Long before HBO Max and throughout the latter half of the 20th century, television was relatively safe and predictable. The main characters on TV shows always possessed plot armor, and, regardless of the danger they would find themselves in during the inevitable end-of-episode cliffhanger, things would always work out for them the following week as they escaped the clutches of a diabolical villain or emerged unscathed from some disaster or accident. There were a few exceptions, but by and large, studio executives were extremely risk-averse and unwilling to disrupt the tried and tested status quo.
Source：https://www.cbr.com/hbo-game-of-thrones-eddard-starks-death/
