‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Is a Ratings Slam Dunk

HBO may have just released the first teaser for season three of House of the Dragon, but we’re quite fond of the corner of Westeros currently occupied by A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Sure, we’ll be excited for the fire-breathing beasts and more ferocious scrambling for the Iron Throne when June rolls around, but the more intimate adventures of Dunk and Egg have been a delightful (if often brutal) time. And a lot of TV fans agree: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which started off strong, is now a certified ratings smash.

According to Variety, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has been averaging nearly 13 million viewers per episode; its sixth episode, the season one finale, arrives Sunday night. That number is even more impressive when compared to The Pitt, HBO’s Emmy-winning medical drama, which has averaged 12 million viewers per episode in its current second season.

Those figures put A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms “on pace to be the third biggest series debut in the history of HBO Max,” according to the trade. What’s more, “three-day viewership for each episode has grown week to week,” not counting the fourth episode, which aired days ahead of schedule thanks to the Super Bowl.

That’s encouraging not just for the team behind A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (which is currently in production on season two; so far, no additional seasons have been greenlit) and House of the Dragon (season three drops in June; the show is set to end after season four), but also for all the other would-be Game of Thrones spin-offs still lurking in HBO’s TBD pile.

After A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ warm reception in January, HBO head Casey Bloys hinted that future Westeros-set tales could take after A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ smaller-scale approach—though he also noted there’s always room for more lavish productions, depending on what the material calls for.

In a few months’ time, we will see if House of the Dragon, which saw its generally respectable season two ratings dip compared to its season one numbers, sees a lift from viewers who are either newly hooked on George R.R. Martin’s world or have, thanks to Ser Dunk and company, recently remembered why they loved Game of Thrones in the first place.

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