The 15th anniversary of HBO’s Game of Thrones has sparked nostalgia among its creators, particularly writer Bryan Cogman, who reminisced about his early experiences with the series. Cogman reflected on his first episode, titled “Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things,” which aired 15 years ago and was pivotal in his career.
Initially serving as an “in-house expert” in character backgrounds and family trees, Cogman contributed to the show's development from its early days in 2009. He collaborated with showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss in shaping the season’s narrative, ultimately being assigned writing duties for his first episode. Despite lacking prior writing experience, he was chosen to write for the show, a decision that stemmed from HBO's push to incorporate freelancers into the writing team.
In a recent thread on Bluesky, Cogman discussed the challenges faced during the episode's production, especially the pressure to tone down the fantasy elements. He noted that the creative environment at HBO allowed for collaboration between executives and writers, which he found invaluable. His role in the episode also marked his unofficial debut as an on-set producer, a position that Benioff and Weiss encouraged him to take on.