HBO Max introduces its latest series, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” marking the third adaptation from George R.R. Martin’s acclaimed “A Song of Ice and Fire” universe. This series follows “Game of Thrones” and “House of the Dragon,” and is based on Martin’s “Tales of Dunk and Egg” novellas. Set in a time between its predecessors, it offers a world where dragons have long died out and the iconic Ned Stark’s arrival at Winterfell is still almost a century away. As the story unfolds, Dunk, portrayed by Peter Claffey, embarks on a journey filled with encounters with familiar faces from the “GOT” universe. Initially, though, Dunk finds himself alone and struggling to secure his next meal. The series, created by Ira Parker alongside Martin, features a talented ensemble including Dexter Sol Ansell, Finn Bennett, Daniel Ings, Sam Spruell, and Bertie Carvel.

Opening Shot: Under a drizzling grey sky, three horses stand as a solitary man digs a grave on a desolate hillside. “I wish you didn’t die, Ser,” he murmurs.

The Gist: Dunk, short for Duncan, played by Claffey, has spent his life as a squire to the late Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb). Now, left on a rain-soaked hillside with only three horses, his master’s longsword, and scant belongings, Dunk faces an uncertain future. His next step? Head to the tourney at Ashford Meadow, located in The Reach, a region known for its love of such spectacles. Tournaments in this part of Westeros are grand affairs, filled with jousting, pageantry, and the allure of both glory and ruin. Dunk, grasping onto the legacy of Ser Arlan, decides to compete as a knight. It’s a gamble that could cost him everything, including his cherished horses, which he regards as companions.

Before he can test his mettle, Dunk must first gain entry into the lists. Arriving in Ashford, he is met with a maze of new experiences, potential allies, adversaries, and the hope that his claim of knighthood will be believed. One character dismissively describes a hedge knight as “like a knight, but sadder.” Early in his journey, Dunk meets Egg (Ansell), a young boy echoing Dunk’s own past as a fledgling squire. He also crosses paths with Lyonel Baratheon (Ings), known as “The Laughing Storm,” a nobleman with ties to key figures in “Game of Thrones.” As Dunk ventures forth, he embraces the teachings of Ser Arlan, navigating the open road with the unpredictable winds of Westeros guiding his fate.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Dunk’s gotta be admitted to the competition first. In Ashford he discovers a bewildering array of sights, sounds, friends, foes, and at least a little bit of belief that he is who he declares, though one observer defines a hedge knight as “Like a knight, but sadder.” Dunk meets Egg (Ansell) early on in this journey, a little boy who’s about his age when he became a squire. He encounters Lyonel Baratheon (Ings), aka “The Laughing Storm” (fantastic nickname alert), a wealthy lord and ancestor of some Game of Thrones principals. And he figures that, if he’s a guy with a wide open road before him, he might as well try to live like Ser Arlan taught him, for however long that lasts, and wherever in Westeros it might take him.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Doesn’t it seem like the drama phone is always ringing in George RR Martin’s study? While House of the Dragon co-creator Ryan Condal is an exec producer on AKOTSK, it sounds like Martin has opened another fissure of disagreement with his collaborator, and all this as HOTD Season 3 is slated to appear this summer. 

Our Take: For just a moment, let’s set aside What It All Means. The surnames you know from George RR Martin’s fantasy works are right there in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Buggering off in pavilions, being drunk and arrogant, shitting on the whims of smallfolk just trying to get by. We see them; we’ll see them again. But immediately, and with a helping of humor the size of an extinct dragon’s tooth, AKOTSK plunges us into one lowborn individual’s journey, and presents his perspective on life in this Medieval-influenced world. Dunk mentions familiar placenames and organizations – King’s Landing, the City Guard – but in a way perhaps similar to how a peasant in the Papal States of 1300 Europe would understand Paris as a place not of his concern. For this series, it’s about walking or riding through a larger world and its political and cultural headwinds, while wondering and striving over one’s immediate prospects. Consider the words of an innkeeper Dunk encounters on his way to the lists: “Knights are built the same as other men, and I never knew a joust to change the price of eggs.”

 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a nice reset on what we know from the Game of Thrones world, because it bites off smaller, more personal chunks, and focuses on the kind of characters who might have only passed by or died in the background of the prestige programs to which it connects.  

Performance Worth Watching: It’s our contention that Daniel Ings, as Freddy Horniman, stole The Gentlemen right out from under Theo James, and the second Ings shows up in AKOTSK as Ser Lyonel “The Laughing Storm” Baratheon, it might be the case that he’ll do some stealing again. 

Sex and Skin: Yeah, here and there. For instance, river bathing is always a thing in the GOT universe.

Parting Shot: “So the luck is ours alone.” There is a hint of promise at the conclusion of A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Episode 1, like butterflies in the belly that promise a new adventure.

Sleeper Star: Tanzyn Crawford plays Tanselle in AKOTSK, a poet and traveling performer who catches Dunk’s eye; we’re looking forward to where that thread leads.

Most Pilot-y Line: A binary is set up by Lyonel Baratheon that feels significant. “All men, in their way, wish for your help – or your head.”

Our Call: STREAM IT! A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms expands on and focuses in on what we know from Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, with satisfying touches of humor and heart to go with some of the larger themes of this imagined world.

How To Watch A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms

If you’re new to HBO Max, you can sign up for as low as $10.99/month with ads, but an ad-free subscription will cost $18.49/month.

If you want to stream even more and save a few bucks a month while you’re at it, we recommend subscribing to one of the discounted Disney+ Bundles with Hulu and HBO Max. With ads, the bundle costs $19.99/month and without ads, $32.99/month.

Johnny Loftus (@johnnyloftus.bsky.social) is a Chicago-based writer. A veteran of the alternative weekly trenches, his work has also appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, The All Music Guide, and The Village Voice.