A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Recasts Westeros with Humble, Comedic Focus
HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms adapts George R.R. Martin's Dunk and Egg novellas into a six-episode, dragon-free, character-focused prequel premiering on Jan. 18.
Overview
Created by George R.R. Martin and Ira Parker, the six-episode series stars Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan and Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg, debuting on HBO and Max.
Based on the Hedge Knight novella, the show follows hedge knight Dunk and his squire Egg at a countryside tourney, emphasizing smallfolk life and an unlikely buddy-comedy dynamic.
Set about 80–90 years before Game of Thrones and after House of the Dragon, it presents a relatively peaceful Westeros with no dragons and earlier Targaryen ancestors.
Critics note a lighter, comedic tone and focus on honor and ordinary lives; reviews praise chemistry between leads and the series' subversion of franchise expectations.
Season one adapts The Hedge Knight; HBO already greenlit Season Two from The Sworn Sword, while Martin says more Dunk-and-Egg stories may inform future seasons.
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FAQ
Peter Claffey stars as Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk), a hedge knight, and Dexter Sol Ansell as his squire Egg (Prince Aegon Targaryen).
The series follows hedge knight Dunk and his squire Egg during a tourney in Westeros, set 80-90 years before Game of Thrones, focusing on smallfolk life in a dragon-free, relatively peaceful era under early Targaryen rule.
Season one adapts George R.R. Martin's novella 'The Hedge Knight,' the first in the Dunk and Egg series, with Season Two greenlit for 'The Sworn Sword.'
It features a lighter, comedic buddy dynamic emphasizing honor, ordinary lives, and smallfolk, subverting expectations with humble focus rather than epic dragons or vast wars.
The six-episode series premieres on HBO and Max on January 18.
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