3 Seasons Left for 'Game of Thrones' (Most Likely)

Is the end in sight for our favorite show?

Season five of HBO's "Game of Thrones" has wrapped. Season six has many fans anxious, as, for the first time, the television show is outstripping the published series (A Song of Ice and Fire) upon which is it based, leaving your one friend unable to point out "that happened differently in the books."

Now everyone can panic even more, because an estimated ending for the series has been announced. HBO programming president Michael Lombardo says that it's probably eight seasons total for the hit show.

In the past, showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have said their goal was to do seven seasons.

"Seven gods, seven kingdoms, seven seasons. It feels right to us," Benioff joked.

However, Lombardo says that it will probably take eight seasons to wrap up the show.

"Seven-seasons-and-out has never been the [internal] conversation," Lombardo said. "The question is: How much beyond seven are we going to do? Obviously we're shooting six now, hopefully discussing seven. [Benioff and Weiss] feel like there's two more years after six. I would always love for them to change their minds, but that's what we're looking at right now."

Good news and bad news, considering most of us hope the show will carry on until we are all dust. But how about this news: according to Lombardo, there's also a possibility of a prequel series!

"There's enormous storytelling to be mined in a prequel, if [George R. R. Martin] and Dan and David decide they want to tackle that," Lombardo said. "At this point, all the focus is on the next few years of the show. We haven't had any conversations about [a new series] at this point."

What do you think of a prequel series for "Game of Thrones?" Would you tune in?