Prime Video’s 10/10 Franchise Makes Fantasy Look Easy

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It’s surprisingly difficult to create truly successful fantasy. Even highly praised adaptations like Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings faced criticism for prioritizing action over the depth of J.R.R. Tolkien’s original stories. Similarly, Game of Thrones, which seemed unstoppable for years, ultimately ended with a disappointing final season.

Streaming fantasy shows are all over the place in terms of quality. While some, like Netflix’s The Witcher, have quickly lost popularity, others, such as Disney’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, have been well-received. The Rings of Power has sparked a lot of debate, and HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series will need to prove to audiences that a new live-action version is worth making.

It’s truly impressive when a series delivers three amazing seasons and then creates a spin-off that’s equally well-received.

Prime Video’s Critical Role Franchise Is Making Fantasy Look Easy

Premiering in 2022 to excellent reviews, The Legend of Vox Machina didn’t immediately grab mainstream attention, but it quickly resonated with fantasy fans. The show’s combination of Dungeons & Dragons history, compelling characters, and sharp wit proved to be a success. What was truly remarkable, though, was that Prime Video followed it up with two more seasons that were just as good.

Following the success of The Legend of Vox Machina, Amazon quickly moved to adapt another of Critical Role’s campaigns, The Mighty Nein. Many wondered if they could repeat their success, and the answer was a resounding yes. The second show was just as good, and arguably even better, than the first.

What Prime Video’s Critical Role Shows Have That Other Fantasy Series Lack

It’s common now for fantasy shows and stories to be adapted from existing material. Often, this means they’re based on books, but sometimes they come from video games or, like with Critical Role, start as a live tabletop role-playing game that’s then turned into a web series.

Fantasy shows often rely on existing stories, and a clear trend is appearing: whether a show succeeds or fails largely depends on how faithfully it adapts the original material.

Several popular fantasy shows demonstrate a clear trend: adaptations often struggle when they stray from their source material. Game of Thrones lost its way after finishing the books by George R.R. Martin, The Witcher declined as it moved away from established stories, and The Rings of Power takes significant liberties with Tolkien’s world. Conversely, the Percy Jackson series is well-received because it stays truer to the books than the previous film adaptations, and the appeal of the new Harry Potter series seems to rest on its promise of being more faithful to the novels than the movies were.

As a huge fantasy fan, I have to say The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein are really in a league of their own. What’s so cool is that the actual Critical Role players aren’t just in these shows, they’re heavily involved in making them – basically, they get to keep building on the characters and worlds they created in the first place. You just don’t see that very often. Either the original creators aren’t around anymore, or the studios just don’t bother to include them, but it makes a huge difference when you get that level of creative control from the people who started it all.

Continuity has been incredibly important for Critical Role. It’s allowed The Legend of Vox Machina to continue the original story without interruption. And even with The Mighty Nein, which isn’t a direct retelling of the D&D campaign, keeping the same cast members helps connect with fans and maintain what they already enjoy, even with changes to the plot.

Generally, adaptations are better when the original creators are involved in their development. While most fantasy series prefer to keep creative control themselves, the success of projects like Critical Role shows how great things can be when creators are involved, making it seem like a simple formula.

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2026-02-15 18:58