The Mighty Nein: Critical Role’s New Series Makes a Strong Debut
What do an alcoholic goblin, a smelly wizard, a midshipman who can barely lift his own weight, a haughty monk with an aversion to sleeves, a travelling Carnie with memory issues, and a tiefling cleric with the infectious energy of a Labrador puppy have in common?
The answer is not very much. At least not with each other. And certainly not with The Legend of Vox Machina, Prime Video’s now ended 5-season animated fantasy drama series based on Critical Role’s first Dungeons and Dragon’s campaign.
Yes, ok, The Mighty Nein is similarly based on a Critical Role campaign. And yes, it’s also set in the land of Exandria, some 20 years after the events of Vox Machina (rest easy, heroes!). And yes, this new series also features the full voice cast of Vox Machina in a collection of new roles. And admittedly, this new series also features a motley collection of colorful characters united under a single banner for the force of good. But that’s where the similarities end. Apart from the action. And the humor. Can’t forget the humor. Even the dirtier stuff. Particularly the dirtier stuff. Oh, and the sweeping scope of the broader plot. And the art style. And the meaty backstories. But that’s definitely where the similarities end.
Ok, moving on.
The Mighty Nein introduces us to the Dwendalian Empire and the Kryn Dynasty, two powerful but uneasy neighbors who find themselves on the brink of war when the Beacon, a sacred Kryn object of power, is stolen in an audacious raid.
Who stole the Beacon, and to what end? The answers may surprise you, but the fallout of such an unthinkable act is all too predictable. As war looms between Empire and the Kryn, we are introduced to new heroes whose fates are bound to events both political and personal. (If you want a taster before Thursday’s premiere you can catch the first episode here.)
The Mighty Nein actually does (really truly) differ from Vox Machina in a number of key ways that make the show feel more like an evolution in style and execution, than a second chapter. Take the setup for starters. Vox Machina led with a comfortable-feeling introduction in which character credentials were already established from the very first episode. These heroes were a team from the very outset. Here, there is no such handholding. The characters we will come to care about in The Mighty Nein don’t even know each other yet. Some we won’t meet until the show’s mid-point. Others even later.
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Instead, initial episodes are keen to paint in broader brushstrokes, boldly establishing the world, its factions and geo-politics, the show’s big players, and the scope of what is at stake before substituting the macro lens for finer character examination.
Having watched the entirely of the 8-episode season in advance for review purposes, offering the benefit of hindsight (+8), this creative choice feels both deliberate and fitting. Storytelling in Mighty Nein is confident, unhurried, and meticulous. Each of the new characters we meet is given ample room to breathe and become connected to the larger story, and to one another.
In Vox Machina, each character got a backstory episode. In The Mighty Nein we often feel we are watching that backstory unfold in real time, only to discover we’ve merely been scratching at the surface after 8 full episodes instead.
“We were just starting to know them!” Nott the Brave (no comma) sadly notes when our heroes disband during one eventful episode.
“We did not know them at all,” her travelling companion Caleb replies in an aside that feels as much directed at the audience as the grief-stricken Nott.
It’s a risky narrative gamble that pays off later — particularly in the latter stages of the season when events come together spectacularly and in a manner that rewards our patience. With each episode working to recontextualize the one before it, the show craftily sneaks up on us with a series of unexpected depths, shifting allegiances, and emotional gut punches. By the time we’re in the final stretch, the disparate threads — political tensions, personal demons, cosmic mysteries, and a little sprinkle of sexual tension — braid together with an elegance that feels truly earned.
The Mighty Nein knows its characters — brave and cowardly, grief or rage stricken, filled with hope and a sense of adventure, or even just grim determination — are its biggest selling point. Fans of Critical Role’s campaigns, and Prime Video’s previous series will recognize the voice acting talents of Matt Mercer, Laura Bailey, Sam Riegel, Ashley Johnson, Liam O’Brien and others, but the characters they inhabit this time around feel fresh, provocative, and intriguing. So much so you’ll no doubt have a new favorite each episode. (Please tell me that’s not just me?)
But perhaps the clearest sign that The Mighty Nein is truly carving out its own identity lies in its tone. Where Vox Machina reveled in rowdy irreverence, The Mighty Nein thrives in emotional ambiguity — and rowdy irreverence. The show is funny one moment, and gutting the next, and often within the same scene. It’s also more confident, more complex, and far more willing to sit with difficult questions about identity, loyalty, and the cost of redemption. No spoilers, but episode 5 “Little Spark” is an excellent case in point.
But by the time the credits roll on the finale, there’s no mistaking it. Critical Role and Prime Video haven’t just created a worthy follow-up to The Legend of Vox Machina. They’ve delivered a series that feels bigger, badder, and even bolder than its predecessor.
The Mighty Nein Premieres its first 8-episode season on Wednesday November 19 on Prime Video.
The series stars Liam O’Brien as Caleb, Sam Riegel as Nott the Brave, Travis Willingham as Fjord, Laura Bailey as Jester, Marisha Ray as Beauregard, Taliesin Jaffe as Molly, Matthew Mercer as Essek, Ashley Johnson as Yasha Nydoorin, and Mark Strong as Trent Ikithon.
Look out for season one guest cast including Lucy Liu, Ming Na Wen, Nathan Fillion, Anjelica Huston, T’Nia Miller, Felicia Day, Graham McTavish, and Ivanna Sankho.
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