I thought the setting was pretty well realized. Winterfell gave the impression that HBO spent enough money to make the setting look nice. I really liked the way the Wall and the North in general looked.
I also liked the casting. I thought the characters were pretty well chosen. There was nothing major that surprised me. I can even say that the few characters who I really wanted to punch in the face while I was reading the book looked like they could do with a few punches too.
I guess, for someone who read and who really thinks very highly of G.R.R. Martin's book, it is impossible not to compare the TV show with the book. That's the reason why I'm relying on my wife's reaction to say that HBO's Game of Thrones seemed to display the potential to be a very successful show. I wasn't surprised at all when I heard the news that they were going to start to film the second season.
