A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review: "This Game of Thrones spin-off is a surprisingly heartfelt and fun return to Westeros"

By now, Game of Thrones is synonymous with dragon fire-fueled civil wars and supernatural armies marching through the frost. But, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the third entry in HBO's ever-expanding universe adapted from George R.R. Martin's fantasy novels, self-consciously sets itself apart from all the pomp and pageantry of its forebears by narrowing its scope to a knight and his squire – and that's what makes it instantly refreshing.

Here, it's not the fate of the kingdom at stake but the reputation of one man: Peter Claffey's Ser Dunk the Tall. Dunk, a former squire himself, has only recently been knighted following his master's death. Left alone in the world, he has no coin and no clear path forward. So, like any good adventurer, he sets off to make his fortune. Dunk intends to enter a great tournament, which, if he can win, would reward him with not just money but also a future. After all, Dunk is but a hedge knight: a knight with no name, no land, and no prospects.

But even a hedge knight needs a squire. Enter Dexter Sol Ansell's Egg, an unusual, precocious child with a headstrong attitude who is convinced he must squire for our hero. It's a match made in Westerosi heaven, as their unlikely bond becomes an emotionally resonant exploration of what it truly means to be a knight in as brutal a world as the Seven Kingdoms.

An unlikely partnership

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms wastes no time in establishing that, much like Dunk, it's forging its own path. That rousing, familiar theme tune is unceremoniously interrupted in a rather graphic manner in the opening moments of the show, and the light-hearted humor doesn't let up from there. Dunk is eminently likable, played with endearing sincerity by Claffey. He's lumbering and awkward – not helped by his towering height, which leads him to a couple of painful bashes of the head against a low ceiling – and he trips easily over his words in front of his so-called betters. But Dunk has a heart of gold and a noble sense of the duty a knight has to uphold what's right, which means that, no matter how blundering he may be, it's impossible not to root for him. At this point in Westerosi history, the kingdom isn't quite such a nest of vipers, so Dunk's earnest nobility is admirable rather than naive.

The show falls halfway between House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones on the timeline, in a period of calm before the inevitable storm. Targaryens still abound, of course, and their presence at the tournament quickly adds peril to the proceedings. Finn Bennett's Prince Aerion is a cold-blooded threat and an easy villain to root against, the smug antithesis of everything Dunk's good-hearted, kind nature stands for. The standout, however, is Bertie Carvel's Baelor, the wise and level-headed Hand of the King (the king himself is absent). Dunk's storyline entangles him with this dangerous royal family, for better and for worse, and in a way that has surprising ramifications for the future – the show's ethos is that anyone, even a lowly hedge knight, can influence the course of history.

But at the heart of the show is the bond between Dunk and Egg. Ansell is a real standout as the odd but lovable Egg, and, while Dunk starts out reluctant to accept Egg as his squire, there's no denying Dunk needs him – just as Egg, who seems as alone and rudderless as Dunk, sorely needs Dunk. As the show progresses, so does their unique partnership. Dunk begins to unlearn some of the less heartwarming behavior his own master modelled for him, while Egg gets a taste of the adventure (and responsibility) he clearly needs. The show's exploration of the meaning of knighthood doesn't just involve values of honor and decency: the relationship between a squire and his knight is also central. It's a bond more multifaceted than one of family or employment, after all. Watching this duo come to know each other and establish their touching dynamic is truly delightful, whether they're bickering in the tournament's crowd, celebrating a win at tug-of-war, or stargazing under the open sky.

The only real drawback here is that, all too soon, the plot interrupts their bonding just when it gets in the groove. While it doesn't hamstring the show by any means, it is a shame to lose such a special element of the storyline after a relatively short amount of time. Each episode is a slender 30-40 minutes, and it's hard not to wonder if the first half of the season might have benefited from a little longer spent exploring the status quo before the plot moves into darker territory.

Return to Westeros

Indeed, while the stakes might be lower and the focus smaller, a mid-season development ratchets up the tension for Dunk, who finds himself in serious trouble. The show does lose some of its charm when the tone darkens, though this shift also allows it to lean fully into its rousing, underdog themes – including a cheer-worthy moment that is an early TV highlight of the year – as well as that classic Game of Thrones penchant for serious consequences following every decision. An intense episode revolving around muddy hand-to-hand combat is breathtakingly brutal and visceral.

Similarly, the show's narrower scope doesn't preclude Westeros from feeling like the vast, bustling, fraught union of kingdoms explored in previous shows. The bulk of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms might take place in the single location of the tournament, but there's no sense of a diminished world. Instead, this is clearly just a snapshot of Westeros, complete with flapping tents, armored knights, sweeping scenery, and no-holds-barred action.

In the same vein, the show is restrained with how much A Song of Ice and Fire lore it incorporates, but it doesn't ignore the series' mammoth mythology. It's an accessible entry point for newcomers with no background in the Targaryen dynasty or Westeros's complicated politics. But, for longtime fans and scholars of Martin's work, there are plenty of nods to the wider universe and its history that make the show a rewarding watch. Perhaps the only stumbling block here is that who's who in the Targaryen family can be a little hard to follow at times.

It's this willingness to shrink Westeros to one knight and his squire – without ever ignoring the wider world – that makes the show work so well. It has the feeling of a pleasingly classic tale, one that could've been lifted from the legends of knights of long ago, but with that distinctly Westerosi twist.

Two shows deep into the Game of Thrones world, the specter of oversaturation loomed over A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Showrunner Ira Parker, though, has delivered a resonant, at times dramatic, and always heartfelt tale that needs only six episodes to earn its place in the Song of Ice and Fire pantheon, expertly grounding itself in familiar Game of Thrones trappings while also striking out effectively on its own. It turns out franchise fatigue is a far easier foe to face than a dragon.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms releases on January 18 on HBO in the US and January 19 on Sky and NOW in the UK. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Game of Thrones shows and movies, as well as the biggest new TV shows for 2026.