First Two 'Game of Thrones' Season 8 Episodes Both Confirmed to Be Under One Hour

With the final season of Game of Thrones quickly approaching, all anyone can anticipate is the biggest, most eventful season of pretty much any show in history. We're expecting the biggest battle the series has ever seen, many intense reveals, and questions we've had since Season 1 answered. Fans have also been excited at the fact that although this season will only be six episodes, they are expected to be longer, even compared to movies.

Well, it looks like the episodes may not in fact be as long as movies, or even longer than normal episodes. HBO has revealed the runtimes for the first two, and let's just say they're extremely disappointing.

As reported by fansite Winter is Coming, HBO has updated their schedule up to the Season 8 premiere on April 14, and the second episode which will air on April 21. As you can see in the screenshots below, Episode 1 will be 54 minutes, and Episode 2 will be 58. Yeah, seriously.

This news is similar to what an alleged leak from January claimed, as French TV group Orange Cinéma Séries reported the runtimes for every episode in Season 8 as follows:

Episode 801: 60 minutes

Episode 802: 60 minutes

Episode 803: 80 minutes

Episode 804: 80 minutes

Episode 805: 80 minutes

Episode 806: 80 minutes

Although they were incorrect--with the first two episodes at least--they were on the right track with the fact that they wouldn't be longer than normal episodes. All we can hope is that like this alleged leak, the real runtimes for the rest of Season 8 will be longer.

Game of Thrones returns on April 14.