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What’s the difference between House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? Showrunner Ira Parker explains.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner Ira Parker explains what makes HBO’s new show different from House of the Dragon
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HBO is going all in on Game of Thrones. Although the fantasy drama ended in 2019, HBO has continued the franchise with a prequel spinoff, House of the Dragon. Now they’re returning to the world of George R. R. Martin again with another spinoff. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is based on Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas, and it’s set after House of the Dragon, but before Game of Thrones.
As HBO’s GOT franchise continues to grow, you might be wondering what makes A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms different from House of the Dragon. According to showrunner Ira Parker, it’s all about the time period it’s set in, and the story possibilities that setting opens up.
“This story takes place between the two shows that everyone has seen and that everyone loves, in a time when Targaryens don’t have their dragons anymore,” Ira Parker said during A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms spotlight panel at New York Comic Con 2025. “They’re very much on the decline, finding themselves in this weird middle place. The thing we use to conquer this kingdom doesn’t exist anymore. And everybody starts asking why are they still in charge, and so maybe they feel they have to come to a tournament in Ashford Meadow, in this backwater of a place that they probably wouldn’t have done before. To show faith, to show up, to shake hands, and obviously that kicks off our story in a very interesting way, bringing them into a head on collision with our young Ser Duncan here.”
Parker continued, "I think the biggest thing about this show finding its place sandwiched between these two giants was just tone, tone, tone. These novellas are so lovely, and sweet, and they have so much hope. But they also have just brutal elements of this world that I think we’ve all come to love in Westeros where anything can happen. There is a level of unpredictability that resonates with people because that’s just how your life is.”
The showrunner promised that the new series will have a "very grounded, gritty, Earthy, ground up sort of feel. We’ve never had this perspective before of somebody who grew up in the slums of King’s Landing as an orphan, who came up in this world, didn’t have a name, didn’t have an inheritance, didn’t have any money, doesn’t have the best training in the world, and he’s just trying to make it. He’s trying to go out and do something hard that he’s never done before. He’s out of his comfort zone, and hopefully a lot of that will resonate with a lot of our audience.”
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres January 18, 2026 on HBO.
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