7 Ways A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Is Different From Game of Thrones & House of the Dragon

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms brings us back to the world of Westeros, but the new Game of Thrones spinoff is very different from the original show and House of the Dragon. Set between the events of HOTD and Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms gives fans a taste of George R.R. Martin’s world without dragons or mass political upheaval. The first installment, which aired on January 18, introduces us to Peter Claffey’s Ser Duncan the Tall — a character with much smaller concerns than who’s sitting on the Iron Throne. SPOILERS ahead for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 1.

“The Hedge Knight” opens with Dunk burying his former mentor before setting out for a tourney in Ashford Meadow. There, he hopes to make a name for himself as a knight. However, he lacks the wealth, connections, and reputation to make that achievable. That premise alone separates A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms from the Game of Thrones projects we’re used to. And the differences continue from there. From the premiere, it’s obvious this spinoff won’t be following what came before. It’s bringing something fresh to the table when the franchise needs it most.

7) A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Isn’t as Focused on Noble Houses or Multiple Characters

While Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are sprawling epics that follow ensemble casts, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is focused on one character specifically: Ser Duncan the Tall. (Well, and Egg, but we’re mostly getting the story from Dunk’s perspective.) The shift from many POVs to just one is a big change of pace for Game of Thrones fans. Fortunately, it’s much easier to follow.

And the perspective we are getting is a far cry from those in the other series. Both Game of Thrones and HOTD follow characters that hail from the Great Houses of Westeros, but A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is centered on a hedge knight. Dunk isn’t living in castles, drinking fine Dornish wine, or scheming for power. He’s not even serving the lords and ladies doing those things. Instead, he’s a man who started out in Flea Bottom and is trying to make something of himself. It makes him a far more relatable main character.

6) A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Has A Smaller Budget

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has a smaller budget than Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. Francesca Orsi, who oversees HBO’s drama series, told The Hollywood Reporter as much, revealing the network made the spinoff at under $10 million per episode. That may seem like a large number still, but it’s small compared to the original series and HOTD. Of course, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms doesn’t need the massive budget of its predecessors.

While the spinoff still requires solid choreography, costuming, and performances, there’s no need for huge CGI budgets to bring dragons and direwolves to life on-screen. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 won’t feature any large-scale battles, and it will mostly be set on the outskirts of the castles and keeps we see in Game of Thrones. Its setting and story are suited for a lower-budget show, and Episode 1 proves it still looks believable.

5) A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Has More Comedy Than GOT & HOTD

After watching the first episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, it’s obvious the spinoff has more comedy than Game of Thrones — and that approach works well for it. The series embraces a self-awareness that it’s different from the others, hilariously upending expectations and insulting Game of Thrones within the first five minutes. If Dunk taking a s*** on the Game of Thrones theme isn’t enough to draw a laugh, his back-and-forth with Egg and interactions with Lyonel Baratheon undoubtedly will.

That’s not to say the series is lacking the serious moments and themes that made Game of Thrones great. However, it endears us to its new main characters through its humor. And truthfully, it’s exactly what the Game of Thrones franchise needs. In some ways, House of the Dragon feels too similar to the original series. This change sets the newer spinoff apart.

4) The Game of Thrones Spinoff Doesn’t Move Around Westeros As Much

With A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms focused on Dunk entering a tourney at Ashford Meadow, the spinoff won’t move around Westeros nearly as much as the other shows. Gone are the days of Game of Thrones spending entire seasons on the Kingsroad. And without an ensemble cast, there’s no reason for scenes to jump from one end of Westeros to the other. Instead, we’ll be at Ashford Meadow for the majority of this outing. The scope will be smaller, but that’s fitting given the lower stakes and more focused storyline.

3) A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Doesn’t Have Any Dragons

If the dragons are your favorite parts of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, brace yourself: this spinoff doesn’t have any. It’s set around 78 years after House of the Dragon, which is when the Dance of the Dragons takes place. The Targaryen civil war is responsible for killing off most of the creatures. Even the ones that survive it go extinct over time. The other spinoff hasn’t gotten that far, but we know that the dragons are gone when Game of Thrones opens. That’s also true by the time A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms begins.

The Targaryens are still around in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, however, and they’re still ruling over Westeros. We’ll get to know several of them as Dunk’s story continues. However, they won’t have the same fire power as characters like Rhaenyra and Daenerys. The closest A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will get to an actual dragon is the puppet shown in Episode 1. Fortunately, it doesn’t need the creatures to tell a compelling story.

2) A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Is Much Shorter Than Previous Game of Thrones Shows

While Game of Thrones adapts multiple 700+ page books, and House of the Dragon unpacks a large portion of Targaryen history, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is tackling a shorter novella. Season 1 brings Martin’s “The Hedge Knight” to life, which is a little over 100 pages. As such, the series has fewer installments and shorter runtimes than its predecessors. Season 1 will span just six episodes. Even with outings of Game of Thrones and HOTD getting shorter over time, they typically reached at least seven or eight chapters. Game of Thrones Season 8 was the only exception, and its runtimes were around an hour or longer. By contrast, each episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be around 30 to 40 minutes long.

1) A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Is on During a Different Time Slot Than Its Predecessors

Perhaps it’s good that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has fewer episodes than the other Game of Thrones shows, as it’ll be keeping us up later than usual. While Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon have traditionally aired during HBO’s 6pm PT/9pm ET time slot on Sunday nights, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is dropping at 7pm PT/10pm ET. It’s an adjustment after getting used to Game of Thrones dominating that spot. Still, judging by Episode 1, it’ll be worth the wait.

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