A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has debuted to a solid Rotten Tomatoes score, with critics suggesting that the Game of Thrones spin-off "has the potential to be the best of the franchise".
Ahead of the new show's premiere on Sunday, January 18, the lucky few who've seen it early rolled out their verdicts on January 13 – resulting in an 83% fresh rating on the review aggregator. For comparison, Game of Thrones' first season and previous spin-off House of the Dragon's opener both pulled in 90% scores.
Based on George R. R. Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, it follows the titular chevalier (Peter Claffey) and his young squire, Aeron Targaryen (Dexter Sol Ansell), as they strike up an unlikely friendship and stumble into a series of dangerous situations.
GamesRadar+ gave the show four stars in our A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review, as we praised its "narrower scope", lead performances and its ability to switch between "dramatic" and "heartfelt" moments.
"Energizing the franchise, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms maintains its focus on the often overlooked smallfolk, behaviorally unconventional lords, humble livelihoods, and occasionally repulsive aspects of the lives of those born outside nobility," added Screen Rant's Jordan Williams.
"This show makes it clear that fantasy television can still surprise you, and when it comes to the genre, bigger isn't always better," Kaiya Shunyata wrote over at RogerEbert.com, while Indiewire's Ben Travers said: "Game of Thrones and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms still occupy two sides of the same coin. Where the former tried to illustrate the danger lurking in the hardened hearts of men by baring witness to their darkest nature, the latter acknowledges those bad men are out there before steering its horse in the other direction."
"It's a story that doesn't need the pyrotechnics of dragon fire because it has plenty of human heart, soul, and heroism," echoes Collider's Meghan O'Keefe.
Elsewhere, Radio Times' Lewis Knight claimed it's the "best visit to Westeros in nearly a decade". A bold statement, seeing as the last three seasons of Game of Thrones and two seasons of House of the Dragon have been released across during that time.
Not everyone loved it, however, with The Independent's Louis Chilton awarded it just two out of five stars. "It's only in this final spell that A Knight starts to feel more like Game of Thrones; up to then, it feels utterly separate, operating in some sort of bizarre tonal otherworld," he argued in his review.
"Knight might have been airy and fun but is instead torturous and drab, a pointless exercise in franchise-extension that scratches none of the original itches nor creates anything particularly exciting and new," said USA Today's Kelly Lawler.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres on HBO on January 18 in the US, before landing across the pond on Sky Atlantic/NOW the following day. Never miss an episode with our guide to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms release schedule.
For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Game of Thrones shows and movies.
