HBO's 10/10 Fantasy Series Is So Good, It Never Actually Has To End

Published Sep 28, 2026, 5:15 PM EDT Angel Shaw is a Lead Writer and Critic on ScreenRant's TV team, covering new-release and classic TV shows across all major streaming platforms. She has been a writer with ScreenRant since 2022 and specializes in Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and fantasy. Angel holds a bachelor's degree in language interpreting and is passionate about all things culture and communication—especially in how it relates to popular media throughout history (from Shakespeare to Friends to Game of Thrones). It's always a bummer when a great TV show comes to an end, but what if it didn't have to? Of course, in most situations, this isn't possible, especially in high-budget genres like fantasy. There's a time limit on these projects, since it isn't all that easy to keep ratings high enough to justify the ongoing cost. Additionally, the majority of stories, regardless of how good they are, will wear thin at some point. Far too many shows ruin themselves by going on far longer than they really needed to. Still, with the right balance of content, budget, and structure, a fantasy show could have some real long legs. It would take one project out of a million, and that's precisely what HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is. This is a Game of Thrones spinoff series, but don't let that scare you away. While this story is set in the same world and features plenty of familiar family names (including Targaryen), it's of a very different vibe. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has completed its first season, which consists of only six approximately half-hour-long episodes, giving the entire first installment a runtime comparable to a long movie. This translates well to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' budget and production timeline, so season 2 is expected to arrive sometime next year. Fantasy generally requires two-year breaks between seasons, but this series' format keeps the ball rolling much smoother and faster. Finally, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' story is uniquely suited for decades of content. Dunk & Egg's Adventures Don't Have The Same Limitations As Other Game Of Thrones Shows Game of Thrones tends to be pretty heavy. It's all part of the appeal. It's also part of why a spinoff like House of the Dragon was limited to a four-season run. Like in Game of Thrones, the story revolves around violent political manipulation, war, assaults, and a whole lot of death. What's more, both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are based on limited source material. Martin hasn't finished his A Song of Ice and Fire books yet, but there was an established timeline—an expiration date—Game of Thrones had to stick to. House of the Dragon is the same, but with an even shorter timeline. Martin has only completed three Dunk & Egg novellas, so A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will catch up with the source material after season 3 (assuming Martin doesn't publish more before then). Still, as with Game of Thrones, the author established a timeline for these characters' stories even without detailing every adventure. The story of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms revolves around the knight Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg, and, without giving too much away, these characters play important roles within Martin's overarching legendarium. They both die during a significant event at the ages of 66 and 59, respectively, but in season 1, Dunk and Egg are about 16 and 9. Every year of their lives would be full of adventure together, and with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' short-and-sweet seasons, we could reasonably get a great deal of this on screen. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms creator Ira Parker has expressed interest in keeping the series going for as long as possible, stating that it could span "over the course of [the characters'] lifetime. And mine too." While the timeline of Dunk and Egg's adventures spans 50 years, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' format means a whole lot of this could make it to the screen, we're unlikely to see star Dexter Sol Ansell grow from the age of 9 to 59 right in front of us. Still, as creator Ira Parker has pointed out, it's the sheer potential of this series that makes it so special. This is, one way or another, a fantasy series unlike any other, and it will be amazing to see how it shifts and grows over the next years and, potentially, decades. Release Date January 18, 2026 Network HBO Showrunner Ira Parker Cast Peter Claffey Ser Duncan 'Dunk' the Tall Directors Owen Harris Writers George R. R. Martin, Ira Parker Franchise(s) Game of Thrones Creator(s) George R. R. Martin, Ira Parker