A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Release Strategy May Not Be Working

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Following the success of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, HBO is now releasing A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a new series also based on the works of George R.R. Martin. This series adapts The Tales of Dunk and Egg. While it shares the same universe as the previous shows, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms offers a different feel and focuses on a more intimate story, marking a departure in approach for the franchise.

Viewers have noticed that the episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are much shorter than those in the original Game of Thrones series. The first episode was only 41 minutes long, and the second was even shorter at 34 minutes. According to Winter Is Coming, the rest of the season’s episodes will also fall between 30 and 40 minutes, a significant decrease from the hour-long episodes fans are used to seeing in Game of Thrones.

The shorter length of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms isn’t a drawback. It actually fits the story well, as it’s a lighter, simpler tale about a wandering knight and his assistant, unlike the epic wars and complex politics of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.

The show is clearly popular with viewers, earning the highest ratings of any Game of Thrones series on Rotten Tomatoes and becoming one of HBO Max’s most-watched premieres – only behind House of the Dragon and The Last of Us. However, some viewers are unhappy with the short length of the episodes.

Over the last few weeks, viewers have been enthusiastically commenting on official social media posts for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, consistently expressing one main feeling: they love the show, but wish each episode was longer.

Fans who are used to longer episodes of Game of Thrones are disappointed with the shorter length of the new series and the fact that only one episode is released each week on HBO Max. Despite the show still being popular, this negative reaction makes you wonder if releasing the episodes differently – perhaps all at once – would have been a better approach for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Shouldn’t Be A Weekly Release

As a fan, I was surprised by how quick a watch A Knight of the Kingdoms was! With shorter episodes and only six in total, it’s the shortest Game of Thrones spin-off so far – I actually finished the whole season in under four hours, which is perfect if you don’t have a ton of time.

Unlike many adaptations based on lengthy novels, A Knight of the Kingdoms is adapted from shorter novellas, naturally resulting in a more concise story. The show’s episodes are also relatively short, likely to maintain a good pace and avoid unnecessary content. However, releasing only one episode per week might be a problem, as viewers feel they don’t have enough time to become fully engaged before each installment ends.

Releasing two episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms each week could have been a better approach, giving viewers a full hour of story content. Although this would have shortened the series to just three weeks, it would have made each weekly release feel more significant and like a special event.

When Game of Thrones was most popular, fans around the world would get together to watch new episodes as soon as they aired. While the new show, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, still feels similar in spirit, its shorter episodes make it less of a weekly event for fans to look forward to.

Perhaps releasing all episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms at once, like many popular streaming shows, would have been a better strategy. Since viewers have expressed a strong desire for more content, letting them watch the entire story at their own pace could have addressed their concerns.

Some viewers felt the first episode started slowly, while the second episode really picked up pace after introducing the Targaryen family. Had the show released several episodes at once, starting with the more engaging second episode could have hooked viewers and encouraged them to continue watching.

I’m really excited about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and while it’s hard to say how the rest of the season will go over, I guess we’ll see if HBO Max made the right call with how they released it. The good news is, HBO has already given the green light for season two! It’ll be based on the next Dunk and Egg story, so they have a chance to build on what they learned from this first season and make the show even better.

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2026-01-28 02:05