While that’s true, the introduction of dragons at the end of S1 was the hook. The dragons were the most important aspect of the show, with the “anyone can die” thing being second. Also such a strong cast of characters including multiple strong women.
I truly think prequels without dragons will fail. Which means the others currently being developed, like the 10,000 Ships one about Nymeria, will likely fail to get a green light. The Dance was the best prequel idea, and I’d argue the next best prequel idea would be Aegon’s Conquest.