I love the Game of Thrones universe and, while House of the Dragon is still in the middle of its run, the wait between seasons is long. Perfect timing for another show, set in the same universe but a different timeline, to come along and help pass the time. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is adapted from Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin’s 1998 novella “The Hedge Knight”. Let’s pause for a second: for such a great show, there are no good nicknames for this title. “Games of Thrones” rolls right off the tongue. You could even call it “Thrones” for short. House of the Dragon is now solely known as the iconic “Hot D”. But A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? That’s too long to say all the time. “Knight” sucks, “AKOTSK” isn’t anything, I’ve taken to sometimes calling it “Not Hot D” but that’s still a little long. I think “Dunk and Egg” is really the best option but that’s not even the name of the show. If anyone has better ideas, please let me know! Sorry for the tangent, but I think this is an important element of this discussion. Because while this show seemed to premiere to little fanfare (much less than expected for something in the same universe as the cultural phenomenon that was Game of Thrones), it grew over the course of the season to widespread love and acclaim from fans and critics alike. So it needs a good nickname because it seems like a show we’ll all be talking about for a while.

The third book-to-screen adaptation from George R.R. Martin’s fantasy world, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place about 80 years after House of the Dragon and 90 years before Game of Thrones. So right in the middle of the two existing television series in a time of relative peace. And that’s just one way this show differentiates itself from its predecessors. Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are both sprawling epics about civil wars, high-level politics, and, of course, dragons. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has none of that. Not even dragons. We’re in the period after the original dragons have died out and Daenerys has yet to resurrect them. A few people still alive can remember seeing dragons in their youth but, to most, they’re a fantasy. This story doesn’t deal in fantasy. It follows Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), a knight (or is he?) who has just lost the knight he squired for for most of his life, Ser Arlan of Pennytree. Now alone in the world, Dunk is in search of purpose and money. He decides to enlist in a tournament at Ashford to prove himself as the prestigious knight he dreams of being. Along the way he encounters Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), a tiny, bald boy who begs to be Dunk’s squire. The arc of the season spans just a few days at this tournament with Dunk and Egg. It’s a classic “lone wolf and cub” tale with the older character reluctantly taking the child under his wing, and realizing he can learn a thing or two from him. Their relationship is the heart of the show and we hate to see it threatened, especially when revelations about Egg’s past change their dynamic completely. But the show is also about the meaning of knighthood. What makes a “true knight”? Is it just being officially knighted or is it the values and virtues you fight to uphold? Dunk’s beliefs in knighthood are challenged when he comes up against other knights and nobles at the tourney and he realizes that status and honor don’t necessarily go hand in hand.

Also contrasting from the previous shows is the tone of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The season is six episodes that are all less than 45 minutes in length and are edited like a half-hour comedy. They’re filled with jokes and cutaway gags. Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon have their more comedic moments, but not as intentionally as this. The idea is that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms isn’t as consequential in the grand scheme of things as the previous shows. It’s small stakes. It communicates this from the opening credits. There are no world maps or extensive family trees, just a simple title card. Because (theoretically) history isn’t relevant. The creators want people to be able to watch the show without doing any homework (aka having watched Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon). It does, at times, feel like a chill, hangout show. The characters and the vibes are so perfect it pulls you in. It could have been 12 hours of Dunk and Egg just chatting and doing nothing and I would watch it. The score also feels very Western at times, like out on the open range, which fits with the vision co-creator and showrunner Ira Parker was going for. He told Variety, “… we try not to get too bogged down in history. These are nice, little contained journeys. It’s an action adventure series, almost. It’s Dunk and his squire having fun and adventures, getting into trouble.”

To have the show rest so squarely on its characters means you need performers who can support it and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has some of the best casting I’ve seen in a long time. Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell were both born to play these roles. They are literally Dunk and Egg. Peter is a former rugby player taking on his first major starring role as Dunk (but don’t think I forgot about his small part in Bad Sisters season 2!). Not only is Dunk the lead role, but the camera stays on him for the majority of the show, unlike other Games of Thrones shows that cut between multiple characters and storylines. We’re with Dunk for the entirety of his journey. Peter’s performance is open and sincere. Dunk tries to act tough, and his size often helps him pull it off, but he’s like a big teddy bear who wears his heart on his sleeve. Egg, on the other hand, is sharp and mysterious but also a spunky kid. Dexter is nine years old and is probably the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. My heart just about burst every time he was on screen. The two characters balance each other out perfectly. Egg is knowledgeable where Dunk is naive. Egg is small and spry where Dunk is tall and lumbering. Their contrasts lend to comedy but also bonding. And, at the end of the day, Egg is a little kid but Dunk is just a big kid. The supporting cast of characters were all incredible as well: Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Baratheon, Bertie Carvel as Prince Baelor Targaryen, Sam Spruell as Prince Maekar Targaryen, and Finn Bennett as Prince Aerion Targaryen (unrecognizable from his role on True Detective: Night Country) all gave memorable performances.

While the show kind of sold itself on being almost a standalone tale that just happens to take place in the world of Game of Thrones, it did end up evolving into a full-blown Game of Thrones prequel. As more and more information was revealed over the course of the season, it took all my willpower not to start Googling things about the characters. I also had such a good time being back in this world, I really wanted to rewatch Game of Thrones, but it has spoilers for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms AND House of the Dragon so that rewatch will have to wait. As for the future of this show, a second season is already in the works and is set to release next year (take that Hot D production schedule!). Season 1 told the story from “The Hedge Knight” novella while season 2 plans to tackle book 2, “The Sworn Sword”. Beyond that, Ira Parker told Variety, “The planned books that George has take Dunk and Egg through their whole lives. I’ve joked about this with HBO, to which I’ve definitely got some eye rolls, but I would love to do three, four or five seasons with Egg the boy and then come back in five or 10 years and do a few more with Egg the [spoiler]. Then come back in five or 10 years from then and do him at the end of his life — Linklater method. They go off, do whatever they want to do in between, they can have lives, then we come back and get the crew back together and we tell a little bit more of the story because I think it would be really interesting. The idea of taking two people on a journey through their lives, I haven’t seen a lot of that.” Whatever they do and wherever they go, I will be there. I really loved this show. I thought it was a fresh take on a world we’re very familiar with, it was smart and thoughtful and silly and fun and cinematic, and I would give my life to protect Dunk and Egg. That’s how deeply they’ve already burrowed into my heart. Can’t wait for more adventures with them!

2026 Count: 13 movies, 7 seasons of television, 0 specials