3 min readSOME OF THE most successful franchises in modern entertainment are starting to figure something very important out: Bigger isn't always better. Sure, if you properly build up to an event like Avengers: Endgame it can be very epic and super cathartic. But Star Wars, for instance, should learn a valuable lesson from the excellence of Andor. It's not always about life-or-death stakes or an operatic struggle for power within the force. Andor succeeded because it told a compelling, human story—with compelling, human charcters—of struggle and conflict that we can see a reflection of in society today and society of decades past. It's not just a good Star Wars story—it's a good story, period.
Marvel, too, can learn such a lesson recently. Wonder Man didn't put its hero up against a sinister supervillain, and it didn't have a conflict with the fate of the planet depending on it. Wonder Man succeeded for Marvel because, again, it wasn't just a good superhero story, but a good story, period. It's not necessarily about the magnitude of the conflict, but how it's executed, and how people can relate to it.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, HBO's latest foray into the Game of Thrones world, has similar ridges in its DNA. While the original Game of Thrones series and House of the Dragon both tell huge stories of royalty, succession, life, death, and murder, the latest series is content to simply tell a story that takes place within the margins.
Sure, there are familiar names—Targaryens, Baratheons, and more—but the central point of this story is for us to get to know a guy (Peter Claffey) who just wants to be the best version of himself he can be. At its core, that's what we always want in a story. And fire-breathing dragons, if done well, can be the cherry on top.
Based on the Dunk and Egg novellas, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a slighter story than the typical Game of Thrones fare—and that's by design. The episodes, all ranging between 30 and 40 minutes, are quick, and that's by design. It feels like a classic serial series, lighter in tone, and breezy to get through. It's a great change of pace, and you won't want to miss a single episode.
Read below, and you can make sure you won't.
Watch A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Here
When do A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episodes come out?
New episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms generally release on Sunday nights at 10:00 P.M. EST, on both the linear HBO channel and streaming on HBO Max.
However, the season is now complete—so you'll have to wait for season 2 for another new episode.
When is the next episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms coming out?
All six episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are now available to stream on HBO Max—and you'll have to wait for season 2 for any more new ones.
How many episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are left in Season 1?
There are six episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in total, all of which have now aired.
Here’s the complete release schedule for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms:
Episode 1, "The Hedge Knight": Now streaming as of January 18
Episode 2, "Hard Salt Beef": Now streaming as of January 25
Episode 3, "The Squire": Now streaming as of February 1
Episode 4, "Seven": Now streaming as of February 6 (Debuted on HBO on February 8)
Episode 5, "In the Name of the Mother": Now streaming as of February 15
Episode 6, "The Morrow": Now streaming as of February 22
