A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is the best current TV series in the fantasy genre, as far as I can tell, and one of the best I've ever seen.
If you like anything Game of Thrones related, you're very likely to love this one.
It has the right amount of humor, idealism, grittiness, and violence.
Unfortunately, it's not one for younger viewers without some caveats. About half the episodes contain one or two crude (and completely unnecessary) scenes, and there is plenty of realistic blood and violence throughout. So while I'd otherwise recommend it even for 12 year old boys, parents should be aware of both before letting teenagers watch.
About the violence, I have to say this is some of the best medieval combat I've seen in recent memory. In many movies, armored combat is full of quick maiming and even decapitations. Here, an armored knight can survive several sword and dagger blows for quite a long time before falling or dying. Well, there is one quick decapitation that feels somewhat out of place, and some people might bleed a bit more than would be believable and keep fighting, but overall the melee is very impressive.
Why is this so good? I'd guess it has many shades of gray, like most of GRRM's work - and good or bad people are not necessarily fighting on opposing sides - but at the same time the main characters are likeable and moral (although far from perfect, one having limite size and other limited smarts) so you're always cheering for them. It is fun in a way House of the Dragon doesn't always manage.
The realistic combat always plays a part. The most skilled fighters often win, using power, brutality, and skill, which is a breath of fresh air after watching so many fantasy battles of petite warriors doing useless backflips. People are self-serving but rarely amoral or straight up evil, with a few exceptions.
In short, a great balance between chivalry and realism. And that balance turns out to be more than just a stylistic choice - it goes to the heart of what the show is actually about.
Why is Dunk a knight, or a good knight? Because of his weapons and armor? Because he was knighted? Because of his size and courage in battle, yet to be fully tested? Or because he follows the code of chivalry?
Watch it, and form your own opinion.
(BTW, the book is very good too!)
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