Game of Thrones is a series well known for its adult content, from visceral battles and bloody duels to copious sex scenes and nudity. When it comes to shows to watch with your kids, it's definitely at the far end of the spectrum in terms of R-rated content, and parents should obviously proceed with caution if they decide to watch it with older teenagers. The same applies to House of the Dragon, the first prequel spinoff series, which has a similarly dark tone and deals with a horrific civil war between rival branches of House Targaryen.
But the newest series set in Westeros, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is a different sort of beast. This series takes viewers far from the halls of power, battlefields, and brothels of the first two shows, instead putting them squarely into the shoes of a fledgeling knight named Ser Duncan the Tall and his mouthy young squire, named Egg. Together, Dunk and Egg travel the Seven Kingdoms going on adventures; in this first season, they're off to a tournament at Ashford Meadow, where Dunk hopes to gain notoriety by competing in the jousts.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a much funnier show than either Thrones or Dragon, with a lighter tone that makes good use of its odd couple leads and shorter episodes that run only a half hour. As such, you may be wondering if this Westeros show is accessible enough to watch with your kids. After all, it's a comedy of sorts, right?
While A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is certainly a gentler watch than its predecessors, there are still some content warnings parents will want to know about. I've seen the entire season, and am here to break down what you can expect so you can make an informed decision about whether to watch with your kids.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms content warnings
- Nudity — This show does have nude scenes, including full frontal nudity. However, it does not have any significant sexual content, only references in dialogue. Imagine more scenes along the lines of the series premiere's now-infamous poop scene, or Dunk bathing naked in the river in that same episode.
- Violence & Gore — A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place almost entirely at a tournament, and it does feature some intense fight scenes. There is violence between combatants, as well as against animals. To use Game of Thrones as an example, the duel at the end of season 4 between Brienne of Tarth and The Hound is comparable to the peak of the action that happens during the first season of this series. It's not especially heavy on gore either, though there are a few disturbing images throughout.
- Alcohol & Smoking — Moderate alcohol use. It's a tournament! People are partying! You don't expect Lyonel "The Laughing Storm" Baratheon to attend this thing sober, do you?
- Profanity — It's Game of Thrones. Of course there is profanity, but significantly less of it than in either of the other series.
Ultimately, you know your kids and what you're comfortable showing them best. Whether you watch through the series once on your own to get an idea of what it's like, or take the leap and hope for the best, rest assured that you have a fun journey through Westeros ahead.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres new episodes Sundays at 10:00 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.