Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1Image via HBO
A week into its run, HBO’s new Game of Thrones spin-off, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, remains the top-rated installment of the sprawling fantasy franchise. The show is based on “A Song of Ice and Fire” author George R.R. Martin‘s “Tales of Dunk and Egg” novellas, and has already been renewed for a second season, which will debut next year. Co-created by Martin alongside Ira Parker, the six-episode series holds a higher Rotten Tomatoes score than both Game of Thrones and the franchise’s first offshoot, House of the Dragon. However, the audience doesn’t seem to be as impressed as critics. The “Game of Thrones” books and their television adaptations have a passionate fan base. But many of them are voicing their dissent by posting negative reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, which is dragging the show’s audience score down.
The new show currently holds a “certified fresh” 95% critics’ score on the aggregator website, where the consensus reads, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a welcome return to Westeros that works better in the buddy-comedy arena rather than solely slaying its competition.” By comparison, Game of Thrones’ overall Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score for eight seasons is 89%, while the overall critics’ score for House of the Dragon following two seasons is 87%. Famously, the final season of Game of Thrones was widely criticized by longtime fans and reviewers, which resulted in a 55% critics’ score and a 30% audience score on RT. On the other hand, the audience score for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has now fallen to 69%. Most criticism from “verified” audiences seems to revolve around the show’s tone, which isn’t as grim as that of Game of Thrones.
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Is More Comedic than Previous Adaptations of Martin’s Books
“Fake and cheesy,” wrote one viewer on RT, while another described the show as “corny,” and a third viewer called it “slapstick.” A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms stars Peter Claffey as the titular knight, and Dexter Sol Ansell as his squire, Egg. In her mixed review, Collider’s Therese Lacson invoked Game of Thrones’ divisive final season, and wrote, “This is not a series for those who might have tuned in and out of Game of Thrones and can’t tell the difference between Tyrells and Martells; it’s a show for the die-hard fans.” A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs new episodes on HBO every Sunday. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Release Date
January 25, 2026
Network
HBO
Showrunner
Ira Parker
Peter Claffey
Ser Duncan ‘Dunk’ the Tall