HBO is starting 2026 off right by premiering the newest spin-off from the legendary Game of Thrones franchise, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The story takes place a century before Game of Thrones and follows Ser Duncan the Tall (played by Peter Claffey) and his squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).
From the trailer below, you can see that Ser Duncan will get into all of the action you'd expect from a GoT spinoff. However, this show looks to be more comical than anyone is used to from this franchise. This could be a welcome change from the sometimes stoic universe that both GoT and prequel House of the Dragon offer up. Sadly, Game of Thrones fans aren’t always happy with change. Hopefully, they’ll look past the modifications and enjoy the show. The only way to find out is to watch.
Coming up is everything you need to know to catch the season premiere to find out if this is the program for you.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 1 release time on HBO and HBO Max
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 1, titled “The Hedge Knight”, is set to premiere in the US on Sunday, January 18, at 10:00 p.m. ET, 7:00 p.m. PT, 8:00 p.m. CT, and 9:00 p.m. MT. It will air on HBO at the top of the hour in each respective time zone while streaming simultaneously everywhere on HBO Max. In specific areas without the platform, it will air on select channels (such as Sky Atlantic in the UK and Ireland, and Crave in Canada).
This is the season 1 premiere, so you won't want to miss how things begin and how the characters are introduced. And speaking of that, here are all of the times you can watch the first episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
- Hawaii: 4:00 p.m. HST on Sunday, January 18
- Alaska: 6:00 p.m. AKDT on Sunday, January 18
- West Coast of the US: 7:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, January 18
- Mountain time: 8:00 p.m. MT on Sunday, January 18
- Midwest of the US: 9:00 p.m. CT on Sunday, January 18
- East Coast of the US: 10:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 18
- Canada (Crave): 10:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 18
- Brazil: 11:00 p.m. BRT on Thursday, Sunday, January 18
- Portugal and Western Europe: 3:00 a.m. WEST on Monday, January 19
- UK (Sky Atlantic): 3:00 a.m. GMT on Friday, Monday, January 19
- Spain and Central Europe: 4:00 a.m. CEST on Monday, January 19
- Bulgaria and Eastern Europe: 5:00 a.m. EEST on Monday, January 19
- India: 7:30 a.m. IST on Monday, January 19
- New Zealand (Neon): 2:00 p.m. NZST on Friday, Monday, January 19
What to expect in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' season 1 premiere
This is the very first episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms so it will absolutely set the tone for the rest of the season. The most important part could be the Targaryens' involvement. This means that fans can expect a lot of violence, tyranny, and more. But, since this is set after the events of House of the Dragon and before Game of Thrones, we could be looking at the beginning of the end of the Targaryens’ rule. We'll have to wait and see.
Personally, I’m looking forward to Ser Duncan’s story. He looks like a sympathetic character, and there aren’t many of those in this universe. His tale will have a good amount of failure, but that will make his successes more enjoyable. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow to find out if I’m right.
We don't have much longer to wait until the first episode graces our screens!
Thanks for reading. Keep up with Bam Smack Pow for more A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms news, opinions, and rumors as they come out.