5 TV Shows To Watch If You Like The Legend Of Vox Machina

After starting as a bunch of voice actors live streaming their Dungeons & Dragons sessions, Critical Role has now blossomed into an entire multimedia empire. And while the actual "Critical Role" web series remains the centerpiece of that kingdom, it can be argued that the animated series "The Legend of Vox Machina" — which is based on events from the first Critical Role campaign — is an almost equally important pillar.

A must-watch for Dungeons & Dragons fans while also being plenty accessible to any fantasy lover, "Vox Machina" has scored massive critical acclaim and its upcoming fifth season puts it among the longest-running Amazon Prime Video original series ever. Sister series "The Mighty Nein," which is based on the second Critical Role campaign, is also doing well and already has a second season in development. But as fans wait for Season 5 of "Vox Machina" and Season 2 of "The Mighty Nein," they are left searching for similar shows to fill the void.

Just going through the best TV shows based on video games is definitely a good place to start, though "Vox Machina" fans are likely looking for something a little more Dungeons & Dragons-flavored. The following five shows are very much that. All of them bring similar action-fantasy vibes, most of them are based on gaming properties, and one is even specifically Dungeons & Dragons-adjacent. 

"Dota: Dragon's Blood" is based on the hugely popular online multiplayer game "Dota 2." Even if this is your first time even hearing of this franchise you'll be fine, don't worry — much like "The Legend of Vox Machina" fans who don't play Dungeons & Dragons, no prior knowledge is required to enjoy the series. In fact, "Dragon's Blood" is actually a pretty solid introduction to the lore of the series, clearly designed as such to ease in newcomers while also still being a great adaptation for existing fans. The voice acting is fantastic, with the show boasting a solid roster (and, much like the characters, the cast of "DOTA: Dragon's Blood" is gorgeous in real life).

Like Dungeons & Dragons, it takes place in a universe full of magic, demons, and dragons, following a group of adventurers who each bring their own unique skills to the party. The story revolves around Davion (Yuri Lowenthal), a famed Dragon Knight who has spent his whole life battling dragons but now finds himself reluctantly aligning with them to take down the dangerous demon Terrorblade (JB Blanc). This is a thrilling and highly bingeable fantasy epic that ran for three seasons on Netflix, and fans of "The Legend of Vox Machina" are bound to fall in love with it if they give the show a chance.

"Record of Lodoss War" began as a series of fantasy novels by Ryo Mizuno based on the Japanese tabletop role-playing game "Small World RPG," which he co-created. "Small World" might not be driven by user-created content and scenarios in the same way that Dungeons & Dragons is, but the two RPGs share a lot of the same DNA, and the main setting of "Small World" — a place called Forcelia — wouldn't be out of place as a D&D location.

The 1990 anime adaptation of "Record of Lodoss War" should be right up the alley of any D&D and "The Legend of Vox Machina" fan. Taking place across a lean 13 episodes — we aren't talking "One Piece" levels of commitment here — "Record of Lodoss War" follows a knight, an elf, a dwarf, a wizard, a thief, and a cleric as they attempt to fight off a previously dormant evil that has recently been reawakened. 

"Record of Lodoss War" is a highly-regarded anime classic with gorgeous animation from Madhouse, incredible music, a cast of fully-formed characters, and a story that remains compelling throughout despite the well-worn fantasy territory. And, if you love it, there's more "Record of Lodoss War" content out there, including the 1998 follow-up anime series "Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight."

Of all the shows on this list, the only one that has zero ties to an existing game of any kind is "The Dragon Prince." Serving as something of a spiritual successor to "Avatar: The Last Airbender" in that the two shows share a key creative figure (Aaron Ehasz), "The Dragon Prince" is otherwise a wholly original work that isn't an adaptation of nor based on an existing property. Of course, it can be argued that this makes this recommendation stand out from the others in a positive way rather than a negative one — adaptations are great, but we definitely don't get enough original works these days.

It's not hard to find the connective tissue between "The Dragon Prince" and "The Legend of Vox Machina," as both shows are about the forces of good and evil battling one another with magic in a high fantasy setting in which dragons are ever-present. The magic in the world of "The Dragon Prince" is a natural resource that can be mined not only from the land and sea but also the sky, the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Everything was fine on the continent of Xadia until the humans got fed up with not being able to access the naturally-occurring magic the way the elves could and started to dabble in a dark form of it. Doing so poisoned their souls and caused them to be exiled, which eventually led to a great battle between the tainted humans and those that banished them. If our description of this excellent Netflix show didn't convince you to check it out, maybe its 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating will. 

While the "Castlevania" video games aren't technically RPGs but rather action/adventure titles, the spirit of RPGs — using magic, leveling up abilities, choosing what types of weapons and gear to equip — has always run through the franchise. And while it took a shockingly long time after the series' debut in 1986 to finally see any sort of screen adaptation, the wait was worth it with Netflix's astounding 2017 series "Castlevania."

Loosely following the events of "Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse," one of the most beloved titles in the game series, "Castlevania" sees Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage) somewhat reluctantly accept his duties as the latest in a long line of vampire-slaying Belmonts. He eventually joins up with magician Sypha Belnades (Alejandra Reynoso) on his quest to take down Vlad Dracula Tepes (Graham McTavish), the de facto vampire king who has pledged an eternity of suffering against humans for the murder of his wife.

"Castlevania" is one of the best TV shows about vampires and it's also one of the best video game adaptations ever, including both television and film. The follow-up series "Castlevania: Nocturne" isn't quite as great, but if you enjoy the original it's worth checking out, especially if you're looking to scratch your "The Legend of Vox Machina" itch.

Lastly, we have an adaptation of a video game franchise so good that it made Emmy history in more ways than one – most crucially, being the first video game adaptation to ever win one of the coveted awards. Since then, shows like "The Last of Us" and "Fallout" have made it commonplace for video game shows to get Emmy love, but it was a big deal when "Arcane: League of Legends" crossed that bridge first.

Another show that requires zero familiarity with the source material while also serving as a wonderful tribute to it, "Arcane" is an incredibly ambitious animated series that's all about the class warfare between the rich residents of Piltover and the poor residents of Zaun. Zaunite sisters Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Ella Purnell) are thrown into the middle of that battle, and it threatens to cost them their relationship.

"Arcane" is the most expensive animated series of all time, and it shows — the Netflix series really is stunning. The massive budget is evident in every frame of the show's visually arresting animation and jaw-dropping action sequences. Sadly, this is also why Netflix canceled "Arcane" — the series may have wowed critics and audiences alike, but approximately $250 million was spent on creating the two seasons, and the high costs doomed the show.