Rome had a clear-ish idea of where it was going. GoT really didn't, and I think that's the difference. You can have decent writers, but they will still be set u

Rome had a clear-ish idea of where it was going. GoT really didn't, and I think that's the difference. You can have decent writers, but they will still be set up for failure if the showrunner only thinks in the short term (or if the source material is not complete enough). Sadly, I also believe this explains why most modern shows have awful finales or final seasons.