The Best ‘Game of Thrones’ Characters and Storylines That Were Cut for TV

When you adapt a work as sprawling as the “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels for TV, you have to do a lot of editing. As epic as “Game of Thrones” was, it still left a lot out. Like, a lot. We’re talking entire characters and storylines.

Here are the ones fans of the books most wish they’d gotten to see on TV…

Victarion Greyjoy

Spare a thought for Victarion Greyjoy, who doesn’t appear in the TV in what is likely an effort to streamline his brother Euron’s storyline. Sibling rivalry engulfs the pair for much of their adventures, and Victarion is the more capable warrior, as well as the more noble hero.

It’s a shame he had to face the axe, but at the same time, untangling this particular knot of plot threads is often necessary for taking the printed page into live action.

Arianne Martell

In the novels, Arianne Martell, the daughter of Doran Martell, attempts to kidnap Myrcella Lannister in order to crown her Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Things do not go particularly well, the young Lannister loses an ear in the resulting scuffle, and otherwise, things carry on as they were before.

It’s understandable that this subplot would get the axe, but that doesn’t mean Martin isn’t planning to follow up on this in a future book.

Young Griff

“Young Griff” believes – or, at least, claims to believe – himself to be Aegon Targaryen, nephew to Daenerys.

While Jon Snow ultimately was revealed to have the birthname Aegon Targaryen in the show, in the novels there is more than one member of the family to bear the name, so Griff could still have appeared in “Game of Thrones.” Nevertheless, this character was dropped – possibly because he seems more like a plot seed for a future book from Martin rather than a fully formed character that the TV series could have made use of.

Erryk and Arryk Cargyll

How does Lady Olenna Tyrell ensure her own safety in the books? It’s in part thanks to her large bodyguards, Erryk and Arryk Cargyll, whom she refers to simply as “Left” and “Right.” The pair are huge, meaty men who are extremely loyal to their queen and who ensure she’s always protected from harm.

Losing this pair does make some sense – in “Game of Thrones,” Tyrell’s own notoriety is enough to keep her safe from her enemies.