A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Trailer Differs From Other Game Of Thrones Shows In One Big Way

The newest trailer for "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" just dropped, and it looks ... funny?!

That's right: The second major spin-off and prequel of "Game of Thrones" has jokes in it, which is a little bit surprising. Yes, the original series, which is based on George R.R. Martin's novel series "A Song of Ice and Fire," had some jokes courtesy of characters like Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), but overall, it was fairly dour. "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," on the other hands, appears to be leaning into a more light-hearted approach.

I'm getting ahead of myself, though. Based on the novellas also written by Martin affectionately known as the "Tales of Dunk and Egg," "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," created by Ira Parker and Martin himself, stars Peter Claffey as the titular knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and Dexter Sol Ansell as his young squire simply known as Egg. Duncan, the titular "Dunk," is what's known in Westeros as a "hedge knight," meaning he's technically unaffiliated with all of the great houses of Westeros. While this places him lower on the status pyramid than a knight who serves, say, the powerful House Baratheon, it also affords Dunk, who's lowborn and trying to become a well-regarded knight through sheer skill alone, more freedom.

This doesn't necessarily sound hilarious, but seriously, watch the trailer! It has jokes in it! Besides departing from "Game of Thrones" and its first spin-off and prequel "House of the Dragon" by placing the focus on non-royals, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" looks like a big departure for this universe because it looks like a buddy comedy.

Again, I will acknowledge that there are funny things within "Game of Thrones." Tyrion is pretty funny, and when he links up with sellsword Bronn (Jerome Flynn) in the show's first season, the two spend a lot of time making wisecracks. Still, this is a bonus of "Game of Thrones," not a primary feature. This is a series where the assumed protagonist, Eddard "Ned" Stark, gets brutally beheaded in the penultimate episode of that debut season just to prove that you shouldn't get too attached to any of the show's characters, and that's not even the most terrifying character death. (Remember the Red Wedding?)

Conversely, the full trailer for "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" opens with Prince Baelor "Breakspear" Targaryen (Bertie Carvel) asking Ser Duncan if he's a good knight. In a very serious tone, Duncan says the man will see before leaving the hall where the prince is holding court, only to go in the wrong direction. This is such a simple gag, and I love it, because right out of the gate, you can see the tonal shift here. The trailer, which runs for just over two minutes, covers some serious stuff — including the death of Duncan's mentor — along with some ladies checking Duncan out. When one girl doesn't know what a hedge knight is, her friend says, "It's like a knight, but sadder." Add after the final shot of the trailer, which features a rousing battle speech from Duncan followed by him sheepishly asking Egg if that was "ill-handled" (they decide it was), it's clear we're in for a very different tone from other "Game of Thrones" shows.

Too often, "prestige" projects are pretty dour, even though comedy is great and needs to be respected as its own extremely difficult and audacious art form. (This is another rant for another article, but I'll still say that Marisa Tomei being one of the precious few actors to win an Oscar for a comedic role still feels ... wrong.) "Game of Thrones" was, unquestionably, "prestige TV," and its successor "House of the Dragon," which takes place years before "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" and centuries before "Game of Thrones," chronicling the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, is more of the same. Everybody faces danger constantly, the deaths are gruesome and gutting ("House of the Dragon" opens its second season with a double child murder, for example), and the overall mood is ... bleak.

Considering all of this, it's nice to see a more light-hearted tone in the trailer for "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," which might make it a great palate cleanser for fans who love spending time in Westeros but are looking for something a little breezier than a show that features something like the Red Wedding. The chemistry between Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell feels apparent right away, even though it's only about two minutes of footage. If we're going to keep expanding the "Game of Thrones" cinematic universe, a fun buddy comedy with occasional high stakes seems like a good direction.

"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" premieres on HBO on January 18, 2026.