2026 Is Going To Be A Big Year For Game Of Thrones Fans - Here's Why

It's been a while since "Game of Thrones" was the sort of appointment viewing that transcended television and dominated the water cooler conversation. Despite the plucky efforts of its successor-slash-prequel show "House of the Dragon," it has failed to pierce the zeitgeist to the extent "Game of Thrones" did before its flawed final season stripped the show of much of its impact.

However, what is dead may never die, and it seems that Westeros is planning a two-pronged attack that might just make the franchise appointment viewing once again ... or, at the very least, give "Game of Thrones" fans more good stuff than they've seen since, well, ever. In a post-Emmys interview with Deadline, Chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max Content Casey Bloys confirmed that the year 2026 will bring fans no less than two different "Game of Thrones" shows, thanks to the January premiere of the new prequel spin-off "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" and the return of "House of the Dragon" later that year. Bloys shared a ballpark figure that indicated fans can expect the latter to premiere in the summer. "I think it'll be just outside of [the 2026 Emmy eligibility window of May 31, 2026]," he said.

Apart from the fact that the "Game of Thrones" franchise is set to offer more live-action TV than ever in 2026, the stories at hand also happen to be more interesting than anything the property has churned out in some time. The big thing is the much-heralded arrival of the third "Game of Thrones" show, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," which stars Peter Claffey as wandering hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall and Dexter Sol Ansell as his young squire, Egg. Based on George R.R. Martin's "Dunk and Egg" stories, the prequel could very well rescue the "Game of Thrones" franchise from itself by focusing on the kind of comparatively low-stakes "a dynamic duo walks the land" stories that its parent show tended to be very good at.

Meanwhile, "House of the Dragon" season 3 is heading toward a big moment known as the Battle of the Gullet, which might just be the most impressive fight in the show's — or perhaps even the "Game of Thrones" franchise's — history. With the series' ongoing power struggles taking care of the high and mighty end of the property's storytelling, it seems that the year 2026 is set to cover all aspects of what made "Game of Thrones" great ... and if both shows deliver quality-wise, the franchise may be back with a vengeance.

To reiterate: "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" will premiere on HBO and HBO Max in January 2026, followed by "House of the Dragon" season 3 sometime later that year.