US Daily Letter Entertainment Desk: Weekend Brief
What You Need to Know from January 17-18, 2026
The entertainment world had a busy weekend—new Game of Thrones, major streaming drops, SNL’s return, and a few headline-grabbing moments. Here’s what happened.
WESTEROS RETURNS: HBO’s New Game of Thrones Spin-Off Premieres Tonight
The biggest entertainment story of the weekend is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, HBO’s third series set in Westeros, which premieres tonight (Sunday, January 18) at 10 PM ET on HBO and HBO Max.
What It Is: Based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, the show follows Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey)—a lowborn hedge knight—and his young squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), who’s secretly a Targaryen prince. It’s set roughly a century before Game of Thrones, when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and dragons are a recent memory.
What Makes It Different: Unlike the sprawling political intrigue of Game of Thrones or the dynastic battles of House of the Dragon, this is intentionally smaller and more intimate. Think buddy dramedy meets fantasy adventure. Early reviews are solid—87% on Rotten Tomatoes—with critics calling it “a welcome return to Westeros that works better in the buddy-comedy arena.”
The Schedule: Six episodes total, dropping weekly on Sundays through February 22. Episodes run 31-42 minutes each—much shorter than typical Game of Thrones fare. HBO already renewed it for Season 2, expected in 2027.
Why It Matters: After a year and a half without new Game of Thrones content on HBO, fans have been waiting. The franchise is clearly committed to long-term expansion, with multiple other spin-offs in development. Whether audiences embrace this lighter, more character-driven approach will determine how HBO proceeds with smaller-scale Westeros stories going forward.
SNL Returns with Finn Wolfhard and A$AP Rocky
Saturday Night Live came back from its January break last night with Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard making his hosting debut alongside first-time musical guest A$AP Rocky.
In the show’s promo, Wolfhard joked about the origins of his name with A$AP Rocky and cast member Sarah Sherman—standard SNL fare. The 51st season is in full swing, with next week’s episode (January 24) set to feature Teyana Taylor, who recently won a Golden Globe for One Battle After Another.
Why It Matters: SNL remains one of the few live, event-style TV programs that still drives weekend conversation. Wolfhard’s casting signals the show’s continued effort to tap into younger, streaming-generation stars who’ve become household names through Netflix and genre content rather than traditional network TV.
Streaming Drops: What Hit This Weekend
Netflix:
∙ Skyscraper Live – World-famous free solo climber Alex Honnold attempted to ascend one of the planet’s tallest skyscrapers in a high-stakes live event from Taipei, Taiwan. Netflix has been experimenting with live events (remember the Tom Brady roast?), and this continues that push into real-time programming.
∙ Undercover Miss Hong – New drama series
HBO Max:
∙ The Smashing Machine – New film dropping alongside A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
∙ Real Time with Bill Maher – Season 24 premiere
Hulu:
∙ Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere – Documentary about Bruce Springsteen
Disney+:
∙ Disneyland Handcrafted – Documentary revealing the artistry and grit behind building Disneyland from groundbreaking to Opening Day on July 17, 1955. Perfect timing as Disneyland’s 70th anniversary approaches later this year.
Amazon Prime Video:
∙ 120 Bahadur – Powerful war drama starring Farhan Akhtar as Major Shaitan Singh, leading 120 Indian soldiers in the legendary Battle of Rezang La during the 1962 Indo-China conflict. Early word suggests it’s a stirring portrayal of sacrifice and patriotism.
BBC America:
∙ Planet Earth: Kingdom – New installment narrated by Sir David Attenborough, chronicling leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, and lions in a remote river valley in Zambia.
Box Office: Avatar Still Dominates
Avatar: Fire and Ash continued its box office reign over the MLK weekend, burning through competition with a $17M+ take and holding the No. 1 spot. The James Cameron sequel is on track for a massive theatrical run, cementing the Avatar franchise as one of the few reliably massive draws in theaters.
Meanwhile, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is performing solidly in second place, though it couldn’t dethrone Cameron’s latest spectacle.
Las Vegas Entertainment: Blake Shelton, Chris Tucker, +LIVE+
If you’re in Vegas this weekend, there’s plenty happening:
∙ Blake Shelton: Live in Las Vegas – Multiple dates at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace through January 31
∙ +LIVE+ – The ’90s alternative rock band (remember “Lightning Crashes”?) performed Friday night at The Venetian Theatre
∙ Chris Tucker – Stand-up at Encore Theater, Wynn Las Vegas
Vegas continues to solidify its position as the destination for major residencies and weekend entertainment draws.
Celebrity Watch
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience to promote their new crime drama The Rip. The conversation turned to cancel culture, with Damon calling it perpetual and comparing it unfavorably to serving jail time—at least with prison, you eventually pay your debt and move on.
Benson Boone, the “Beautiful Things” singer, took over Milan Fashion Week, posing in a leopard horsehair jacket at the Dolce&Gabbana Men’s Fall/Winter 2026 show. He was joined by Emily in Paris actor Lucien Laviscount and Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams, who made his runway debut at DSquared2.
Sara Foster revealed on a podcast that she once went on a “blah” and “depressing” date with George Clooney, remembering thinking at the time, “Oh, he is so old.” The internet, predictably, had thoughts.
The Bottom Line
This weekend was all about returns and resets: Game of Thrones coming back to HBO, SNL returning from break, Netflix experimenting with live events, and streaming services dropping major films and docs.
The big test: Will A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms capture the magic that made Game of Thrones a cultural phenomenon? Or has the franchise peaked? Tonight’s premiere will start answering that question.
Either way, if you’re looking for something to watch tonight, Westeros is waiting.
—US Daily Letter Entertainment Desk