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A petition calling on its makers, HBO, to redo season eight has been signed by more than 500,000 disgruntled fans, BBC reports.

The latest series of the popular show - based on George RR Martin's books - has faced a barrage of criticism online.

Disappointed viewers have taken umbrage with the show's narrative structure and the fate of beloved characters.

The Change.org petition, launched after this week's penultimate episode was aired, goes further by demanding a complete do-over "with competent writers".

It argues that the show's writers, David Benioff and DB Weiss, "have proven themselves to be woefully incompetent".

The writers, the petition charges, have "no source material to fall back on", alluding to the unfinished books season eight is loosely based on.

Because Mr Martin's next book, The Winds Of Winter, is still a work-in-progress, the TV series has a different ending.

"This series deserves a final season that makes sense," the petition reads. "Subvert my expectations and make it happen, HBO!"

Those who signed the petition left comments saying the final series "seems rushed", "totally disrespected the author" and threw eight years of character development "down the drain".

Given the reported cost of each episode - an estimated $15m (£11.7m) - HBO is unlikely to cave in to the petition's demands.

The final episode of the fantasy drama is due to air this Sunday on HBO.