Before Game Of Thrones, HBO Adapted A George R.R. Martin Story For A Horror Anthology

George R.R. Martin has become one of the world's most cherished creatives. That may sound like a tad dramatic, but the man has truly conquered the pop culture landscape. Originally known best for the book series that inspired "Game of Thrones," i.e. "A Song of Ice and Fire," those works have since inspired a massive HBO franchise that's turned Martin into a superstar, even beyond the comic book convention crowd. But long before "Game of Thrones," Martin collaborated with HBO on a whole other project.

Specifically, the author and the premium cable network once crossed paths on a horror anthology series titled "The Hitchhiker." Very basically, the 1980s TV series focused on a wanderer who would introduce creepy tales each week, with Martin's horror short story "Remembering Melody" serving as the basis for the second season episode of the same name.

Initially aired by HBO on November 27, 1984 (as the second episode of "The Hitchhiker" season 2), "Remembering Melody" revolves around Ted Miller (David Dukes), a self-centered lawyer who reunites with his former fling Melody (Susan Blakely), who is still clinging to her hippie ways. However, when Ted allows her to stay at his apartment, Melody soon comes to realize that he's now a materialist in the worst way.

Martin's original story was published in the early '80s, which was around the time that "The Hitchhiker" premiered on HBO in 1983. The show is hardly discussed these days, though, especially since HBO later produced a much more fondly remembered horror anthology series in the form of "Tales from the Crypt." For that reason, it's not surprising that even many hardcore Martin fans wouldn't know about it.

Each episode of "The Hitchhiker" was bookended by a mysterious wanderer known only as The Hitchhiker (hence the name), whose stories all tended to explore the darkness of humanity in some sense. The title character was originally played by Nicholas Campbell, but his run only lasted three episodes. Page Fletcher took over for the rest of the show, which ultimately spanned 85 episodes over six seasons.

It's also worth pointing out that "The Hitchhiker" is currently unavailable to watch through any convenient means and is not on HBO Max or any other mainstream streaming service at the moment. That's probably because the show moved to USA Network for its fifth and sixth seasons. Between that and the various production companies involved in making it, the series' rights are undoubtedly an issue.

HBO has produced some of the greatest shows of all time, but "The Hitchhiker" is a relic from the network's earlier days before it entered its prestige TV era thanks to stuff like "The Wire" and "The Sopranos." It's truly a (somewhat) lost artifact of a different time in the history of one of the most important television networks ever. Similarly, "Remembering Melody" itself stands as a precursor to one of the most fruitful partnerships in recent memory.

Looking ahead, HBO is set to once again undergo a dramatic shift. Assuming Paramount closes its deal to acquire HBO's parent company Warner Bros., Paramount+ and HBO Max will be combined into one streaming service, for better or worse. Rest assured, though, the new brass will undoubtedly want to stay in business with Martin until further notice. If it ain't broke ...