Fantasy TV shows often base themselves on prior work, whether it be from novels, movies, video games, or even comics and graphic novels. This is because a lot of fantasy shows have a huge world with a lot of lore, so it's just more practical to bring an already existing universe to life rather than try to craft a new one (although this has still been done).

George R. R. Martin, for better or worse, knows storytelling. But the man behind the biggest fantasy series in the world, a series which famously did not stick the landing in any way, shape or form, has a bone to pick with another series that once caught the imagination of the viewing public. From the very start, viewers were wowed by polar bears, smoke monsters, cursed numbers, secret bunkers, time travel, and while Martin was one of them, he had a big problem with the grand finale.