The Dungeons & Dragons movies of the 2000s didn't give gamers much hope about adapting the classic game for the big screen, but the situation improved substantially with the release of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Although a disappointment at the box office, this 2023 movie was a hit with critics and viewers. Yet D&D TV is totally different, warranting a different template.

The TV show will need to look to other inspirations to ensure it gets the balance of lore and originality right. With an Honor Among Thieves sequel unlikely, due to the original's slim profits, D&D is relying heavily on its TV show to inspire gamers, book readers, and new fans alike. Although Joe Manganiello's much-storied Dragonlance TV show was scrapped by Hasbro due to the sale of eOne and poor timing, there is another TV show currently airing that makes me confident The Forgotten Realms can get it right when it does come to Netlifx.

Legend Of Vox Machina Has No Bad Seasons & It Proves How Well A D&D TV Show Can Work

D&D Nailed TV With The Legend Of Vox Machina

As soon as I heard that Dungeons & Dragons finally managed to secure a TV series after years of uncertainty and negotiations, I thought of Amazon Prime Video's The Legend of Vox Machina. Anyone who hasn't seen this amazing anime-inspired high fantasy show should find a way to do so now. With the end of The Legend of Vox Machina season 3 in October 2024, Critical Role proved that they weren't capable of producing one bad season. This makes me optimistic for The Forgotten Realms, despite D&D having suffered ups and downs on screen.

The Legend of Vox Machina proves that D&D TV can entertain for years on end.

Based, of course, on the legendary Critical Role and their actual play web series, The Legend of Vox Machina follows the real-world personalities of Critical Role. As such, it will be different from The Forgotten Realms, with strong and exact source material to follow directly. Although a plot hasn't been announced for The Forgotten Realms TV show yet, it would certainly be important enough to announce if it was going to adapt an actual play web series. So, it seems unlikely that it will. Regardless, The Legend of Vox Machina proves that D&D TV can entertain for years on end.

Amazon's Animated Series Gives Me Hope For Netflix's Dungeons & Dragons Show

Dungeons & Dragons Should Take Notes From The Legend Of Vox Machina

The Dungeons & Dragons live-action show is exciting, considering how good The Legend of Vox Machina is, even though it probably won't follow the same format. My reason for doubting The Forgotten Realms was significantly that high fantasy in contemporary TV feels very repetitive and can often lose momentum. Even though The Forgotten Realms may lack the guided focus that actual play source material provides, The Legend of Vox Machina proves that there are still original stories left to be told in high fantasy and that the genre is far from dead.

The propensity to keep serving great seasons is a challenging feat, considering the difficulties studios are facing in light of the changing environment of viewer habits and streaming. TV seasons often must be made as if every one is its last due to behind-the-scenes agreement doubts, while they often also have to seed hints of a next season, even if renewal isn't certain. Navigating these issues, The Legend of Vox Machina has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, proving that originality, authenticity, and a well-thought-out plot go a long way.

Netflix's Series Has Obstacles To Overcome That Legend Of Vox Machina Didn't

The Forgotten Realms Still Has Some Issues To Navigate

The live-action D&D show can learn lots from The Legend of Vox Machina, indicating that it could continue for years, but it will still face some issues that the animated show doesn't. With Dungeons & Dragons such a huge, sprawling, and diverse franchise, productions can really be worlds apart in of their cast and crew. Created in the '70s by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, the game has kept evolving. Rights to various parts of its ideas and material are now split across different parties, so one successful show doesn't necessarily promise another.

Critical Role had years to refine the plot that would eventually become The Legend of Vox Machina.

With substantial rights to use D&D in their games and related enterprises, a group of voice actors calling themselves Critical Role came to produce The Legend of Vox Machina. Originality and authenticity came naturally to Critical Role as a group of friends playing D&D at home, but it remains to be seen if The Forgotten Realms crew can defy corporate weigh-ins and meddling input to stay true to the heart of D&D — a group of relatable misfits saving the world together. Also, Critical Role had years to refine the plot that would eventually become The Legend of Vox Machina.

Drew Crevello will be the showrunner of The Forgotten Realms.

Despite existing under the same IP, The Legend of Vox Machina and The Forgotten Realms could have little in common and share few crew , if any. Drew Crevello has reportedly already written the pilot of The Forgotten Realms, which is exciting (via Deadline). However, I hope the show is given as much time as it needs to develop its script and get the plot right so that it can be sustainable and spread across many seasons, like The Legend of Vox Machina. Live-action is also harder to nail than animation, but with strong guidance, Dungeons & Dragons TV can keep winning.

Source: Deadline