"When a franchise goes big, you have two choices for what to do next. You can zoom out and reveal the wider context of the original story, or you can zoom in and spotlight a story that has lower stakes. This latter approach is high-risk, high-reward, but it could serve to completely redefine the entire property. Take, for example, the DC Universe."
"The Game of Thrones universe first took the zoom-out approach with House of the Dragon, and it works perfectly well to flesh out the history of Westeros and the mysterious Targaryen family. But the next entry, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, swings completely to the other side of the spectrum: a small-scale story that brings to mind tales of medieval chivalry and Arthurian legends, with enough heart to feed Daenerys for weeks."
"HBO I knew that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was a great show in the first few minutes, when Dunk (Peter Claffey) realizes that, after the passing of his mentor, Ser Arlen Pennytree, it's up to him to make his fortune as a freelance knight (aka hedge knight). "It fits my grip as well as it ever fit his," he says to his horses, swinging Ser Pennytree's sword."
Franchises expanding can either zoom out to reveal wider context or zoom in on smaller, lower-stakes stories. Zoom-in entries carry higher risk but can wholly redefine a property when they succeed. The DC Universe offers examples of both award-winning low-stakes shows and forgotten genre experiments. Game of Thrones first expanded outward with House of the Dragon to detail Targaryen history, then shifted inward with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which adopts a chivalric, Arthurian tone. A Knight emphasizes small-scale heroism, character warmth, and a slightly offbeat tone that contrasts with grittier franchise entries.
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