Game of Thrones (season 5)


The fifth season of the fantasy drama television series Game of Thrones premiered on HBO on April 12, and concluded on June 14, 2015. It was broadcast on Sunday at 9:00 pm in the United States, consisting of 10 episodes, each running approximately 50–60 minutes. The season primarily adapts the storylines from A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons, the fourth and fifth novels in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, though it also uses the remaining elements from the third novel, A Storm of Swords, as well as the upcoming sixth novel The Winds of Winter. It also contains original content not found in Martin's novels. The series is adapted for television by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.
Like previous seasons in Game of Thrones, the fifth season continues storylines primarily set within the fictional land of Westeros, while a few storylines are set in another continent, Essos. After the murders of King Joffrey and his grandfather Tywin Lannister, Tywin's young, indecisive grandson, Tommen, rules Westeros as king. Tyrion flees to Essos, where he meets Daenerys Targaryen, who struggles to rule Slavers' Bay and regain control over her growing dragons. The Lannister family encounters new enemies, including a religious cult that Cersei foolishly empowers; they arrest her and Queen Margaery; Cersei confesses some sins and is released after a walk of atonement. Jon Snow becomes Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and serves under Stannis Baratheon, who pursues his claim to the Iron Throne by marching on the rebuilt Winterfell. Littlefinger has left Sansa Stark at Winterfell; she marries Ramsay Bolton, who rapes and imprisons her. Stannis is defeated and killed, while Sansa makes an escape with Theon. After Jon loses Night's Watchmen trying to rescue thousands of Wildlings from the White Walkers, several of his men mutiny and kill him. In Bravos, Arya Stark receives training as an assassin but disobeys her trainers, who blind her. Jaime retrieves princess Myrcella from Dorne, but she is murdered.
HBO ordered the fifth season on April 8, 2014, together with the sixth season, which began filming in July 2014. The season was filmed primarily in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Croatia and Spain.
Game of Thrones features a large ensemble cast, including Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, and Kit Harington. The season introduced a number of new cast members, including Jonathan Pryce and Alexander Siddig.
Critics praised the show's production values and cast, giving specific accolades for Dinklage's portrayal of Tyrion Lannister. Viewership yet again rose compared to the previous season. This season set a Guinness World Record for winning the highest number of Emmy Awards for a series in a single season and year, winning 12 out of 24 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series.

Episodes

Cast

Main cast

The recurring actors listed here are those who appeared in season 5. They are listed by the region in which they first appear:

At and beyond the Wall

Crew

The writing staff for the fifth season includes executive producers and showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, producer Bryan Cogman, and Dave Hill, who was promoted to staff writer this season after previously working as an assistant to Benioff and Weiss. Author George R. R. Martin, who had written one episode for each of the first four seasons, did not write an episode for the fifth season as he was working to finish writing the sixth novel of the series, The Winds of Winter. The directing staff for the fifth season is Michael Slovis, Mark Mylod, Jeremy Podeswa, Miguel Sapochnik, and David Nutter. Nutter is the only returning director with the rest being first-time Game of Thrones directors.

Writing

This season features more original material than previous seasons. The deviations from Martin's novels are in part attributable to the way the television series has covered most of the novel series' published material and in part to the directors' opinions of the actors' abilities. For example, Sansa Stark arrives at Winterfell to marry Ramsay Bolton in "High Sparrow," a plotline that had been given to a minor character in the novels. In an interview, show writer David Benioff explains that Sophie Turner's development as an actress was one of the reasons that they decided to give her character more dramatic scenes, saying, "Even if come in and do a great audition, it’s so hard to know if they’re going to quite literally grow into the parts. With Sansa and Arya in particular, their storylines have become quite dark. It was such a gamble and the fact that they’ve both become such great wonderful actresses is a bit of a miracle." Bryan Cogman added that it made more sense to give the Winterfell storyline to a proven actress who was already popular with viewers than to bring in a new character.
Other changes include the portrayal of Tommen as old enough to interact with Margaery and the Faith Militant as an adult, the speeding up or streamlining of several subplots, and the introduction of fewer new characters. According to Benioff and Weiss, "We felt we'd capsize the show if we put in every single character from the books." Critics particularly liked the decision to have Tyrion actually meet Daenerys at the end of "The Gift," which has yet to happen as of A Dance with Dragons. David Benioff cited the television adaptation's faster pace as part of the rationale behind this decision.

Filming

Filming for the fifth season began in July 2014 in Belfast and ended in December 2014. Locations in Northern Ireland included Titanic Studios, Belfast and the cliff edge of Binevenagh Mountain. The Winterfell sets were in the village of Moneyglass.
Some of the scenes that take place in the principality of Dorne were filmed in Spain, beginning in October 2014. Locations explored for the production included the Alcázar of Seville and the University of Osuna. On October 14, some scenes were filmed on the Roman bridge of Córdoba. Benioff and Weiss said that season 5 would include flashbacks, which they had previously avoided, and that Córdoba would represent the city of Volantis.
Cersei's "walk of atonement" from A Dance with Dragons was filmed in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in the Stradun street between the Dubrovnik Cathedral and the Sponza Palace in early October 2014. The production reportedly employed a body double for Lena Headey for part of the scene in which Cersei appears naked.
Meereen scenes were once again shot in Diocletian's Palace in Split, and on Klis Fortress north of Split.
A town on the coast of the Bay of Kaštela in Croatia, the 16th century Kaštel Gomilica stood in for some parts of Braavos.
A very small portion of one episode was filmed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada: the scenes featuring Jon Snow's wolf Ghost who also appears in season 6.

Casting

The fifth season adds previously recurring actors Indira Varma, Michiel Huisman, Nathalie Emmanuel, Dean-Charles Chapman, Tom Wlaschiha and Michael McElhatton to the series' main cast.
In the fifth season, the region of Dorne is introduced as a location. Alexander Siddig joins the cast as Doran Martell, the ruling Prince of Dorne, and elder brother of Oberyn Martell, while his son Trystane Martell is portrayed by Toby Sebastian. The role of Cersei's daughter Myrcella Baratheon, who is Doran's ward and betrothed to Trystane is played by Nell Tiger Free. The role was portrayed by Aimee Richardson in the first two seasons. DeObia Oparei portrays Areo Hotah, the captain of the Dornish palace guard. The three eldest bastard daughters of Oberyn Martell are portrayed by Keisha Castle-Hughes, Jessica Henwick, and Rosabell Laurenti Sellers.
In King's Landing, Jonathan Pryce joins the cast as the High Sparrow, the leader of the militant faithful in King's Landing, while Hannah Waddingham portrays Septa Unella, one of the "Most Devout", the ruling council of the Faith of the Seven. Nell Williams was cast as a young Cersei Lannister seen in flashbacks, while Jodhi May was cast as Maggy the Frog, a fortune-teller.
Across the Narrow Sea, Enzo Cilenti joins as Yezzan, a Yunkish nobleman and slave trader, while Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was cast as Malko, a slaver, who does not appear in the novels. At Castle Black and beyond the Wall, new cast members include Michael Condron as Bowen Marsh, First Steward of the Night's Watch. J. J. Murphy, who was cast as Night's Watch officer Denys Mallister, died in August 2014 shortly after filming his first scenes; his role was not recast. One role that was recast for season 5 was Ross O'Hennessy as the Lord of Bones. O'Hennessy replaces Edward Dogliani who was last seen in the season 3 premiere "Valar Dohaeris". Charles Dance, whose character died in the previous season, returned for one episode to portray Tywin Lannister's corpse. Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Kristian Nairn and Ellie Kendrick are absent this season because their part in the story has reached the end of A Dance with Dragons.

Music

The soundtrack for the season was released digitally on June 9, 2015, and on CD on July 17, 2015.

Reception

Critical response

The fifth season was met with mostly positive reviews, though many deemed it to be weaker than its predecessors. On Metacritic, the season has a score of 91 out of 100 based on 29 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". On Rotten Tomatoes, the fifth season has a 93% approval rating from 50 critics with an average rating of 8.61 out of 10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Bloody action and extreme power plays return full throttle, as Game of Thrones enjoys a new-found liberation from the world of the source material, resulting in more unexpected thrills." One notable exception is the sixth episode, "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken", which was heavily criticized due to the showrunners' decision to have a well-liked character suffer a sexual assault. It received a rating of 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, lower than any previous episode of the show. The eighth episode, "Hardhome", received significant praise and was immediately regarded as one of the best episodes in the series. According to Business Insider, "Despite the attacks, Game of Thrones remains a steady hit."
Season 5 featured more significant changes from the novels. Some of the changes were more well-received than others. The various plotlines for the season also differed significantly in reception. The Dornish subplot received an overwhelmingly negative reception. In particular, the hyped Sand Snakes were maligned by critics and fans alike, as many found them cheesy and unlikeable. In contrast, Tyrion's storyline was highly praised. Many fans felt that his subplot progressed overly slowly in the novels, and his meeting with Daenerys was particularly lauded.

Ratings

The gross viewing figure per episode for the show, which include streaming, DVR recordings and repeat showings, averaged at 20 million this season.
Live +7 ratings were not available, so Live +3 ratings have been used instead.
Business Insider noted a significant difference in the ratings between this season and previous seasons. The typical pattern involves "Solid premiere viewings followed by a slow but steady gain of momentum through to the finale. Historically, the finale episodes of each season have beaten the premiere for total number of viewers". However, this season showed a significant decline from 8 million viewers at the premiere to 5.4 million at the seventh episode, "The Gift". Business Insider cites two likely reasons for the lower ratings: backlash over the rape scene in "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken", one of many deviations from the novels throughout the season that "have upset fans," and increased online streaming through HBO Now. It also acknowledged a possible effect of the first four episodes leaking online before the season premiere and the decision to air on Memorial Day weekend in the United States. Business Insider reached out to HBO for comment, HBO responded that it is seeing an increase in overall viewer numbers this season taking into account streaming services, which are not included in Nielsen ratings. The dip in ratings did not extend to the eighth and ninth episodes, "Hardhome," and "The Dance of Dragons", which were both seen by over 7 million viewers. The season finale, "Mother's Mercy" was seen by 8.11 million people, setting a new record and making it the most watched episode of the series.

Accolades

For the 5th Critics' Choice Television Awards, the series was nominated for Best Drama Series. For the 31st TCA Awards, the series was nominated for Program of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Drama. For the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards, the series received 24 nominations, the most of any series. It won 12 awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, Peter Dinklage for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for "Mother's Mercy", and David Nutter for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for "Mother's Mercy". Nominations included Lena Headey and Emilia Clarke both for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Diana Rigg for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, and Jeremy Podeswa for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken".
YearAwardCategoryNomineeResult
2015AFI AwardsAFI TV AwardGame of Thrones
20155th Critics' Choice Television AwardsBest Drama SeriesGame of Thrones
20155th Critics' Choice Television AwardsMost Bingeworthy ShowGame of Thrones
201531st TCA AwardsOutstanding Achievement in DramaGame of Thrones
201531st TCA AwardsProgram of the YearGame of Thrones
2015Gold Derby TV Awards 2015Best Drama SeriesGame of Thrones
2015Gold Derby TV Awards 2015Best Drama Supporting ActorPeter Dinklage
2015Gold Derby TV Awards 2015Best Drama Supporting ActressLena Headey
2015Gold Derby TV Awards 2015Best Drama Guest ActressDiana Rigg
2015Gold Derby TV Awards 2015Best Drama Episode"Hardhome"
2015Gold Derby TV Awards 2015Best Drama Episode"Mother's Mercy"
2015Gold Derby TV Awards 2015Ensemble of the YearThe cast of Game of Thrones
2015Artios AwardsOutstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Series DramaNina Gold
2015EWwy AwardBest Supporting Actress, DramaMaisie Williams
2015EWwy AwardBest Supporting Actress, DramaSophie Turner
201567th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Directing for a Drama SeriesDavid Nutter for "Mother's Mercy"
201567th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Directing for a Drama SeriesJeremy Podeswa for "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken"
201567th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Writing for a Drama SeriesDavid Benioff and D. B. Weiss for "Mother's Mercy"
201567th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Drama SeriesGame of Thrones
201567th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama SeriesPeter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
201567th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesEmilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen
201567th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesLena Headey as Cersei Lannister
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Casting for a Drama SeriesNina Gold, Robert Sterne, and Carla Stronge
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera SeriesFabian Wagner for "Hardhome"
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera SeriesAnette Haellmigk for "Sons of the Harpy"
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera SeriesRob McLachlan for "The Dance of Dragons"
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera SeriesGregory Middleton for "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken"
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Costumes for a Fantasy SeriesMichele Clapton, Sheena Wichary, Nina Ayres, Alex Fordham for "The Dance of Dragons"
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Guest Actress in a Drama SeriesDiana Rigg as Lady Olenna Tyrell
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera SeriesKevin Alexander, Candice Banks, Rosalia Culora, Gary Machin, Laura Pollock, Nicola Mount for Mother's Mercy
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Make-up for a Single-Camera Series Jane Walker and Nicola Matthews for "Mother's Mercy"
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Production Design for a Fantasy ProgramDeborah Riley, Paul Ghirardani, Rob Cameron for "High Sparrow", "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken", and "Hardhome"
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a SeriesJane Walker, Barrie Gower, and Sarah Gower for "Hardhome"
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama seriesTim Porter for "Hardhome"
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama seriesKatie Weiland for "The Dance of Dragons"
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sound Editing for a SeriesTim Kimmel, Paula Fairfield, Bradley C. Katona, Peter Bercovitch, David Klotz, Jeffrey Wilhoit, Dylan T. Wilhoit for "Hardhome"
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sound Mixing for a SeriesRonan Hill, Richard Dyer, Onnalee Blank, Mathew Waters for "Hardhome"
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Special Visual EffectsSteve Kullback, Joe Bauer, Adam Chazen, Jabbar Raisani, Eric Carney, Stuart Brisdon, Derek Spears, James Kinnings, Matthew Rouleau for "The Dance of Dragons"
201567th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Stunt Coordination for a SeriesRowley Irlam
2015E! Online Best. Ever. TV. AwardsOutstanding Drama SeriesGame of Thrones
2015Hollywood Post AllianceOutstanding SoundTim Kimmel, Paula Fairfield, Bradley Katona, Paul Bercovitch, Onnalee Blank, Mathew Waters for "Hardhome"
2015Hollywood Post AllianceOutstanding Color GradingJoe Finley for "Hardhome"
2015Hollywood Post AllianceOutstanding EditingTim Porter for "Hardhome"
2015Hollywood Post AllianceOutstanding Visual EffectsJoe Bauer, Steve Kullback, Derek Spears, Eric Carney, Jabbar Raisani for "The Dance of Dragons"
2015British Society of CinematographersBest Cinematography in a Television DramaFabian Wagner for "Hardhome"
2015British Society of CinematographersACO/BSC/GBCT Operators TV Drama AwardDavid Morgan, Sean Savage, Ben Wilson, David Worley for "Hardhome"
2015Australian Production Design GuildProduction Design for a Television DramaDeborah Riley
201520th Satellite AwardsBest Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television FilmPeter Dinklage
201520th Satellite AwardsBest Television Series – GenreGame of Thrones
2015IGN AwardsBest TV SeriesGame of Thrones
2015IGN AwardsBest TV Episode"Hardhome"
2015IGN AwardsBest TV Drama SeriesGame of Thrones
2015IGN AwardsBest TV VillainIwan Rheon as Ramsay Bolton
2015IGN People's Choice AwardsBest TV SeriesGame of Thrones
2015IGN People's Choice AwardsBest TV Episode"Hardhome"
2015IGN People's Choice AwardsBest TV Drama SeriesGame of Thrones
2015IGN People's Choice AwardsBest TV VillainIwan Rheon as Ramsay Bolton
2016Guinness World RecordsLargest TV drama simulcastGame of Thrones
2016Guinness World RecordsMost viewers sharing a single torrent file simultaneouslyGame of Thrones
201642nd People's Choice AwardsFavorite TV ShowGame of Thrones
201642nd People's Choice AwardsFavorite Cable Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV ShowGame of Thrones
201642nd People's Choice AwardsFavorite Cable Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV ActressEmilia Clarke
2016Shorty AwardsFavorite TV ShowGame of Thrones
2016Shorty AwardsGIF of the YearGame of Thrones Come At Me Bro
2016Empire AwardsBest TV SeriesGame of Thrones
2016Art Directors Guild Awards 2015One-Hour Single Camera Fantasy Television SeriesDeborah Riley for "High Sparrow", "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" and "Hardhome"
2016Screenwriters Choice AwardsBest Television DramaGame of Thrones
2016Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild AwardsBest Period and/or Character Makeup – TelevisionJane Walker
2016Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild AwardsBest Period and/or Character Hair Styling – TelevisionKevin Alexander, Candice Banks
2016Webby AwardBest Overall Social PresenceGame of Thrones
2016Location Managers Guild AwardsOutstanding Locations in Period TelevisionRobert Boake and Tate Araez
2016Cinema Audio Society AwardsOutstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing - Television Series – One HourRonan Hill, Richard Dyer, Onnalee Blank, Mathew Waters, Brett Voss for "Hardhome"
2016American Cinema Editors Awards 2016Best Edited One-Hour Series For Non-Commercial TelevisionKatie Weiland for "The Dance of Dragons"
2016American Cinema Editors Awards 2016Best Edited One-Hour Series For Non-Commercial TelevisionTim Porter for "Hardhome"
2016Costume Designers Guild AwardsOutstanding Period/Fantasy Television SeriesMichele Clapton for Game of Thrones
201668th Directors Guild of America AwardsDramatic SeriesDavid Nutter for "Mother’s Mercy"
2016American Society of CinematographersOutstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular SeriesFabian Wagner for "Hardhome"
201673rd Golden Globe AwardsBest Television Series – DramaGame of Thrones
201613th Irish Film & Television AwardsBest Television DramaGame of Thrones
201613th Irish Film & Television AwardsActor in a Supporting Role – TelevisionLiam Cunningham
2016MTV Millennial AwardsKiller Series of the YearGame of Thrones
201621st National Television AwardsBest International ShowGame of Thrones
2016Producers Guild of America Awards 2015"Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama"David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, Bernadette Caulfield, Frank Doelger, Carolyn Strauss, Bryan Cogman, Lisa McAtackney, Chris Newman, Greg Spence
201642nd Saturn AwardsBest Fantasy Television SeriesGame of Thrones
201642nd Saturn AwardsBest Supporting Actor on TelevisionKit Harington
201642nd Saturn AwardsBest Supporting Actress on TelevisionLena Headey
201642nd Saturn AwardsBest Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television SeriesMaisie Williams
201642nd Saturn AwardsBest Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television SeriesBrenock O'Connor
201622nd Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Drama SeriesBoian Anev, Richard Bradshaw, Jonathan Cohen, Christopher Cox, Jacob Cox, Matt Crook, Rob DeGroot, Levan Doran, Clint Elvy, James Embree, Bradley Farmer, Richard Hansen, Bobby Holland-Hanton, Radoslav Ignatov, Borislav Iliev, Rowley Irlam, Erol Ismail, Milen Kaleychev, Paul Lowe, Jonathan McBride, Sian Milne, David Newton, Radoslav Parvanov, Ian Pead, Jan Petrina, Rashid Phoenix, Andy Pilgrim, Dominic Preece, Marc Redmond, Paul Shapcott, Ryan Stuart, Pablo Verdejo, Calvin Warrington-Heasman, Annabel E. Wood, Danko Yordanov, and Lewis Young
201622nd Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by An Ensemble in a Drama SeriesAlfie Allen, Ian Beattie, John Bradley, Gwendoline Christie, Emilia Clarke, Michael Condron, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Ben Crompton, Liam Cunningham, Stephen Dillane, Peter Dinklage, Nathalie Emmanuel, Tara Fitzgerald, Jerome Flynn, Brian Fortune, Joel Fry, Aiden Gillen, Ian Glen, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Michiel Huisman, Brenock O'Conner, Daniel Portman, Iwan Rheon, Owen Teale, Sophie Turner, Carice Van Houten, Maisie Williams and Tom Wlaschiha
201622nd Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama SeriesPeter Dinklage
2016Glamour Awards 2016Best UK TV ActressSophie Turner
2016Golden Reel AwardsBest Sound Editing in Television, Short Form: FX/FoleyTim Kimmel for "Hardhome"
2016Golden Reel AwardsBest Sound Editing in Television, Short Form: Dialogue / ADRTim Kimmel for "Hardhome"
2016Golden Reel AwardsBest Sound Editing in Television, Short Form: MusicDavid Klotz for "Hardhome"
2016USC Scripter AwardBest Adapted ScreenplayDavid Benioff and D. B. Weiss for "Hardhome"
2016Visual Effects Society Awards 2015Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal EpisodeJoe Bauer, Steve Kullback, Eric Carney, Derek Spears, Stuart Brisdon for "The Dance of Dragons"
2016Visual Effects Society Awards 2015Outstanding Animated Performance in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time ProjectFlorian Friedmann, Jonathan Symmonds, Sven Skoczylas, Sebastian Lauer' for "Mother's Mercy" - Wounded Drogon
2016Visual Effects Society Awards 2015Outstanding Animated Performance in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time ProjectJames Kinnings, Michael Holzl, Joseph Hoback, Matt Derksen for "Dance of Dragons" - Drogon Arena Rescue
2016Visual Effects Society Awards 2015Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time ProjectDominic Piche, Christine Leclerc, Patrice Poissant, Thomas Montminy-Brodeur for "City of Volantis"
2016Visual Effects Society Awards 2015Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time ProjectRajeev B R., Loganathan Perumal, Ramesh Shankers, Anders Ericson for "Drogon Arena"
2016Visual Effects Society Awards 2015Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time ProjectDavid Ramos, Antonio Lado, Piotr Weiss, Félix Bergés for "Hardhome"
2016Visual Effects Society Awards 2015Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal EpisodeEduardo Díaz, Guillermo Orbe, Oscar Perea, Inmaculada Nadela for "Hardhome"
2016Visual Effects Society Awards 2015Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal EpisodeDan Breckwoldt, Martin Furman, Sophie Marfleet, Eric Andrusyszyn for "Drogon Arena"
2016Visual Effects Society Awards 2015Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal EpisodeTravis Nobles, Mark Spindler, Max Riess, Nadja Ding for "Drogon Lair"
2016Writers Guild of America Awards 2015Episodic DramaDavid Benioff and D. B. Weiss for "Mother's Mercy"
2016Writers Guild of America Awards 2015Television Drama SeriesDavid Benioff, Bryan Cogman, Dave Hill, D. B. Weiss
2016Canadian Society of CinematographersTV Series CinematographyRobert McLachlan for "The Dance of Dragons"
2016Canadian Society of CinematographersTV Series CinematographyGregory Middleton for "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken"

Release

Broadcast

The season was simulcast to 170 countries by HBO and its broadcast partners. In some countries, it aired the day after its first release. Sky Atlantic, the network serving the United Kingdom and Ireland, aired the premiere the day after HBO, but joined the simulcast for the rest of the season.

Marketing

A half-hour documentary, Game of Thrones: A Day in the Life, aired on HBO on February 8, 2015. It covered one day of production of season 5 on three sets in Belfast, Dubrovnik and Osuna from the viewpoint of key crew members. The first official trailer for season 5 was released on January 30, 2015, and the season's second trailer was released on March 9, 2015. The world premiere of the first episode of the fifth season was held at the Tower of London on March 18, 2015.

Home media

The season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 15, 2016, in region 1 and March 14, 2016, in region 2.

Illegal distribution

On April 11, prior to the airing of the season's first episode, screener copies of the first four episodes were leaked to several file sharing sites. According to TorrentFreak, 18 million different IP addresses downloaded the leaked episodes, totaling 32 million downloads during the first week. The fifth season of Game of Thrones was the most-pirated TV series in 2015.