it’s just a great show. Not really as many boobs or penises or beheadings but that Grandpa, he’s just hilarious. Also there’s so many season up on Netflix and pretty much every episode is solid, you cannot go wrong filling your Thrones hole with a little Ray Barone.

Anyway, hopefully you’ll find the strength to pick yourself up from your Thrones depression and check out one of these great shows. They each have plenty of seasons available so their all great to binge away the hours until next spring. That or you know, you could go to work or volunteer, or maybe just watch more Everybody Loves Raymond… I know what I’ll be doing…

If you can’t wait for Game of Thrones or if you have any thoughts of any of the previously mentioned shows, please feel free to leave a comment, and thanks for reading…

Photo Credit: Snagged from slashfilm.com

Vikings: Season 1