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The American cable channel HBO has earned a reputation for producing high-quality, innovative television series such as “The Sopranos,” “Deadwood” and “Sex in the City.” Its newest hit series is the fantasy epic “Game of Thrones,” which just finished its first season in the United States. But Indonesian fans will have to wait a bit longer to get their fantasy fix. HBO announced that its Asian stations will begin airing the first season on Aug. 28.

Although “Game of Thrones” takes place in a medieval fantasy setting, it has been described as “The Sopranos meets Lord of the Rings” due to its focus on family drama and political intrigue over dragons and sorcery.

The series has already proven to be both a critical darling and a ratings hit. It just earned 13 Emmy nominations, including nods for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Peter Dinklage, who plays snarky dwarf Tyrion Lannister.

A second season of the lavishly produced series was greenlit immediately after the first episode had aired.

“Game of Thrones” is based on a series of novels by George R. R. Martin called “A Song of Ice and Fire.” The series is mostly set in a fictional land called Westeros, which is something like medieval England, though with a few important differences. For one thing, in Martin’s imaginary world, the seasons change slowly and the harsh winters can last for years.

However, the motivations of the main players in “Game of Thrones” will be familiar to any student of politics.

The plot of the series focuses on the machinations of several noble families seeking to take control of the Iron Throne, the seat of power to which all seven kingdoms of Westeros pledge loyalty.

Karen Lai, a representative from HBO Asia, said viewers should be prepared for plenty of dramatic twists and turns as the members of the show’s huge cast of characters revealed their personalities and motivations.

“Everybody in the series exists in a gray area, as they each have both good and bad sides. Martin is also not afraid to kill off major characters, which is what makes it a very dynamic story,” Lai said.

While the series follows numerous characters throughout the lands of Westeros, its focus, at least in the first season, is on the Stark family from the kingdom of Winterfell. Ned Stark, played by Lord of the Rings’ veteran Sean Bean, is the ruler of the northern kingdom, which lies close to a great wall to keep dangerous creatures out of Westeros.

The series begins with the sighting of horrific creatures from beyond the great wall, known as white walkers. Ned Stark writes off the sighting as impossible since the creatures have not been seen in Winterfell for hundreds of years. Stark also has more pressing concerns to deal with — the death of the royal adviser to the king of Westeros, Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy).

The show is dense, with the number of storylines and characters increasing as the series goes on. The plot is filled with power struggles, epic battles, romantic entanglements and dramatic twists.

“Game of Thrones” is very much aimed at adults, and contains plenty of scenes featuring bloody violence, sex and nudity, most of which will likely be censored when it is aired on HBO Asia.

How the story will end is a mystery, with the series of novels that the show is based on not yet complete. Last week, Martin released “A Dance With Dragons,” the fifth book in the seven-book series. The first book, “A Game of Thrones,” was released in 1996, followed by “A Clash of Kings” in 1998.

“[The length of the books] is why we are making it into a TV series instead of a major picture — we wanted it to be done properly and not have to cut out any of the stories,” Lai said.

HBO plans to turn each of the series’ novels into a single season of television, meaning fans of fantasy and epic TV have six more seasons of “Game of Thrones” to look forward to.