Almost a week after the launch of HBO Max in Germany, a new series in the Game of Thrones universe has also launched. With A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, viewers get a new look at Westeros. It seems to be quite well-received.
What kind of series is this? A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is based on the Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas by George R. R. Martin and tells the story of Ser Duncan and his squire Egg. As part of the launch, we have also summarized everything you should know about the Targaryens and hedge knights beforehand.
On January 19, 2026, the series started with Episode 1 on the streaming service HBO Max. It is also being well-received by the first viewers when looking at the ratings.
A proper return to Westeros
How well is the 1st episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms rated? On the rating platform IMDb, there is not only a lot of information about movies and series; users can also rate individual episodes of a series.
The first episode of the series has a rating of 8.4 out of 10 based on 6801 reviews (as of January 20, 2026, 09:07 AM) on IMDb. That is quite good. Some users have also submitted written reviews. The user drhemp (Source: IMDb) titles: A proper return to Westeros.
For him, the series is a significant improvement
over House of the Dragon. He believes the new series captures the old Game of Thrones atmosphere.
Also, Snow12456 (Source: IMDb) is thrilled with the first episode. He praises the chemistry between the two main actors as well as the humor. The user explains: You immediately have the feeling that the series is going in the right direction.
How does it look on other platforms? On Rotten Tomatoes, only the entire season can be rated. With 57 reviews (as of January 20, 2026, 09:07 AM), the critics’ score currently stands at a very good 88%. The user rating is a bit lower. With over 100 user reviews, this score is at 80%.
It remains to be seen whether the first impression of many fans will remain so positive across all 6 episodes.
MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes was able to see all 6 episodes and was thrilled until the end: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is not a new Game of Thrones, but that is a good thing
Has anyone of you seen the 1st episode already? What do you think of it? Feel free to write it to us in the comments. Over the next few weeks, Westeros fans can look forward to new episodes of the series. Everything you need to know about the release dates can be found here: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: When is the next episode released? – All release dates of the HBO series
