This happens so often when a sequel or prequel gets made after a highly successful show has made its mark...Once that benchmark is set, it can be a tough if not Impossible act to follow... Such is the case here..There Are exceptions to this rule such as the Battlestar Galactica remake of the old original series wherein the successor Exceeded the original in every metric.. So it happens, but not here with GOT...Right off the bat, the initial opening scenes with the dragon and the young girl who is I guess, this shows version of Daneerys, All these scenes show a CGI that is severely lacking compared to GOT...The color palete looks faded, lacking detail and really, it looks like a computer rendered background that would not fool anyone... yes of coursre, it IS computer rendered but a good CGI will Not draw attention to that fact..It will Make you Believe... Not so here......The Dragon in the opening scene looks Wayy off which is wild since the original GOT had dragons rendered with cinema quality appearance of the highest order...Quite frankly, these dragons here look pathetic, lacking detail, menace, or sheer presence...its absent.... Being that there are 10 dragons in this show, maybe this is the runt of the litter but they Should have done Better.. As for the acting,initially I was offput by the casting and as many commented, I didnt feel an immediate connection with anyone here...Upon wading thru the 1st half of the show, I Will say that elements of the original GOT's vibe and atmosphere Are there and Do infuse some of the scenes , especially those with the young princess and her father and the dialogues of the father and Damon...Its not totally absent ,it IS there but in the format of a lighter budget show with lower caliber actors and effects and sets...Its Not so bad that you Cant get into it and I'd suggest suspending the sure to come judgements till you are a few shows into the series...Theres hardly any new series that doesnt need a few shows under its belt to hit its stride and hook in the viewers... most new casting feels stiff and wooden as actors are just getting Into their roles and have yet to inhabit them to the point of being Convincing...Yes, this show too is doing the wokeness theme and politically correct diversity dance as is just about Everything these days.. it is what it is and its part of the new world consciousness, it infuses Everything ...it can seem too "forced" and not a natural expression of the storylines when writers and casting try to conform to and make the story fit these current trends... that said, if you loved GOT, which i do , then certainly this is worth a watch to see how it evolves...why complain when a favorite series is given further expression? Enjoy it for what it is and those who do not want to see it, turn on Something Else...Simple as that!