‘Game of Thrones’ season 6 premiere date theories escalate

Well, this escalated quickly.

Yesterday, we published a piece talking about the premiere dates for “Girls,” “Togetherness,” and a new HBO drama from Martin Scorsese in “Vinyl.” It was almost as a footnote that we questioned whether or not these shows starting in mid-to-late February would impact whether or not “Game of Thrones” could premiere later than expected.

Now, this chatter has really started to spiral out. In the past 24 hours we’ve seen a variety of different stories speculating over what the premiere date could be and the reason why, with the prevailing one being that the network is trying to ensure that there is time for George R.R. Martin to release The Winds of Winter first. Maybe that is possible, but consider this: Does HBO really care that much about the show versus the books? The seventh season is sure to come out before Martin’s book does, and if the series does go to eight seasons, it will also probably arrive before the seventh A Song of Ice and Fire story. Therefore, you are mostly just delaying the inevitable in waiting to release the show.

Therefore, we want to introduce another theory into the mix right now that we have just started to consider here. What if HBO is trying to get another show ready for later next summer, and pushing back “Game of Thrones” a week or two (the earliest we can see it premiering is April 17) could give them more time to prepare the next thing? Think about it. Last summer, the network premiered “True Detective” in the summer, and given that we don’t even know if there will be a third season yet, something new will take its place.

Why do you think “Game of Thrones” is potentially getting pushed back? Share now in the comments, and head over here to get some other TV scoop on everything we cover sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: HBO.)