HBO’s newest Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, dropped its first episode on January 18, 2026, and wasted no time shocking viewers. The premiere opens with Ser Duncan the Tall, known as Dunk, burying his mentor and staring at a sword with big dreams of knighthood.
Right as he grabs it, the familiar, bombastic Game of Thrones theme kicks in, swelling with promise, only to smash-cut to Dunk squatting behind a tree for a graphic, projectile bowel movement.
That jarring pivot hit social media like wildfire. Reddit threads and Twitter clips spread the scene instantly, with fans calling it bold, hilarious, or just plain gross.
The Hollywood Reporter caught up with showrunner Ira Parker, who broke down the choice as a deliberate gut-punch to expectations. In the script, Dunk simply “hears the hero theme in his head,” but post-production landed on Ramin Djawadi’s legendary track for maximum impact.
Parker stressed the moment captures Dunk’s vulnerability. He is no ready-made legend like Jon Snow or Daenerys; he is a hedge knight with zero funds or polish, facing a tournament that could make or break him.
The theme represents his inner call to greatness, but his body betrays him, turning ambition into literal fear. Decider noted how this “unheroic crouch” pokes fun at the epic music that defined eight seasons of the original show.
This opener fits the source novellas by George R.R. Martin, Dunk and Egg tales from his Tales of Dunk and Egg collection. They always mixed grit with humor, far from the main saga’s throne games, and the adaptation leans hard into that lighter vibe from frame one.
Showrunner Defends the Gross-Out Genius
Ira Parker has fielded questions nonstop since the premiere, framing the poop scene as core to Dunk’s arc. In chats with The Hollywood Reporter, he explained that Dunk wants heroism badly, but reality hits like a freight train. The theme swells as he steels himself, sword in hand, only for nerves to overwhelm his system.
“That’s what the whole season is for him,” Parker said, highlighting a growth journey from scared nobody to true knight.
The decision to use the Thrones theme evolved late. Early cuts tried other heroic cues or composer Dan Romer’s simpler score for Dunk, but nothing matched the grandeur Dunk craves.
Djawadi’s piece screams “epic destiny,” making the cut-off all the funnier and more poignant. Cosmopolitan recaps how the music crescendos just before the squat, amplifying the absurdity.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Credit: HBO Max)
Parker also revealed the theme returns later in season one, reframing this opener with new context. That callback suggests the show plays with franchise nostalgia smartly, not just for laughs.
Tribune reports Parker calling it a setup for tone, not cheap shock value. Even Martin reacted with surprise at the graphic detail, per IMDb, but the books have their own crude moments, so it stays true to Westeros’ earthy side.
Critics have warmed to the risk. Rotten Tomatoes gives the series an 87% score, praising its shift to buddy-adventure comedy over dragon battles. Fans appreciate the breather after House of the Dragon’s intensity, with Dunk and his squire Egg hitting HBO Max charts fast.
Spinoff’s Fresh Path Shakes Up Westeros Wars
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms marks HBO’s third Thrones project, after the original and House of the Dragon. Set 90 years before Game of Thrones, it follows lowborn Dunk, played by Peter Claffey, and sneaky royal Egg, actually Prince Aegon Targaryen, played by Dexter Sol Ansell.
Their road-trip quests dodge the Iron Throne drama for tournaments, hedge knight hustles, and smallfolk scrapes.
Dropping the full theme song signals bigger changes. The original’s map crawl and ominous strings set a dark, scheming mood; this spinoff wants laughs and heart.
Parker positions it as underdog fun, with six episodes weekly through February 23 , already greenlit for season two. House of the Dragon season three follows later this summer, promising dragon fireworks.
Business-wise, the bold start pays off. HBO Max sees franchise traffic spike, proving fans crave variety beyond gore and incest plots. Yahoo Singapore echoes the shock value, drawing eyes, while ComicBook debates Martin’s unease but defends the adaptation’s punch.
Fan splits add spice. Some miss the epic sweep, others love the parody of heroism tropes. ScreenRant calls it tonally distinct, perfect for weary viewers. The scene also spotlights practical effects; that squat looks convincingly messy, grounding fantasy in body horror humor.
Parker hints that future episodes build on this honesty. Dunk’s growth mirrors real stumbles toward potential, theme song or not. As Westeros expands, this spinoff proves the universe thrives on reinvention, poop, and all.
Will Smith’s newest Disney+ series, Pole to Pole With Will Smith, is a seven-part National Geographic docuseries that premiered on Disney+ on January 16, 2026.
On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently sits at a 100% critics’ score, placing it in rare company on the service and instantly turning it into a watchlist magnet for people who usually skip celebrity-fronted nonfiction.
A 100% score always triggers the same two reactions: people treat it like a crown, and people treat it like bait. The skeptical side is not wrong to ask questions, because a perfect rating can be fragile early on.
ScreenRant notes that the score is based on only a small number of reviews so far, meaning it could shift as more critics weigh in. Rotten Tomatoes also shows an audience score that is notably lower than the critic score, which is a useful reminder that critical consensus and casual enjoyment do not always line up.
Still, a perfect score is not automatically meaningless. Rotten Tomatoes’ critics’ score simply indicates that all counted reviews to date are positive, not that the show is flawless or universally adored.
In that context, “deserves” is less about claiming perfection and more about whether the series earns its early momentum through craft, clarity, and intent rather than hype.
Why Critics Are Buying What This Show Sells
Pole to Pole sells a huge premise fas t: Will Smith travels across all seven continents, guided by scientists, experts, and local voices, with the camera chasing extremes from polar cold to deep water.
That structure matters because it gives the show a built-in sense of progress and stakes, even for viewers who do not usually watch nature docs. When a series has a simple spine like that, each episode can feel like a chapter instead of a detour, which is exactly what binge-friendly streaming needs right now.
The strongest reviews have not framed it as a celebrity flex, and that is the make-or-break factor for this kind of project. ScreenRant’s read is that Smith’s on-screen presence comes off more humble than self-congratulatory, with the places and people taking priority rather than a star vehicle vibe.
That tone helps the series avoid the “influencer travel” trap, where the camera never stops admiring the host more than the world.
Craft is doing heavy lifting here, too. Multiple write-ups highlight the visuals and filming as a major reason the show lands, with the photography presenting Earth’s extremes in a way that feels big-screen even on a phone.
National Geographic’s brand promise has always been image-first storytelling, and this series leans into that without turning every scene into empty postcard content.
Another reason the early reviews are so positive is the human framing. ScreenRant emphasizes the inclusion of scientists, explorers, and local experts, which gives the episodes a sense of credibility and texture beyond the standard “host reacts to stunning view” beats.
Will Smith (Credit: NBC)
It also signals that the series wants to share knowledge, not just locations, and that approach tends to play well with critics who want documentaries to have a point of view and not just a passport stamp.
If any part of the show feels strategically designed for 2026 streaming habits, it is the pacing. Seven episodes are long enough to feel substantial but short enough to finish in a weekend, and that sweet spot often helps docuseries avoid mid-season fatigue.
Even the headlines around it are built for quick discovery, with Rotten Tomatoes browse pages surfacing it prominently among Disney+ titles because the score stands out.
Disney+ Strategy, Will Smith’s Image, and What Comes Next
A National Geographic series with a world-famous host fits that strategy cleanly, and Rotten Tomatoes visibility gives it extra oxygen without Disney needing to manufacture controversy.
The platform also benefits from the “easy recommendation” factor: it is not niche sci-fi, not heavy true crime, not a grim limited drama, so it has broad household appeal.
For Will Smith, the timing is just as important as the content. The last few years have seen his public narrative swing between blockbuster legacy, awards-season memory, and personal controversy, so a warm, informational travel series offers a different kind of headline.
The show is also not his first collaboration of this type on Disney+. ScreenRant points out that Smith previously fronted Welcome to Earth, another Disney+ National Geographic docuseries that also earned a 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
This is where the score conversation gets more interesting. A perfect rating can be a fleeting moment, but a back-to-back strong reception suggests a pattern: Smith is effective in nonfiction when he plays learner rather than legend.
That matters because celebrity documentaries often fail not due to budget or access, but due to posture, where the host performs importance instead of curiosity.
If Pole to Pole sustains its buzz, Disney+ and National Geographic have a clear incentive to keep building event-style docuseries with recognizable faces, especially when the format travels well across markets.
The only real risk is that the score becomes the story. Early perfection can set expectations too high, and ScreenRant’s caution about the limited number of reviews is worth keeping in mind if more critics later add mixed takes.
Even then, the existence of a strong early consensus already tells viewers something practical: if this show is your kind of nonfiction, there is a good chance it will satisfy.
A 100% badge does not guarantee a personal favorite, and it does not settle debates about what “great” means. What it can do is spotlight a series that might otherwise be dismissed as another celebrity travel project. In this case, the early evidence suggests the acclaim is coming from execution, not just enthusiasm.
