A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

An HBO fantasy series based on George R. R. Martin's Dunk and Egg novellas — a prequel to Game of Thrones and the third adaptation of his books. The first season follows the novella The Hedge Knight, set in Westeros roughly ninety years before the events of the main saga. Duncan the Tall — the towering squire of a poor wandering knight — buries his mentor, takes his armour and sword and rides to the tourney at Ashford to compete there as a knight in his own right. On the road a nine-year-old shaven-headed boy called Egg attaches himself to him and stubbornly begs to become his squire. At Ashford a commoner in another man's armour is refused entry to the tourney until someone of noble birth vouches for him, and Dunk has to prove his right to his spurs through courage. The boy turns out to be a prince of House Targaryen, and a quarrel at the tourney escalates into a trial by combat that brings together the most famous knights of the realm and the heir to the throne. The heir's death changes both Dunk's fate and the line of succession in the Seven Kingdoms. The series is a story of friendship and honour on the open road rather than a war between great houses, and it is shot on a small scale: the first season has six half-hour episodes, half the usual length for this world. Peter Claffey plays Dunk and Dexter Sol Ansell plays Egg; Bertie Carvel, Sam Spruell, Finn Bennett and Daniel Ings also star. Ira Parker served as showrunner, Martin worked on the show as writer and executive producer, and Dan Romer composed the score. The first season premiered on HBO on 18 January 2026. Critics received it warmly and called it the most humane adaptation of Martin's work; the season earned nine Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, and the network ordered a second season before the first had premiered.