A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

HBO’s A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS 🌲 (2026)

“A true knight always finishes his story.” and lucky for us, this one is only just beginning.

Every decade has had its standout fantasy adventure. In the 2000s, it was The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter film series, and in the 2010s, it was Game of Thrones. The 2020s have certainly tried to deliver their own bold, captivating epics with Rings of Power, Wheel of Time, and House of the Dragon, to name a few, but none quite broke through the noise and claimed the cultural throne—until now.

HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is an Arthurian-like tale centered on a down-and-out squire, Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall, who has just buried his mentor and now sets out to become a knight in his own right. On his way to the Ashford jousting tournament, he meets a young boy named Egg who, against Dunk’s wishes, insists on joining him. From there, the two find themselves caught up in a string of misadventures and, in one case, a life-or-death battle, forcing them to confront what knighthood and honor truly mean.

I loved every second of this show.

Whether it’s the heartwarming, big-brother/little-brother dynamic between Dunk and Egg; seeing the royal families of the realm in a new light (shoutout Ser Lyonel Baratheon!); or the show’s ability to take a simple premise, a man trying to become a knight, and shape it into a dark fairy-tale adventure that became the talk of Sunday nights and Monday mornings… it all works.

We’ve been missing culturally impactful shows like this, stories that genuinely bring people together and infiltrate the zeitgeist because of the work itself, not the noise surrounding it. Especially in the fantasy genre, which had started to feel like a relic of a bygone era.

Unlike House of the Dragon, which carried over the same sense of looming hopelessness from Game of Thrones, this feels like a breath of fresh air. This series immediately subverts expectations from the very beginning by having the theme play over a horse relieving itself, signaling that this story won’t be quite what we expect.

There’s an Arthurian quality to this tale, not in a “chosen one” sense, but in the idea of a man destined to cross paths with high lords of the realm and leave his mark in the most resounding way possible. There’s no glory in honor here, and that works perfectly. Virtue untested is no virtue at all. We see Dunk embody the true definition of knighthood, while quietly putting those around him on notice, revealing how far they fall from what they could and should be.

Peter Claffey brings a grounded, physical sincerity to Dunk that makes every decision feel weighty, but Dexter Sol Ansell is the revelation. At eleven years old, he delivers one of the strongest child performances in recent memory. Sharp, layered, emotionally present in every scene. He doesn’t just keep up, he commands attention.

By the time the season closes, you’re not just invested, you’re comforted, inspired, and a little nostalgic for something that somehow feels both classic and brand new. I’m beyond excited for what’s to come. I left the season feeling like, “I could be quite happy in a place like this.”

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a rags-to-knighthood tale that reinvigorates the fantasy adventure genre—and stands tall as an early standout series of 2026. 

Enjoy!

9.1/10 🍿 🎥

Runtime: 30mins

Episodes: 6

Where: Now Streaming on HBO Max and Crave

The Richmond Reviewer A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Review (2026) - March 1st, 2026.

#AKnightoftheSevenKingdoms #GOT #GameofThrones #Fantasy #PeterClaffey