Episode runtime for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has reportedly been revealed

HBO’s return to Westeros is official and the newly reported episode runtimes for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms underline that this story will be more character-driven and close-knit. The series will adapt the Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas by renowned fantasy writer George R.R Martin.

Viewers will see the fantasy character Ser Duncan the Tall with his young squire Egg, in the HBO series that will air in January 2026.

Episode runtime for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has reportedly been revealed

The episode lengths hint at a more intimate structure. In terms of format, it will be more tight-knit than that of previous HBO titles Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon.

According to the reported breakdown, the season opens with a 42-minute premiere, followed by episodes that mostly hover in the low-to-mid 30-minute range.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is likely looking at a leaner structure than Game of Thrones, which was more lengthy.

That pacing may suggest we will see less of sprawling ensemble arcs or prolonged political maneuvering. However, it all remains at the level of speculation until the show airs.

Here’s how the season reportedly breaks down:

Episode 1 runs 42 minutes
Episode 2 will run 33 minutes
Episode 3 will run a runtime of 31 minutes
Episode 4 runs for 34 minutes
Episode 5 will run 37 minutes
Episode 6 will run 31 minutes

The longer premiere appears logical for the challenges the show takes up. The story of this show starts 100 years before Game of Thrones and about a century after House of the Dragon, a period largely unexplored on screen.

From there, the shorter runtimes align neatly with the novellas’ structure, which will pick up self-contained adventures and stories from Martin's lore. Character bonds will be central to the series’ identity which is teased in HBO’s first teaser trailer, released during New York Comic-Con.

The appeal is fairly clear: viewers would not need prior knowledge of Targaryen family trees or Westerosi history to follow this story. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is made for a modern OTT audience.

Showrunner Ira Parker herself commented on this tonal shift in an interview with TVLine, emphasizing that the goal was not to replicate what audiences have already seen in earlier Westeros shows. This ensures the audience does not feel disconnected from the prequel.

The shorter episode length works to hold audience attention while not straying into too many diversions.

Ahead of the first season’s debut, the network renewed the series for a second season, expected in 2027. Casey Bloys announced the renewal during a press presentation in New York, hinting that this show may stay for a long run.