All you need to know about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the HBO miniseries- including the release date, cast, episodes, plot, timeline and where to stream.
The anticipation for the Dance of the Dragons to ember up again is quite real. HBO is bringing us back to Westeros for something quieter, cozier and delightfully, disarmingly different. Suspend the bloodthirsty politics of King’s Landing and the impending doomsday. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms turns down the spectacle level and turns up the soul, swapping thrones and prophecies for dusty roads, tavern fare and the relationship between a travelling knight and his sharp-tongued squire.
It’s smaller in scope but bigger in heart—it’s an intimate, endearing, and perfectly timed reminder that you don’t always need dragons to spin a great tale in Westeros.
If you can’t wait to get your grimy Westeros fix without dragons hogging all the attention, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is your next binge. This HBO gem began airing on January 18, 2026, and believe me, it’s already got everyone talking—especially now that we’re half-way through the season on February 5.
| Episode | Release Date on HBO/Max |
| 1 | 18/Jan/2026 |
| 2 | 25/Jan |
| 3 | 1/Feb |
| 4 | 8/Feb |
| 5 | 15/Feb |
| 6 | 22/Feb |
Though Game of Thrones was a high fantasy political epic and House of the Dragon is a Shakespearean family tragedy, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms plays in the Adventure/Buddy Comedy genre wrapped in the grimdark medieval world.
As writer and executive producer, George R.R. Martin keeps the “Dunk and Egg” novella spirit alive.
“The Hedge Knight,” the first novella, was the basis for Season 1. He is Ser Duncan the Tall, a huge, lumbering “hedge knight“—a knight who has no lord and has no fixed abode.
Dunk elects to enter a tournament at Ashford Meadow to win a little money and maybe some honor following the death of his lord. There, too, he meets Egg, a baleful, fiery, childish monk who persists in trying to be his squire.
What is a simple quest to win a tournament for glory soon becomes one of the biggest political scandals of the time. Dunk, through a series of interactions, also accidentally ends up at odds with several Targaryen prince’s, precipitating a trial by combat that will alter the course of Westerosi history. Unlike the existential stakes of all these other series, the ”conflict” is intensely personal, and operating within the laws of the land.
| Character | Actor | Description |
| Ser Duncan the Tall | Peter Claffey | A former rugby player standing at 6’5″, Claffey embodies Dunk’s physical prowess and “thick as a castle wall” sincerity. |
| Egg | Dexter Sol Ansell | The enigmatic, bald squire, who has a quick wit and a concealed lineage, is played by the 9-year-old breakout star. |
| Aerion Targaryen | Finn Bennett | The ruthless and prideful prince who acts as the main antagonist of season 1. |
| Baelor “Breakspear” Targaryen | Bertie Carvel | The finest of the Targaryen line is the noble Hand of the King and heir to the throne. |
The small-scale is one of the most exhilarating parts of this production. There are no giant dragon battles (yet), so the money bags are going toward costume design, practical sets, and good writing.
The producers and George R.R. Martin is said to have been very hands-on. Fans are especially enthusiastic for the “Trial of Seven,” a peculiar aspect of Westerosi justice in which fourteen knights battle at once. This scene’s choreography has been a significant technical achievement for the production and should give us a form of battle we haven’t seen in the franchise before.
Production was based mostly in Northern Ireland, returning to the “home” of the original Game of Thrones series. This series, however, has the advantage of a more centralized production, giving it a cohesive, rustic look as opposed to the multi-country shoots of House of the Dragon (Spain, Portugal, UK).
The series is anticipated to be six episodes in length for season one. This recipe for fewer episodes likely means a lean, focused narrative without the “filler” that’s so common in today’s streaming series.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has a TV-MA rating for its depiction of violence, language, sexual content and subject matter—standard HBO grittiness, nothing you’d want your kids to see. It’s rated 18+ in such countries as Argentina, Ireland and Canada (18+), with the likes of MA15+ (Australia, New Zealand) and 16 (Germany/Finland) equivalents.
Critics adore its fresh, character-driven version of Westeros, garnering a 90%+ on Rotten Tomatoes – the highest first-season score in the Thrones franchise, outranking Game of Thrones (89%) and House of the Dragon (87%).
User reviews from Metacritic have similar scores with an average of about 8/10, citing strong leads, chemistry, and wholesome heroism even with the slower pace.
Viewers are divided: 72-77% on Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter, with Episode 1 at 8.5/10 on IMDb, many enjoy the lighter tone and heart of the show, but some complain about the lack of big battles, slow pacing, or toilet humor. It’s dominated the HBO Max rankings, showing Martin’s world continues to reign.
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If you’re wondering where to see A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, it’s HBO’s gem — streaming only on HBO and Max globally, with convenient add-ons for your favorite e-tailers. To date, all four episodes are out and you can watch them on February 5, 2026.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a welcome change of air for the World of Ice and Fire. It is the tale of the smallfolk, the honorable defeated, and the flashes of sudden valor that take place leagues beneath the Red Keep. Whether you’re a devoted reader who’s been longing for two decades to see “Dunk and Egg” brought to the screen or a casual fan looking for another adventure, this series looks like it will be a journey well worth taking.
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Check out the best TV shows of 2025, including the must-watch dramas, sci-fi, thrillers, and streaming hits you must watch this year.
2025 has been a surreal, wonderful, and completely hectic year in television. The breathless breath-holding of 2024 was behind us in 2025, and everyone could exhale—and wow did they have a lot to say. Let’s look into the list of Best TV shows of 2025 to binge watch on weekends.
There are: everything from the revival of the traditional hospital drama (hello, Noah Wyle) to sci-fi prequels that actually, somehow, lived up to the hype. There were hockey players falling in love, Seth Rogen mocking his own industry, and Vince Gilligan showing, yet again, that he views the world through lenses unlike the rest of us.
If your head is spinning from all the “Must-Watch” lists, just breathe. I’ve spent more hours on my couch this year than I care to admit, all of which went towards crafting this: a human, honest, spoiler-light guide to the absolute best TV shows of 2025.
Let’s be honest: none of us were getting enough 1990s ER adrenaline rush. We just didn’t realize how much until The Pit came crashing down. Noah Wyle back in medical scrubs was like a warm embrace from an old pal, but don’t let the nostalgia baiting fool this isn’t Dr. Carter 2.0.
Wyle stars as Dr. Michael Robinavitch and there’s a more grimy, frantic and weary feel to the series than that of its spiritual predecessor. It expresses post-pandemic exhaustion of those in the medical field in a way that is almost tactile. The camera work is frantic, the dialogue is overlapping all the time, and you can feel the tension in your chest. It’s not just “good TV,” it’s, like, necessary TV. It’s a love letter to the people who keep us alive, written in blood, sweat and hospital cafeteria coffee.
Vince Gilligan, of course, is the architect of such dazzling and trailblazing series as If “Pluribus” was a surprise, it probably means that he is doing something completely new and different, which is exciting. Leading the superb Rhea Seehorn (at last she’s getting her due!), the series centers on a cynical romance novelist, Carol, who is attempting to navigate a world altered by a bizarre alien virus.
It’s insane sci-fi-sounding, but in typical Gilligan style it’s really about people. “It’s about loneliness, artificial intelligence and what it means to be ‘human’ when humanity is facing its own demise.’’ Seehorn is magnetic—she can do more with a silent stare than most actors can do with a monologue. It’s strange, it’s silent, and it will be lingering in your mind for DAYS. If you enjoyed the character-driven suspense of Better Call Saul, this is your newest obsession.
I was skeptical. We all were. Another Alien movie, do we really need it? Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) saw our doubts and pulverized them with a xenomorph tail.
Obviously set on Earth, and years before Ripley ever boarded the Nostromo, this series takes the horror home — literally. It combines the Weyland-Yutani corporate greed with the visceral terror of a creature that simply should not be on this planet. The special effects are Hollywood quality, but what makes it work is the patience. Hawley allows the dread to build slowly to the point that you’re yelling at your TV. It’s the first time in decades the franchise has been scary rather than just gross.
Black Rabbit does none of that — though, to be clear, that’s not a criticism — but what it does deliver is a darkly funny, taut little drama in which two of Hollywood’s most magnetic stars go head to head in two-hander theatre. Jason Bateman and Jude Law star as siblings – one a responsible restaurant owner, the other a chaotic agent of destruction – caught up in the New York criminal underworld.
It’s classic noir territory, made perfect. Bateman plays against type as the “screwup” brother (Vince), and Law is the straight man (Jake) trying to keep it all together. The best way to describe the tension is to say that it’s suffocating. It’s a slow burn that explodes in the final episodes, reminding us that family is often the most dangerous thing of all.
IT: Welcome to Derry is one of the 2025’s best horror series, bringing Stephen King’s terrifying universe to new horizons full of scares and lore. Set in 1962 Derry, Maine, the HBO Max prequel exploresPennywise’s origins and the town’s cursed history through a new group that stops aside the original Losers’ Club.
The series centers on a group of new kids—Teddy, Phil, Lilly and Ronnie—probes into missing children and strange occurrences four months after one of their classmates goes missing. Military tension is added with Major Leroy Hanlon arriving at Derry Air Force Base amid icy treatment and top-secret missions. Episodes lurk in dread through psychological horror and social undercurrents of small-town America — and with glimpses of Pennywise’s influence — and slow-burn suspense with shocking reveals.
“Adolescence,” a heartbreaking miniseries on teen violence, family breakdown, and social abandonment, had its world premiere on Netflix in 2025. Following 13-year-old Jamie Miller who is arrested for stabbing a classmate, the four-part drama from Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham is told through raw, single-take episodes that are uncomfortably real.
With each hour-long episode taking place over a single uninterrupted day in real time – like a stage play on steroids – the perspective shifts to various other consequences: the mayhem at the police station, the family disintegration, psychological tests, and courtroom brinkmanship. Stephen Graham commands as dad Eddie, a policeman whose world crumbles; rising star Owen Cooper (actually 15) as Jamie seizes scenes with his explosive cocktail of charm, rage, and lost-child fragility. It’s called “TV perfection” for its emotional economy and refusal of easy answers.
The Studio Apple TV+ show centers on neurotic Hollywood executive Matt Remick (Rogen), who is suddenly tasked with running Continental Studios, balancing money-making IP like a Kool-Aid Man movie with his dreams of art-house treasures with filmmakers like Scorsese.
Andor Season 2 definitely set a new standard for Star Wars storytelling, turning in a finale that thrilled from beginning to end. The White Lotus season 3 blasted off its typical mayhem from Thailand and didn’t disappoint with how unpredictable and dramatic it would be. Meanwhile, Dexter: Resurrection takes a half-decent stab at righting a few of the show’s past missteps, and in doing so redeeming itself somewhat.
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Whether it was aliens, doctors, or hockey players, the finest programming this year centered on relationships. They made us remember the reasons we watch: to be comforted in our solitude, to laugh at the absurdity of existence, and to see our own faces in the maelstrom. So get your remote, order some takeout and dive in.The golden age of TV isn’t over — it just evolved
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Game of Thrones Star Sophie Turner confessed about returning in a GOT Sequel as she is the only performer who is happy with season 8 ending
Sophie Turner, who grew up on screen as Sansa Stark, recently confessed she felt like she was “one of the only” performers happy with her ending. Her point of view gives a fascinating look into why the finale worked for the Queen in the North, but froze pretty much everyone else.
HBO has also released its Game of Thrones production calendar for years to come, with content scheduled yearly until 2028, including additional seasons of House of the Dragon and Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
To know why Turner was happy, you have to see where Sansa started. She was just a pawn — a naive girl hoping for a fairytale wedding in the viper pit of King’s Landing. She was battered, bartered and brainwashed over eight seasons.
For Turner, Sansa’s ending wasn’t about power; it was about safety. The actress has stated that
Sansa ceased wanting that throne once she saw the poison that came with it. Her journey was about taking back her home, not taking over the world.
One moment in the finale that stuck out for Turner was when Sansa interrupts her uncle Edmure with a biting “Uncle, please sit down,” that moment was a standout for Turner. It was a woman who was finished with the posturing of men who played war games as her people starved and froze. Sansa winning Northern independence made sense. It was, as Turner said, “earned.”
However, Turner’s happiness makes the desperation of the other characters quite serious. If Sansa’s outcome was a straight line, everyone else’s was a scribble.
The most heartbreaking response belongs to Emilia Clarke. When she was handed the scripts at Heathrow airport, she didn’t just read them but she went into a crisis. Clarke remembers walking around London for five hours –
“I had blisters on my feet”
— Clarke said
She also acknowledged that her character, a feminist icon and liberator, could become a genocidal tyrant within just a couple of episodes is a shock. Clarke’s fear extended beyond the character herself to the fans (and icons like Beyoncé) who find inspiration and strength in Daenerys.
Then there was Conleth Hill (Varys). Through the documentary The Last Watch you can track the moment his soul seems to vacate his body. Varys, the Master of Whispers, was executed for a botched, brazen betrayal that ran counter to his character’s intelligence. Hill confessed to being “inconsolable”, as he thought his character had been made “peripheral” and dumb.
Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark) didn’t feel pride when he read that Bran would become King, he thought it was a prank. He genuinely believed that showrunners had sent fake scripts to everyone in which the characters each took the throne to see who would leak it. That response is indicative of the confusion among the audience – if the actor believes it’s a joke, the story build-up clearly wasn’t there.
Kit Harington (Jon Snow) has admitted that the cast was “f—ing exhausted.” The final season was 11 months in the making. The “Long Night” battle required 55 nights of shooting in a row in freezing mud. When all was said and done, the actors were physically and emotionally drained. They did not have the strength to question character logic, they just wanted to make it out of production.
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The Direct had the chance to talk to Sophie Turner while on a press tour for Amazon Prime Video’s Steal, and of course, the subject of Game of Thrones came up. When asked if she would be interested in reprising her role as Sansa Stark in an HBO sequel, Turner was torn, commenting on how it “would be really hard but also incredible:”
Sophie Turner’s satisfaction is valid because Sansa’s storyline’s one of the few that endures scrutiny of her choices. But her confession that “nobody else was really happy” just confirms what we have all suspected. The Game of Thrones cast didn’t blow us away in the finale – they left us utterly split, the audience confused, and a Queen in the North who is definitely feeling herself.
Turner didn’t rule out a return in an HBO follow-up at all, by telling she’d have to read the script before making any decisions.
“Coming back could be either a really joyful thing or you’re trying to recapture something special that maybe isn’t there to be recaptured — and for me, that all comes down to the strength of the script,”
—she said.
The contrast is stark. The Starks “won”—Sansa got the North, Arya got freedom, Bran got the world but morally ambiguous characters like Jaime Lannister and Daenerys were reduced to tropes. Seasoned actors like Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister) waited on the sidelines, bewildered as the show’s intricate political chess became checkers.
Sophie Turner’s satisfaction was never about being first but it was about what makes the best storytelling. Sansa Stark was all about survival, evolving and steely resilience. She wasn’t after glory, she reclaimed her home. Then she was Queen in the North, the ending felt earned.
That much clarity simply highlighted how inconsistent the rest of the finale was. Daenerys’ precipitous descent, Varys’ errors in judgment, Bran’s meteoric ascent, and Jon Snow’s impasse as a romantic lead left not just fans, but actors, discombobulated.
Game of Thrones didn’t collapse — it broke. And in that broken ending, Sansa Stark was still one of the few characters whose story actually made sense.
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