The creative voices behind HBO shows A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and Euphoria have been drumming up anticipation for their upcoming season launches.
During a content showcase in London, UK, this evening, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner Ira Parker has called the HBO fantasy spin-off an “up-ramp” for viewers not familiar with the Game of Thrones universe. Season 1 will debut on January 18, 2026.
“We take you in on a lighter, more friendly path to Westeros,” said Parker. “You get to hang out and enjoy yourself for a bit and then it becomes Westeros and things are going to happen.”
Parker was talking two weeks after HBO renewed the swords ‘n’ shields comedy-drama series before the first had launched, spending much of his time on stage with HBO drama chief Francesca Orsi talking up the talents of show stars Dexter Sol Ansell and Peter Claffey. He also joked about the budget relative to Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.
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“Our budget is a reflection of Dunk, who comes from nothing,” said Parker. “He is a simple, unplsished human being. There are some wonderful epic show from within this world that can be enjoyed. We are not that.”
Parker said there was “a lot to relate to our new character, Ser Duncan the Tall,” adding: “I certainly put a lot of myself into him. He’s from the ass-end shithole of Westeros, the slums of King’s Landing and he doesn’t know anyone and he doesn’t know anything. All of these lords and ladies and princes and kings and queens that he encounters seem a little absurd to him and he doesn’t quite know if people are making fun of him or not. A lot of good natural comedy comes out of the situation.”
The Game of Thrones prequel is an adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas. HBO is billing it as smaller and more intimate than the original Game of Thrones and initial spin-off House of the Dragon. Parker called Dexter Sol Ansell, who plays Egg, “the greatest child actor in the world” and praised Peter Claffey, the former Ireland rugby star who plays the giant Dunk, for his joyful approach to his role as a dopey knight.
Casey Bloys, HBO Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, also revealed Euphoria Season 3 will launch in April 2026, but didn’t specify a date. Sam Levinson, showrunner of Zendaya- and Sydney Sweeney-starring drama, gave a rundown of the upcoming season, which time-jumps five years. It was revealed the show will launch in April 2026, having previously being billed as having a “spring” launch.
“I always think it is exciting to write this show because there are aspects I can draw from my own life,” said Levinson, who has been open about his own addiction issues. The season would see the lead characters “out of the safety net of school, figuring out who you are in the world,” he said, adding: “The stakes are a bit higher than they were in the past as the consequences are real.”
Elsewhere during the evening, Bloys showcased the likes of Steve Carrell series Rooster, Jason Bateman show Dtf: St. Louis, French-language cat-and-mouse thriller Privileges and German spin-off series 4 Blocks Zero among a number of others.
Bloys praised his creative team’s longevity as he reeled off award wins and ratings wins, pointing to the likes of Task, IT: Welcome to Derry, and Mexico’s Chespirito: Not Really on Purpose, which became an unexpected Spanish-language hit.
Bloys said the 2025-26 slate has represented “the first time we view our slate through a global lens.”