Why Wonder Man and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms prove smaller-scale TV works

GamesRadar+ streaming editor Will Salmon argues that a string of recent spin-offs — notably Marvel’s Wonder Man and HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms — make a strong case for lower-stakes, smaller-scale storytelling on TV. Wonder Man is out now on Disney Plus and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is streaming on HBO Max.

Salmon describes Wonder Man as a low-key comedy about two failed actors in Hollywood, with surprisingly little in the way of traditional superheroics. He calls it his favorite Marvel project since Spider-Man: No Way Home and notes it leans into laughs even while hitting some emotionally heavier moments.

By contrast, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a compact low-fantasy adventure focused on a hedge knight and his squire trying not to get killed in Westeros. Salmon highlights the series’ gentle humor and the way it centers decent, beaten-down characters with an inherent nobility — a different tone from the larger, bloodier parent shows.

Salmon links both series to a broader pattern of smaller character-driven work: each is built around a double act and favors comedy and modest stakes. He also points to Star Wars’ Andor — a serious, grounded drama about an ordinary criminal turned resister — and Paramount Plus’s Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which skews more comedic and school-based than some of its sibling shows.

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