• Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Jan 18, 2026
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 37
  2. Negative: 1 out of 37

Critic Reviews

  1. Reviewed by: Lucy Mangan
    Jan 20, 2026
    60
    Although it gestures towards larger questions, like the corruption of innocence and the pros and cons of the feudal mentality, it doesn’t delve into them deeply or carry enough weight on its own to attract a great audience of non-diehard GRRM fans. But perhaps the fact that it is not going to set the world on fire, either literally within the show or metaphorically without it, is the point.
  2. Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Jan 16, 2026
    60
    With A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Game of Thrones enters its Tales of the Walking Dead phase.
  3. Reviewed by: Lorraine Ali
    Jan 20, 2026
    50
    Granted, nothing will ever be as grandiose, addictive and surprising as the fantasy universe that brought us White Walkers, the Red Woman and the Faceless Man, but to pull out the magical realism, then fill the gaps with Dunk’s sincerity and honor-above-skill ethos is not a winning strategy.
  4. Reviewed by: Bob Strauss
    Jan 13, 2026
    50
    While the short episodes can feel like they’re taking forever to get to the good stuff, matters become quite muddy-bloody by Episode 5. So the exact nature of this production’s tone remains somewhat muddled throughout.
  5. Reviewed by: Judy Berman
    Jan 13, 2026
    50
    Seven Kingdoms may be too benign to hate, but in its debut season, it is also too meager to love.
  6. Reviewed by: Therese Lacson
    Jan 13, 2026
    50
    Book lovers will likely praise it for its accuracy, though I'd argue that it robs us of one of the most climactic moments in the story. Meanwhile, show lovers and more casual viewers might come away with more questions than answers.
  7. Reviewed by: Liam Mathews
    Jan 13, 2026
    40
    A lethargic plot can be somewhat offset by compelling characters, but unfortunately Dunk and Egg aren't interesting enough to carry the show.
  8. Reviewed by: Louis Chilton
    Jan 13, 2026
    40
    It makes very little effort to justify its own existence – refreshing, perhaps, for a franchise that has too often treated its subject matter with stodgy self-importance, but ultimately frustrating. It is a character piece without a sufficiently interesting character at its core.