We finished watching the US/Netflix adaptation last night, and it really was just as good as promised (maybe even better -- Liam Cunningham's character is every bit as fun and deep as Tyrion Lannister, in spite of the offhand comment implying otherwise). Will wait a couple of weeks to check out the Tencent/Peacock version.
I still recommend the books a lot, of course, but like the article's author, I recognize that plot, not characters, is the strength of the novels.