(As of this publication, only the first five episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms have been aired.)

Regaining the trust of a disappointed fanbase is never a simple process. Over the course of the past few years we have witnessed large franchises (i.e. the MCU, Star Wars, Jurassic World) try to course-correct and not have it go according to plan. Unfortunately that is just the manner of things which befall popular franchises that are controversial or have some sort of nosedive in quality. 

The Game of Thrones franchise more than meets the criteria of a popular franchise that has lost the trust of a large percentage of its audience. The finale in 2019 was incredibly controversial (divisive would be the wrong word, as most of the fanbase agreed it was disappointing), due in part to the rushed nature of the last few seasons and the showrunner’s desire to be finished, which culminated in the future of the series being thrown up into the air. Some might say the gods flipped a coin on it. 

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (not to be confused with the second episode of the eighth season of Thrones) is the newest series set in the fictional continent of Westeros, telling the story of the escapades and adventures of famed hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall, also known as “Dunk”, and his squire, Egg. The first season, based on the novella “The Hedge Knight”, tells the story of Dunk’s entry into the Tourney of Ashford in order to make a name for himself following the death of the knight he squired for since childhood. 

The first thing to note about the season is that it is very much a stripped-down, smaller-scale story, eschewing the grand spectacle of later seasons of Thrones for a more character-based approach, taking place primarily in one location and focusing on a small core group of characters. That is not to say the season is without action, as there are several jousts taking place, but the story remains set on the perspective of Ser Duncan, and on some occasions his young squire Egg. Everything the audience sees is through their eyes, which stays consistent with the main show (and the books especially) and grounds the story to ante up suspense when things inevitably go wrong. 

However, the casual viewer may be off-put by the emphasis on humor the season has. ‘Emphasis’ is probably the wrong word, as it is not a late-MCU-level of jokes per minute, but there are certainly a greater number of directly comedic scenes compared to the main show. In many cases, I would criticize some of the crude humor and toilet jokes present, though for some reason, it only deepened the atmosphere of the tourney ground for me. The contrast between the goofy humor and the brutal violence later on is quite the jump, but feels right at home in the ‘historical fantasy’ aspect of the franchise. 

While the season, clocking in at only six-half hour episodes (though the premiere is about 42 minutes in length) is much shorter than anything else in the franchise, it does not fail to deliver on compelling characterizations. 6-foot-5 Irish former professional rugby player turned actor Peter Claffey stars as Dunk, who is a far cry from the archetypal knight character. (Note that he was mentioned most notably by Joffery in the season 4 premiere when he was looking at the Book of Brothers.) Game of Thrones had an emphasis on the concept of honor, and by extension, what it means to be a knight, with characters like Jaime Lannister, Brienne of Tarth, Jon Snow, and Ned Stark grappling with those ideas the whole show, and Claffey’s Dunk is no different. However, keeping in tone with the humorous nature of certain scenes, Dunk is in many ways a well-meaning buffoon. He wants to be taken seriously but is awkward when interacting with women or highborn lords, and a recurring gag depicts Dunk forgetting where entrances and exits are within castles or tents (thankfully it is not overplayed; it only happens twice). Once again, the humorous and bumbling nature of Dunk adds a new layer to the action sequences later in the season. Claffey is given quite a bit to do, even in such a short season, requiring him to be funny and charming and on a moment’s notice be reflective, dramatic, or even intense or intimidating. The character overall is a breath of fresh air given the brooding nature of many Thrones characters. 

Young actor Dexter Sol Ansell takes up the role of Egg, a kid eager for adventure far from home. His role in the show is interesting, as many of the leading characters in the Thrones books are all around Egg’s age, while they were aged up for the show (there are some moments not even HBO would be able to show, let’s face it), so Egg is the first time we have truly seen the brutal world of Westeros through the eyes of a kid. Bran and Rickon added a bit of that in the show, though they were usually away from the thick of things until season 6, unlike Egg, who sees firsthand men speared with lances during jousts, various barfights, and typical cruelty at the hands of spoiled highborn kids. Ansell also shows a great range of emotions and despite the shorter nature of the episodes, makes Egg feel properly fleshed out by episode 3. 

Other performances worth noting include Daniel Ings as Lyonel Baratheon, who has quickly become a fan-favorite, and Bertie Cavel as Baelor Targaryen, who in less than 15 minutes of screentime carries several of the season’s most emotional moments. 

The pacing of the season overall could realistically frustrate viewers, as the first few episodes are primarily focused on small interactions and much of the season’s action is in the latter half. Episode five also features a pivotal moment that is interrupted by a lengthy flashback, though the episode as a whole is really well balanced. Most shows have slow season openers, so it is trite to nitpick it here, but given the short length of the episodes and the season as a whole, the overall flow could be divisive for some people looking for more thrills and intricate plotting. 

Aside from the prior critique, everything about this first season is outstanding. The production design and costumes, despite a relatively small budget, are all on par with past Thrones outings, and might have surpassed the main show with its depiction of medieval armor and weaponry being painstakingly realistic. The music occasionally makes use of Ramin Djawadi’s iconic theme music, but primarily relies on more subtle, western-style string instruments than sweeping, majestic cellos. The cinematography is also more akin to westerns; there are more wide shots and an emphasis on simple natural beauty, like a lone tree in a grassland or the vast sky at night. The jousts and tourney sequences are suitably tense and there’s an immaculate action sequence set against a backdrop of dense fog that ranks alongside the Battle of the Goldroad and the Battle of the Bastards as franchise-best visual spectacle. 

An early concern about the series’ future was the number of novellas George R.R. Martin has written. As of 2026, he has only written three, the last one published in 2010 (a year before A Dance With Dragons, the most recently-published book in the series). However, a recent update stated that Martin had provided showrunner Ira Parker with around 15 concepts for short stories he can use to continue the series. HBO announced seasons 2 and 3 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, slated for release in 2027 and 2028, alongside House of the Dragon release dates. What is exciting, especially for fans of the franchise, is that unlike House, HBO has all but confirmed that seasons of Knight take only a year to produce, so a return to annual installments is very likely. 

With new leads, new visual and audible styles, and a new showrunner, HBO has another hit on their hands with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Despite a short length and slightly off-kilter pacing, these first five episodes have been truly thrilling to experience, and has proven that a world many thought to be dead many years ago has quite a bit of life left in it. 

Again, it would seem the gods flipped a coin, but for once, they got the result they wanted.