Set Your DVRS, A 2-Hour 'Game Of Thrones' Documentary Is Coming

Game of Thrones Season 8 will be the shortest season in the show's history. After six years where each season ran 10 episodes, and one where it ran for seven, Season 8 will only hold six installments altogether. The premiere, on April 14, means the finale will air May 19. Then it's over... well, almost over. HBO knows that fans will need to be let down easy, so there's an extra Game of Thrones special, a making-of documentary that will air after the finale. When does the Game Of Thrones documentary premiere? The two-hour behind-the-scenes special, entitled Game of Thrones: The Last Watch, will arrive Sunday, May 26.

This is not the first time Game of Thrones has done a "making of" special to go along with a new season. Back in 2015, for example, the series aired a half-hour look ahead of Season 5 called "A Day in The Life," which documented the filming process, which at times occurred simultaneously across three countries. For Seasons 6 and 7, there were digital shorts on YouTube, each focusing on the different aspects of what went into the series, from weaponry to VFX. Season 8 has had a few of these as well, on the making of the prosthetics to all the stunt work that goes into the show. Notably, no Season 8 footage is shown in any of them.

The series has managed to keep nearly everything about Season 8 quiet so far, so HBO went with a documentary which will air after the series finale. The good news is it looks to be worth the wait. Unlike earlier ones, which always ran on the shorter side, this one is two hours and covers the entire process.

According to the press release:

For a year, acclaimed British filmmaker Jeanie Finlay was embedded on the set of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, chronicling the creation of the show's most ambitious and complicated season. Made with unprecedented access, Game of Thrones: The Last Watch is an up-close and personal report from the trenches of production, following the crew and the cast as they contend with extreme weather, punishing deadlines and an ever-excited fandom hungry for spoilers. Much more than a "making of" documentary, this is a funny, heartbreaking story, told with wit and intimacy, about the bittersweet pleasures of what it means to create a world - and then have to say goodbye to it.

One thing fans should be aware of though, this is *not* the Game of Thrones cast reunion special, which Sean Bean took part in. That's a separate piece which will not be aired on HBO but instead saved for the DVD/Blu-ray release.

Game of Thrones Season 8 will air on HBO beginning on Sunday, April 14, at 9 p.m. ET. The finale will air Sunday, May 19, at 9 p.m. ET. HBO will then follow one week later with Game of Thrones: The Last Watch, which airs the Sunday before Memorial Day, May 26, at 9 p.m. ET. For those who will be at the beach, it will also be available streaming on all the usual suspects, including HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand, and all regularly scheduled partners' streaming platforms.