Well, I disagree. The show needs a lot of exposition, it's part of the world building. The many different characters and factions and kingdoms would be terribly confusing if the writers would just rush into the action. The slow pacing and the time the show takes to properly introduce us to this world is one of my favourite aspects of the show. And I think the show takes a lot of time for the characters as well - just last episode the relationship between Arya and Ned was highlighted for example and the scene between the King and the Lannisters was all character exposition in a way that you don't see often on TV nowadays.

I've watched Legend of the Seeker, well, the first season anyway. The fact that I never really found the motivation to watch S2 says it all, really. I enjoyed the show to an extent, but overall it was too cheesy and too 'showy' for my tastes. I never really got invested in the characters, plus I am sick and tired of the overused 'doomed couple' trope.