A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is now on HBO: a very different Game of Thrones series

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiered on HBO on January 18, 2026, and it takes Westeros in a smaller, more character-driven direction. Set 100 years before Game of Thrones, the series adapts George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg, beginning with The Hedge Knight. It follows Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire Egg through inns, roads, tourneys, and the holdings of minor lords, far from the usual palace scheming, civil war, and dragon-sized spectacle.

If what you wanted was a lighter, quieter stretch of Westeros, one built around honor, friendship, and the ordinary life that happens between the realm’s major disasters, this one’s worth your time. Critics have singled out the chemistry between Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell, even if audience scores have landed in a more mixed place. Even so, the first season reportedly still averaged 36 million viewers worldwide per episode and picked up 9 Emmy nominations.

Season 2 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has already been renewed. It’s expected to adapt The Sworn Sword for an early 2027 release, with filming reportedly already wrapped.

You can watch A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on HBO.