HBO won't be changing one of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' most controversial decisions, nor should it. Despite the Game of Thrones spin-off's overwhelming positive reviews, many fans remained hopeful for longer and more episodes. The HBO series received backlash for only having six 31 to 42-minute episodes, down from the eight-to-ten hour-long episodes of the other Westeros series. Unlike other Westeros tales that span multiple realms and perspectives of political intrigue, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is smaller-scale and focussed on just Peter Claffey's Set Duncan the Tall and Dexter Sol Ansell's Egg, aka Aegon Targaryen.
Alongside A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' freshman finale, showrunner Ira Parker spoke to Variety and confirmed Season 2 will once again feature six episodes, declaring it was the "perfect amount." He added that the team were allowed a "very large target" of 30 to 60-minute episodes:
It really was the perfect amount for us. Honestly, HBO was wonderful. They said anywhere between 30 minutes and 60 minutes is fine, which gives us a very large target to hit. We could let them be what they needed to be based on the source material."
As teased in the final moments of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Parker promised that Dunk and Egg will "go to Dorne," but he was unclear how much of that will be covered in Season 2 as they adapt The Sworn Sword:
"They do go to Dorne. How much of that we cover, I’ll leave up to people to tune in for Season 2. I don’t know if I’m supposed to talk about it yet. For the most part, we’re following the books. So Season 1 was 'The Hedge Knight.' Season 2 is 'The Sworn Sword.' Hopefully, if we get to Season 3 it’ll be 'The Mystery Knight.'"
Those familiar with The Sworn Sword will be aware that Dunk and Egg's second novella takes place one to two years after The Hedge Knight (Season 1). That tale is primarily set in the Reach but references the duo's trip to Dorne in the time gap.
Parker noted his promise to franchise creator George R. R. Martin that he "really wouldn't create story," instead recounting the same tales as if he had "written a novel instead of a novella:"
"One of the promises I made to George very early on is that I really wouldn’t create story. We are adding to the character and the world. We’re writing this TV show as if George had written a novel instead of a novella. So we’re just filling out things that he naturally probably would have done."
He also explained that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms won't "send people on any side quests" and will ensure that each season remains "nice, little contained journeys:"
"But we don’t send people on any side quests, and we try not to get too bogged down in history. These are nice, little contained journeys. It’s an action adventure series, almost. It’s Dunk and his squire having fun and adventures, getting into trouble."
Why A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' Short Runtimes Are Perfect
While the mainline novels in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice & Fire which stretch up to 1000 pages, The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight are much shorter novellas that only stand around 80 pages
It's natural for viewers to crave more of a great thing, so it's not surprising many have been hankering for more of Dunk and Egg. Then again, one could argue that the HBO series' caliber is furthered by its conciseness and lack of wasted time.
If the HBO series does cling onto its shorter three-hour seasons, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms could benefit from a different release model. Some have suggested that the limited runtime could work better as a binge drop, abandoning the week-to-week structure typically used in the Game of Thrones franchise.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 2 is currently in production in Ireland and confirmed to be released in 2027. The show is awaiting a potential Season 3 renewal from HBO to adapt the third and final novella, The Mystery Knight, but the series' strong reactions and viewership gives hope for its future.
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