A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is the newest series in the world of Game of Thrones, and its release strategy is slightly different from its predecessors. The series is the third TV series based on George R.R. Martin's world, this time drawing upon the novellas The Tales of Dunk and Egg. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has a distinctly different tone and a narrower scope than Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, but that's not the only thing the new HBO series is trying.
Something fans were quick to pick up on is how short each of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' episodes is compared to previous Game of Thrones shows. Episode 1 of the season clocked in at 41 minutes, while the second episode was even briefer at 34 minutes. Winter Is Coming reported that the remaining episodes of the season are all in the 30-40 minute range, making them distinctly shorter than the hour-long runtimes of the other Game of Thrones series.
A shorter runtime isn't necessarily a bad thing. In some ways, it suits the more lighthearted tone and straightforward narrative of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which focuses on the humble adventures of a hedge knight and his squire, rather than the large-scale wars and web of political intrigue that Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon feature.
The series does seem to be striking a chord with audiences, as it is the highest-rated Game of Thrones series on Rotten Tomatoes and became HBO Max's third-most-watched premiere (behind House of the Dragon and The Last of Us). That being said, the shorter episodes are drawing ire from audience members.
Fans have flooded the comments sections of official A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms social media posts over the past few weeks, sharing the same sentiment: they're enjoying the show, but it's too short.
The shortened episode length, paired with the HBO Max rollout of one episode per week, is frustrating those who are accustomed to more meat on their Game of Thrones episodes' bones. While the franchise remains a heavy hitter for the network, this reception raises the question of whether a different rollout for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms might have been better.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Shouldn't Be A Weekly Release
A Knight of the Kingdoms' shorter episodes and its six-episode season make it the shortest of all Game of Thrones shows to date, with the whole thing ultimately watchable in under 4 hours.
Notably, A Knight of the Kingdoms is based on novellas rather than 800-page books, meaning there is generally just less story to go around in the adaptation process. Shorter episodes were likely a decision made during development to keep the story on pace and reduce any filler. But releasing just one episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms weekly may be harming its success, as fans feel like they only get a short bite of the story and can barely immerse themselves in it before the credits roll.
It might've been better to release two episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms per week, resulting in a full hour of story for audiences to enjoy. While this would have restricted A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to just three weeks of new content, it would have made each week more of an event.
At its peak, Game of Thrones was known for sparking global watch parties and gatherings among fans, who treated new episodes as appointment viewing. While A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms still has a lot of the Game of Thrones spirit, it's harder for fans to treat the show as a weekly event when the episodes are so brief.
Alternatively, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms may have been better off following the binge model and dropping all of its episodes at once. Audiences have made it clear that they want more of the show, so allowing them to devour the story all at once or choose their own break points may have satisfied those complaints.
Other qualms lobbed at the series so far are that the first episode was slow to get into the story; meanwhile, the second episode became much more propulsive after the introduction of the Targaryens. If the series had been released with multiple episodes at once, it would have included the second episode's more intriguing hook for audiences and encouraged them to get on board with the show.
While it's still too early to judge how the remaining episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be received, time will tell whether HBO Max chose the right release strategy. If nothing else, HBO has renewed the Game of Thrones spin-off for another season, based on Martin's second Dunk and Egg novella, meaning the network has another chance to apply any learnings from its debut season.
