I’ve been so excited about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and it really feels different from Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. It’s a much more focused story, following Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire, Egg, during a tournament. Usually, anything from this world gets decent reviews – except maybe the last season of Game of Thrones! – and this show is generally well-received too, though it definitely has a unique feel all its own.
I really enjoyed A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and thought it was a fantastic adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg. It felt like a welcome change for the series. However, opinions seem to be mixed. As of today, critics give the first season a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while general audiences only give it 64%. This creates some interesting records for the show within the larger franchise on that review site, including:
- The highest-rated first season of any Westeros show with critics. Game of Thrones Season 1 and House of the Dragon Season 1 both have 90%.
- The lowest-rated first season of any Westeros show with audiences. Game of Thrones Season 1 has 96%, and HOTD Season 1 is a still-respectable 82%. Indeed, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ 64% is the second-lowest audience score in the franchise, behind only GOT Season 8 (30%).
- The 31-point difference between critics and audiences makes this the most divisive season of the entire franchise. This was previously held by GOT Season 8, which has a critics’ score of 55%, 25 points above its audience score.
| Show/Season | RT Critics Score | RT Audience Score |
|---|---|---|
| Game of Thrones Season 1 | 90% | 96% |
| Game of Thrones Season 2 | 97% | 97% |
| Game of Thrones Season 3 | 96% | 97% |
| Game of Thrones Season 4 | 97% | 97% |
| Game of Thrones Season 5 | 93% | 91% |
| Game of Thrones Season 6 | 94% | 93% |
| Game of Thrones Season 7 | 93% | 81% |
| Game of Thrones Season 8 | 55% | 30% |
| House of the Dragon Season 1 | 90% | 82% |
| House of the Dragon Season 2 | 84% | 72% |
| A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 | 95% | 64% |
Why Is A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms So Divisive?
Even though not every installment has been perfect, this series consistently sets a high standard, which has both helped and hindered the latest offering, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Interestingly, critics and audiences seem to be reacting to the same aspects of the story, but their opinions differ dramatically.
Critics have really enjoyed the show, calling it a refreshing change of pace for the world of Westeros. While it’s less focused on huge conflicts and has a more lighthearted feel, it still manages to be heartwarming and heroic, and offers a surprising amount of depth. However, some viewers are finding it different from what they expect from this series—it’s smaller in scope and moves at a slower pace, which won’t appeal to everyone. Many people, including myself in my review and commenters on Rotten Tomatoes, have also pointed out that the show relies a bit too much on silly humor.
It’s not entirely unexpected that there’s been some criticism. Both the final season of Game of Thrones and the second season of House of the Dragon received negative reactions, and audience scores haven’t been as high for any show since the earlier, highly-rated seasons of Game of Thrones.
Big franchises often face criticism when they try something new, particularly if it’s a significant shift in style. George R.R. Martin understood this risk with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Even back in 2025, he talked about how the show was intended to be lighter and funnier than previous installments, and he expressed hope that viewers would embrace the change.
While not everyone is enjoying it, the show is still doing very well. Reviews have been positive, it’s consistently ranked at the top of streaming charts, and it had the third-largest premiere of any series on HBO Max. It won’t appeal to all viewers, and that’s okay, but it’s clearly resonating with a large audience, which is great news now that Season 2 is confirmed.
New episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms release Sundays at 10pm ET on HBO and HBO Max.
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2026-01-31 20:14