A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a lighter, uneven Game of Thrones spinoff

Time says A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, premiering Jan. 18 on HBO, explores a more playful side of Westeros, opening its premiere with a deliberately crude scene that signals the show's lowered tone.

Based on George R. R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas and created by author and showrunner Ira Parker, the six-episode first season (about 35 minutes apiece) confines its attention to two humble leads — the hedge knight Dunk (Peter Claffey) and his squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) — after the death of Dunk’s mentor Ser Arlan (Danny Webb). The series favors a small, often comic pairing in a single setting before shifting toward murk and gore late in the season, and the reviewer calls out anemic plotting and spotty attempts at humor.

The show has already been renewed for a second season as part of HBO’s promise to deliver new Thrones content every year through 2028. The review notes the production meets the franchise’s technical standards and that Claffey and Ansell have genuine chemistry, but finds the crude humor and scant plot leave the debut feeling like an overgrown prologue — "too benign to hate," and "too meager to love."

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Culture, Seven Kingdoms, Ira Parker, Peter Claffey, Dexter Sol Ansell, Hbo