The highly anticipated Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is officially premiering this evening, and you don’t want to miss a minute of the exciting series. Following the characters Dunk and Egg, fans of George R.R. Martin’s works have been waiting to jump into the endearing world of the smallfolk for the small screen.
Instead of following the Great Houses and all of their shocking scandals, this new show revolves around a hedge knight looking to prove himself. But, of course, this is the Game of Thrones universe, so you can expect to see royalty as House Targaryen rules the Seven Kingdoms.
We’re breaking down the logistics of how and when to tune in for the premiere of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, along with things you can expect—spoiler-free, of course.
How to watch A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Like Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is an HBO show, meaning you’ll be able to watch the series through the channel HBO and the streaming service HBO Max. Episodes will be released at 10:00 p.m. ET every Sunday night, with episode 1 coming out on Sunday, January 18.
Episodes will be released weekly through the end of February, with the finale (episode 6) coming out on Sunday, February 22.
If you aren’t subscribed to either HBO or HBO Max, there is the option to add the streamer to other streaming services you might already be subscribed to. For an extra cost, you can add HBO Max to your Hulu account or your Amazon Prime Video account. This might be easier for you if you don’t want to commit to an HBO Max subscription and are really only using it for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Sign Up for HBO Max
But if you want to use A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms as an opportunity to subscribe to HBO Max to enjoy their full library of titles, that would be a great option, too! HBO Max is home to prestige television such as Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, and, more recently, Mad Men (through a licensing deal), as well as Discovery, TLC, and Adult Swim series, along with other offerings.
To sign up for HBO Max, all you’ll have to do is head to their website and choose between a few options. To start, you can select either a straight HBO Max plan (starting at $10.99 a month) or a bundle that includes HBO Max, Disney+, and Hulu (starting at $19.99 a month). Each option then has a few selections from there. We break down the regular HBO Max plans (without the bundle) below:
Plan | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|
Basic With Ads | -Stream on 2 devices at once | $10.99/month or $109.99/year |
Standard | -Stream on 2 devices at once | $18.49/month or $184.99/year |
Premium | -Stream on 4 devices at once (only 2 for Sports) | $22.99/month or $229.99/year |
There’s also a student discount option, which saves students a whooping 50%. Definitely take advantage of that if you’re enrolled in school.
What is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms about?
If you haven’t read the source material or haven’t kept up with the Game of Thrones universe, chances are you might not have any knowledge of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, but you want to tune in because it’s a Game of Thrones show. This is a standalone show, of course, so you don’t need to have even seen Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon to understand this one—though we’d definitely recommend watching both to enjoy it more.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is based on Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, which include The Hedge Knight (1998), The Sworn Sword (2003), and The Mystery Knight (2017). It’s expected that each season of the show will follow one book, so yes, that means the premiere season adapts The Hedge Knight.
The Hedge Knight follows protagonist Dunk, a.k.a. Ser Duncan the Tall, a newly-appointed knight who, after losing the man he squired for, who also helped raise him, travels to the town of Ashford to participate in a tournament. Along the way, he meets a boy named Egg, who, after enough pestering, becomes his squire.
Dunk grew up as an orphan in Flea Bottom, and while he’s eager to become a hedge knight, he still has a lot to learn about Westeros. The first season revolves heavily around the tourney and the people he meets.
As for the timeline, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place nearly 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones, meaning it’s a sequel to House of the Dragon but a prequel to Game of Thrones.
What to expect from episode 1
Based on what happens in the book and what we’ve seen in the trailers, here’s a general overview of what you can expect from the premiere (no spoilers):
It’s likely the premiere will open up with the death of Ser Arlan of Pennytree, Dunk’s mentor—this is how the book opens up, and it’s shown in the trailer, so we’re not spoiling!—which leads to Dunk’s decision to travel to Ashford. Arlan knighted Dunk before his passing, and Dunk now needs to decide what he’s going to do with his life. He’ll meet Egg in episode 1, and we anticipate that he’ll try to figure out how to enter himself into the tourney.
Other characters from The Hedge Knight will also be introduced in episode 1 as Dunk navigates Ashford, looking for a way to get into the tourney.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episodes are shorter than we’re used to with this franchise, and the premiere is reportedly 42 minutes long. That’ll cover introducing viewers to Dunk and Egg and the town of Ashford, along with setting up the main plot of the season.
And for any Game of Thrones fans wondering if we’ll see any characters we know from the TV shows in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, that’d be a no; however, we will be meeting new Targaryens and characters of other Great Houses you know. Members of House Targaryen, Tyrell, Baratheon, Hightower, and Beesbury, along with others, participate in the tournament.
Keep up with us at Winter is Coming as we continue to cover a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms! And don’t miss our weekly Take the Black podcast episodes with our reactions to the season.