Jason Alexander Defends ‘The Game Of Thrones’ Finale (Along With The ‘Seinfeld’ Finale)

While fans of Game of Thrones have felt very passionately about its finale — and HBO is pleased with the level of passion — not all of that passion has necessarily been positive. IMDb users rated the finale lower than the Dexter finale, and criticism of the episode has come from all over the place, from NFL quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and presidential candidates like Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand. Even some current and former cast members of Game of Thrones weren’t particularly pleased with how the series ended.

Still, HBO can take solace in the monster ratings the episode received, and while showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have not yet spoken publicly about the reaction to the finale, Seinfeld star Jason Alexander — who played George Costanza — has offered some encouraging words to the cast and crew of Game of Thrones in the wake of the finale.

Of course, Jason Alexander knows a little something about series finales that were not well received. The consensus is that the Seinfeld finale — which aired 21 years ago — was a failure. Some rank it among the worst series finales ever, and even Jerry Seinfeld himself says that he regrets the finale.

Naturally, when Jason Alexander tweeted his defense of Game of Thrones, the overwhelming response to that tweet was in defense of the Seinfeld finale, and some may have thought that Alexander was putting the Seinfeld finale in the same category as the Game of Thrones finale. Alexander quickly rejected that.

It’s true, too. The Seinfeld finale was lambasted by critics and fans alike when it aired, but many fans have softened to it over the last two decades. It’s a silver lining, perhaps, for the HBO series: Fans aren’t that pleased with it today, but because of the love for the series overall, the next generation at least may come around to it. Weiss and Benioff may just have to wait 21 years before it is truly appreciated.