HBO's "Game Of Thrones"

In the opening scenes of "Game of Thrones," two dramatic events occur. The first involves the frightening destruction of a small group of Rangers from the Night Watch of the Wall by the Others, a race of powerful beings thought extinct to the world of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. The second surrounds the initiation of the viewer into HBO's newest series - and while it's not a surprise that the show is expertly produced, its genre is not one in which you'd expect a television series to flourish.

From the first scene, you'll know that "Game of Thrones" is not a bastard child of HBO's legendary highly-budgeted filmography. It's every bit as lushly produced as "Rome," echoing that award-winning series' penchant for epic vistas and dark undercurrents of treachery and power, but it also apes the debased emotional entanglements of "The Sopranos." Based on the bestselling books by George R.R. Martin, the series also sports a well-plotted tale of medieval murder and mayhem.

Westeros is a land where seasons occur randomly, occasionally lasting decades - and, as the denizens of the Northern city of Winterfell are apt to utter, "Winter is coming." It's not just a change in season for this ancient land; it's also a metaphor for civil unrest as control of the Seven Kingdoms goes up for grabs. Three houses are in the running for power: the noble Starks, led by Lord Eddard (Sean Bean) and Lady Catelyn (Michelle Fairley), the conniving Lannisters, whose three heads - Queen Cersei (Lena Headey), the charming Ser Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and the spicy dwarf Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) - are as slippery as siblings come, and the exiled Targaryens, fronted by foppish Viserys (Harry Lloyd) and his beautiful sister Daenerys (Emilia Clarke). The struggle for the Iron Throne, in Martin's hands, spans four novels and counting. HBO has determined to tell the story of the first book over the ten episodes of Season I.

The plot may be convoluted, but even the uninitiated will grasp the overarching struggles of these memorable characters. And we're not, after all, that unfamiliar with complex fantasy stories: fans of "The Lord of the Rings" will find, in "Game of Thrones," a narrative nearly as beautifully realized as Peter Jackson's. To wit, the pilot alone cost HBO $10 million to produce, and it shows: the scenic mastery, the costume development, expertly-integrated special effects, and even the creation of a new language implies a body of work on par - as usual - with the most audacious of theatrical releases. The differences? Writers/producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have ten hours to tell the story of one novel, so they're able to slowly marinate this potent, complex mix of characters and ramp to overt clashes between them. More importantly, they're freed by cable's demographic to execute on Martin's adult blend of sexuality, mired in a heady blend of fantasy inspired by historical fiction.

What's surprising is that, given the genre, the show is so universally accessible - and addictive. Credit Bean and Fairley for that; their performances are so utterly effortless. But the Lannisters - Coster-Waldau, Dinklage and Headey - are equally impressive as the show's corrupt antagonists. Dinklage, in particular, nearly steals the entire enterprise with his sardonic delivery, opining on the age-old struggles of the world's outcasts with the same aplomb with which he tosses multiple wenches in his bed. For those of you interested in the fleshy side of the joust, you can gleefully gaga over the musculature of Jason Momoa's Khal Drogo, whose nearly naked body graces the screen with affable regularity.

I've not read Martin's novels (although, as I write, I'm downloading the first into iBooks - the series is that good), but after the first two episodes I'm a fast fan of "Game of Thrones." Actually, not just a fan: I'm hooked. This high-flying medieval escapade might be a risk for HBO, but I'm willing to bet that it flies true, landing at the center of its target: a sizeable audience that develops cultish devotion to this remarkable new series. I, for one, am certainly in for the ride.

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Game Of Thrones premieres on HBO Sunday April 17 - check your local listings - www.hbo.com