Very rarely does a book series get as good an adaption as Game of Thrones. The HBO adaption of A Song of Ice and Fire has hit that sweet spot of remaining faithful to the source material while also becoming its own creative work. Part of the reason it is able to achieve this is because the creative forces behind the show do a great job of bringing the various characters to life. The casting of Game of Thrones has been, for the most part, impeccable. Actors such as Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage are perfect for their roles, so much so that George R.R. Martin and showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss considered them their first and only choices. While many of the actors perfectly represent their characters onscreen, some of them actually elevate the character above their on-page origins. Much of the time this is the case with the side characters; characters of which we only saw through the eyes of another character in the books. Sometimes its because that particular actor brings extra nuance to an otherwise simple character on page; other times they bring their own natural charisma, making it their own. In other words, Game of Thrones, while certainly faithful to the books, isnt beholden to them, and thus allows the actors the freedom to explore their characters on their own terms. So with the fourth season of Game of Thrones right around the corner, now is a great time to look back at prior seasons and put the spotlight on some characters that are better realized on-screen than in the books. Yes, heresy I know, but the show has a knack for fleshing out peripheral characters, and when this is combined with the right casting, they become better realized than they are in the books. So here are 10 characters from the books who are actually better on the tv show.
