Why A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Breaks A Game Of Thrones Runtime Tradition Explained By Creator After Audience Complaint

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has broken a major Game of Thrones tradition with its runtime.

Game of Thrones episodes typically run for nearly an hour, with even the longest runtime clocking at 82 minutes. The first spinoff, House of the Dragon, continued that trend with episodes running no less than 54 minutes.

Surprisingly, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms ended that streak, with each episode running closer to the 30-minute mark. The longest is the premiere episode, which ran for 42 minutes. It’s an issue that has been raised by audiences, who feel that the new spinoff feels too short, especially since the series only has six episodes for season 1.

While speaking with GQ, show creator Ira Parker defended the decision behind the 30-minute runtime, saying that: “Even before going to George, we knew that’s what it could be. HBO had offered that up already.” He admits that the shorter duration “made it easier” to adapt the series, but he “sort of” had to convince “George that this could be done as a television series [and done] well. One of his big concerns with this being a faithful adaptation is that it just does not stretch out to that level.”

The shorter runtime was the better route because “We weren’t stretching. We weren’t doing any strange side quests with Dunk and Egg. We wrote it as if George had written a three-hundred-page book.” Parker felt that he had “fun” in adapting the story, which in turn, made the process “natural” and “easy.”

“Him [Martin] knowing that HBO wasn’t going to force that—then we could just have fun. Then we can hang out in Westeros. We can get to know Dunk and Egg better and their relationship better. Season one, we can introduce a little bit of our Trial-ers [of the Seven] before it comes to the main showdown. Lyonel Baratheon has a much bigger part in the show than in the book, where I think he has one line right before the trial. A lot of that was very natural. It was very easy.”

Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon’s hour-long episodes are warranted since both series rely on telling multiple perspectives on an epic level, especially since the characters are in different locations. In contrast, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms focuses on the central story of Ser Duncan and his squire Egg, which also makes it more character-driven. Plus, the story’s nature has lower stakes compared to its predecessors, where there are no major wars in Westeros.

The series is an adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s novella series called Tales of Dunk and Egg. Those stories are significantly shorter than the main Game of Thrones book, which can be nearly 600 to 700 pages long. This makes the spinoff even more faithful to the books due to the concise, more focused narrative, without having to add fillers for the sake of runtime.

Dunk sitting in a field in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

The decision is also vital, given Martin’s criticism of the other shows. While the acclaimed author has been open about the disappointment with Game of Thrones season 8, the adaptation issues have continued with House of the Dragon. The writer shared that his relationship with the showrunner, Ryan Condal, has been “abysmal.”

Parker, on the other hand, has been adamant about making sure that Martin was satisfied with the new HBO series, saying: “It was clear how close he was to this material, and how much he loves the stories and these characters. I made it my mission to make him happy this season.” Ahead of its release, the author heavily praised the show, calling it “incredible” and “as faithful an adaptation as a reasonable man could hope for.”

While viewers have complained about the short runtime for the new spinoff, that doesn’t come without good reason. Each episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has wowed audiences with the story’s tight narration, the dynamic between Ser Duncan and Egg, and the Targaryen drama. The most recent episode, “Seven,” received near-universal acclaim as Ser Duncan must face a trial of seven in a life and death situation.

Thus, it’s clear that even with the runtime concerns, it seems to have little impact on the reception, as the series currently has a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Plus, the story won’t be over yet, with HBO already renewing the series for season 2.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has two episodes left, which will air on Sundays on HBO Max at 10 PM ET.