By Ella Humphreys
Photo Editor
The last time audiences got a story set in the “Game of Thrones” universe was with the second season of “House of the Dragon” in early 2024. Now HBO has returned to the World of Westeros in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” The first episode premiered on Jan. 18, 2026, with the remaining five episodes releasing weekly every Sunday.
The television series is based on “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” a series of fantasy novellas written by George R. R. Martin, following the adventures of Ser Dunk and his Squire named Egg, 90 years before the main set of novels.
With the announcement of the series following the book of side tales, fans were rightfully wary since the latter seasons of “Game of Thrones” and “House of the Dragon” strayed so much from Martin’s writing, but the anticipation for a new adaptation in the world of Westeros only grew.
After “House of the Dragon” received mixed reviews, long-time “Game of Thrones” fans were eager for something that would remain true to Martin’s intention in the transition from writing to screen. With so much time passing between seasons, many fans hoped for something new and refreshing, rather than more misinterpreted storylines that strayed from the books of “A Song of Ice and Fire.”
The first episode started with a bang, as new characters were introduced and the beginnings of a great book-to-show shift were evident. The show starts with a sorrowful introduction to Dunk (Peter Claffey) and his now deceased mentor, Ser Arlan (Danny Webb). Arlan was a knight and Dunk his squire, and Arlan’s death left Dunk to discover his own path towards becoming a knight.
What makes the story so interesting and catching is the continuous ambiguity of Ser Duncan’s knighthood: whether his mentor properly knighted him before his death. The running mystery kept many fans on their toes as the episodes progressed.
Leading actor Peter Claffey described the show adaptation as “pretty bang on” to the novellas in a YouTube interview with Entertainment Tonight.
As the show progresses, newly knighted Dunk enters a tourney in Ashford Meadow and adopts the name Ser Duncan the Tall. The story shifts heavily when after a new batch of Targaryen royalty is introduced in a time when dragons no longer roam.
With a big leap away from the magic aspects of the original “Game of Thrones” series, many viewers have found it refreshing that “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is so vastly different, yet still has that typical flair of house politics and medieval elements. What has made the show so encapsulating to watch for many is the epic scenes of medieval combat that play out with the knights and nobility in the show’s later episodes.
In episode five, “In the Name of the Mother,” Ser Duncan addresses the gathered noblemen and women before going head to head with the Targaryen Prince Aerion (Finn Bennett).
“Watching [Claffey] really nail the ‘there are no true knights among you’ speech…It’s a really big moment. It’s a really pivotal to the series. It could be quite iconic,” Showrunner Ira Parker said in an interview with YouTube channel Stream Wars.
“In the Name of the Mother,” with Dunk’s epic speech and fight, easily became one of the highest-rated episodes on IMDb, reaching a 9.9/10 rating, surpassing that of the highest rated “Game of Thrones” episode, “The Rains of Castamere.”
Many viewer reactions to this episode include awe, high emotion, and stress for the characters, stress that has not been felt since the early seasons of “Game of Thrones.”
Parker prioritizes a “faithful adaptation” whilst still incorporating new scenes to build on the already well-built storyline. Martin himself put emphasis on how important it is to have a faithful adaptation following a beloved story.
Long-time fans of the books have widely agreed that book to show accuracy is important to guiding the story. New touches that don’t stray from the story but enhance it can make for a remarkable series.
The actors put a lot of dedication into perfecting their roles. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Bennett discussed the combat training that went into preparing for his role as Aerion Targaryen.
“We did horses in the morning, combat in the evening, day to night,” Bennett said.
The show averaged over 24 million viewers per episode globally, reaching a Rotten Tomatoes score of 94%, and becoming one of the most-watched shows on HBO, surpassing that of even the original “Game of Thrones” saga.
“I still don’t realize, actually, how big every, all the fans are and everything,” Young actor, Dexter Sol Ansell, who plays Egg, said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
With a second season confirmed, viewers now lie in wait for the next installment of this massive series and excited to follow Dunk and Egg on their next adventures.
Photo Caption: Peter Claffey stars as new knight Ser Duncan the Tall.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images