A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: Full Release Timeline, Cast and Crew Lineup, and Story Details — The Definitive Preview

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms saddles up from creators Ira Parker and George R.R. Martin, bringing the beloved Tales of Dunk and Egg to life. Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell lead a cast featuring Finn Bennett, Bertie Carvel, Tanzyn Crawford, Daniel Ings, and Sam Spruell, with Martin, Parker, Ryan Condal, Vince Gerardis, Owen Harris, and Sarah Bradshaw executive producing.

We are headed back to Westeros, but not the dragons-and-doom version. 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' lands January 18, 2026 on HBO, and it is built to be breezier, funnier, and yes, shorter. You can jump in cold without a PhD in Targaryen family trees, or treat it as a side quest if you already speak Valyrian. Either way, here is everything you need before the premiere.

When and where to watch

Season 1 premieres Sunday, January 18, 2026 on HBO and HBO Max at 10/9c. There are six episodes, each running about 30 minutes. That half-hour length is intentional: the season adapts 'The Hedge Knight' novella, which is lean and focused, so the show keeps the pace tight.

Episode titles are still under wraps, but the weekly rollout looks like this:

Episode 1 (Jan 18): Directed by Owen Harris, written by Ira Parker

Episode 2 (Jan 25): Directed by Owen Harris, written by Aziza Barnes and Ira Parker

Episode 3 (Feb 1): Directed by Owen Harris, written by Hiram Martinez, Annie Julia Wyman, and Ira Parker

Episode 4 (Feb 8): Directed by Sarah Adina Smith, written by Aziza Barnes, Annie Julia Wyman, and Ira Parker

Episode 5 (Feb 15): Directed by Sarah Adina Smith, written by Hiram Martinez, Ti Mikkel, and Ira Parker

Episode 6 (Feb 22): Directed by Sarah Adina Smith, writer TBA

So what is this one about?

Set roughly 50 years after the last Targaryen dragon died, the story follows Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk), a newly minted hedge knight trying to make a name for himself, and Egg, the shaven-headed kid who becomes his squire and is quietly a Targaryen prince. No dragons, no White Walkers, no continent-spanning war maps. Instead, we are in tourney camps, market towns, and the kind of taverns GoT usually blew past.

Season 1 covers 'The Hedge Knight': after Dunk's mentor, Ser Arlan of Pennytree, passes away, Dunk heads to the Ashford tourney to prove he is the real deal. He meets Egg on the road, lands in hot water when he intervenes after Prince Aerion attacks a Dornish puppeteer named Tanselle, and winds up answering those charges via trial by combat. Prince Baelor backs Dunk so he can participate as Ser Duncan the Tall. Dunk wins, Aerion withdraws his accusation, and in the aftermath Prince Maekar suggests Dunk take Egg to Summerhall for training. Dunk counters that the kid will learn more traveling the realm than cloistered in a royal residence.

The vibe (and the trailers)

HBO dropped the first teaser at New York Comic Con, then put it online October 10. Fans immediately clocked the lighter, more playful tone George R.R. Martin had been hinting at. A final trailer followed on December 5, showing more Dunk-and-Egg banter and a few very spiky Targaryens. Expect grounded scuffles instead of apocalyptic battles, more smiles than scowls, and a lot of story packed into a tight half-hour.

How it differs from GoT and House of the Dragon

This is Westeros without the nuclear options. No dragons, no undead armies, no giant war set pieces. It is about the smallfolk and the margins — armorers, puppeteers, barmaids, sellswords — with a royal shadow still looming overhead. The Targaryens are clinging to power a generation after their last dragon, and people are increasingly asking why they still get to call the shots. There are still fights, just not the Battle of Winterfell kind.

Credits and the choice you will notice immediately

The series is created by Ira Parker and George R.R. Martin, based on Martin's 'Tales of Dunk and Egg.' Executive producers include Martin, Parker, Ryan Condal (House of the Dragon), Vince Gerardis, Owen Harris, and Sarah Bradshaw. Directors this season are Owen Harris (Episodes 1–3) and Sarah Adina Smith (Episodes 4–6).

One bold swing: there is no big Game of Thrones-style title sequence or Ramin Djawadi theme this time. Instead, the show uses a simple title card with medieval typography. Parker told Entertainment Weekly that it is a deliberate choice to fit this story. Is it a bummer to lose that iconic theme? A little. But it suits the smaller, more intimate scope.

Cast and who they are playing

• Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall: The nearly seven-foot-tall hedge knight with a gentle core and a lot to prove. Raised poor and squired by Ser Arlan of Pennytree, Dunk is built like a battering ram and behaves like a decent human, which is rarer than it should be in Westeros.
• Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg: The future Aegon V Targaryen, currently a sharp, funny kid who shaves his head to hide who he is. You might have seen Ansell in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
• Finn Bennett as Prince Aerion 'Brightflame' Targaryen: Vain, cruel, and dangerously convinced of his own myth. The history books remember him for drinking wildfire because he thought it would turn him into a dragon. Bennett has said he blasted Rage Against the Machine to connect with Aerion's turmoil. Fair.
• Bertie Carvel as Prince Baelor 'Breakspear' Targaryen: Dark-haired thanks to Dornish heritage, noble by nature, and respected enough to swing opinions. He steps in for Dunk when it actually matters.
• Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle: A Dornish puppeteer at the Ashford tourney, nicknamed Tanselle Too-Tall for her statuesque height. Aerion targets her, Dunk intervenes, and everything spirals from there.
• Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel 'The Laughing Storm' Baratheon: Heir to Storm's End during King Daeron II's reign, beloved by the smallfolk, a top-tier fighter, and fond of laughing loudly in the face of enemies. Martin has teased this one as a crowd-pleaser.
• Sam Spruell as Prince Maekar Targaryen: The fourth son of King Daeron II, prickly and impatient where Baelor is charismatic. During the tourney events of 'The Hedge Knight,' he accidentally kills his brother and dreads being branded a kinslayer.
• Guest cast: Ross Anderson (Ser Humfrey Hardyng), Edward Ashley (Ser Steffon Fossoway), Henry Ashton (Prince Daeron 'The Drunken' Targaryen), Youssef Kerkour (Steely Pate), Daniel Monks (Ser Manfred Dondarrion), Shaun Thomas (Raymun Fossoway), Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (Plummer), Steve Wall (Lord Leo 'Longthorn' Tyrell), Danny Webb (Ser Arlan of Pennytree).

Martin's take (and it is glowing)

George R.R. Martin has been unusually effusive about this adaptation. He has called Dunk and Egg his favorites and said the show sticks close to what he wrote, even down to how the leads look and behave.

"I have seen all six episodes now (the last two in rough cuts, admittedly), and I loved them."

He also told Collider the series is softer and more humorous than people expect from fantasy, and that that is the point.

Road ahead

A follow-up season is already in early development, which says HBO feels good about this one. If you want to read ahead, the Dunk & Egg timeline so far is 'The Hedge Knight' (1998), 'The Sworn Sword' (2003), and 'The Mystery Knight' (2010), with more novellas Martin has titled but not yet published: 'The She-Wolves of Winterfell,' 'The Village Hero,' 'The Sellsword,' 'The Champion,' 'The Kingsguard,' and 'The Lord Commander.'

Bottom line

Shorter episodes, smaller stakes, big heart. If 'Game of Thrones' was the world on fire and 'House of the Dragon' is the fuse, 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' is the quiet, funny, surprisingly warm story happening just off to the side. See you January 18 at 10/9c.