House of the Dragon Season 3 & A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Will Fill Game Of Thrones Void

House of the Dragon season 3’s confirmed release window sets up an exciting year for the franchise. I’ve already written about how House of the Dragon season 3’s release plan will make it the second Game of Thrones franchise series releasing in 2026, but there’s more to it than that; this has meaning for the franchise.

Since Game of Thrones’ ending in 2019, HBO, along with practically every other streaming service, has desperately sought speculative fiction stories to fill the cultural phenomenon’s void. House of the Dragon has been the most successful attempt, providing audiences with a glimpse at Westeros under the reign of the Targaryen dynasty. However, it’s fallen short in some aspects.

HOTD Season 3 & A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Will Release Only Months Apart

House of the Dragon season 3 will kick off on HBO in June 2026, if all goes according to plan. This will come just after A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in January 2026, meaning audiences will be treated to 14 episodes set in the Game of Thrones universe next year.

House Of The Dragon Has Never Fully Felt Like Game Of Thrones

Kit Harington as Jon Snow under the weirwood tree at Winterfell in Game of Thrones season 1

Everything that needs to be said about House of the Dragon’s faulty season 2 has already been written, but there’s more that differentiates the prequel to the original flagship series than just quality. The prequel show examines a political succession crisis in King’s Landing, and while that may create a notable similarity, Game of Thrones was much more than that.

One of the most underappreciated parts of Game of Thrones was its sense of wonder and adventure. Whether it be Arya and the Hound, Jon Snow beyond the Wall, or Daenerys traveling across the Red Waste, journeys were a way for characters to navigate the world and their internal conflicts simultaneously. This is something House of the Dragon lacks almost entirely.

HOTD Season 3 & AKOTSK Will Collectively Feel More Like Game Of Thrones

Peter Claffey holding a sword as Dunk/Ser Duncan the Tall in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms — Peter Claffey as Dunk/Ser Duncan the Tall in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

House of the Dragon supplies audiences with the political scheming and the epic war side of Game of Thrones, but it’s missing the sense of adventure. Game of Thrones is dark, but there’s still a sense of hope and romanticization that’s almost Tolkien-like at times. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms can provide that.

The new spinoff show will focus almost entirely on its two main characters, Dunk and Egg, with each season following them as they embark on a new adventure in Westeros. Dunk and Egg have their faults, but they’re also characters audiences can root for, while House of the Dragon explores primarily antihero figures.

House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ tones combined will begin to feel more like the complete picture that was Game of Thrones. It’s going to be an exciting year for fans.