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Critical Role knew that, in order for their new Prime Video series The Mighty Nein, to work, there would have to be some changes from the story that began with Campaign 2. To put it bluntly - you can't take over 500 hours of D&D actual play and translate it, 1-to-1, into an animated series (well, not without a BIG budget, anyway). So even before writing for the show began, the creatives new that they'd be tweaking (to put it lightly) some events that many fans would consider sacrosanct.

And in a recent conversation, the show's showrunner Tasha Huo explained why they took that chance anyway.

Huo was a guest on the Super Cool Nerd Show in November of 2025, when the host asked the Prime Video showrunner if there were any pieces of Campaign 2's structure that she felt nervous suggesting the original cast change. After clarifying that the Critical Role cast "were always game" to make changes in an effort to tell a better story, Huo got specific.

"Something [that] didn't take much convincing," Huo began, "Because they knew this was the best way to start;our early conversations were around, 'Let's not start with them all together.' And there is some risk in that, right? Because, you know, you come to the Mighty Nine as a fan and you're like, 'I want to see my Mighty Nine together doing things! Why am I waiting?'"

It was a question Huo was prepared to answer.

"The hope was," she said, "That it not only gives like new people a chance to figure out who these characters are and start to love them, but it gives a chance for us Critters to see what session zero was like and to to to step even further behind and see some of that backstory we didn't get to see and fall in love with them in a new way, but the same way."

The Mighty Nein season 1, which is the same and new indeed, is streaming on Prime Video now.

With two animated series on Prime Video, Campaign 4 in full swing, and so much more Exandrian lore to come, Critical Role is showing no signs of slowing down. That's why the adventuring party at Popverse are here to bring you everything we can from those nerdy-ass voice actors & Bo., including:

• Critical Role release schedule
• Critical Role's Campaign 4 characters ranked
• How to watch Critical Role in order
• Ways for you to relive the Critical Role panel from ECCC '26
• Taliesin Jaffe on playing Mollymauk Tealeaf for Campaign 2 vs. playing him for Prime Video
• Matt Mercer's homebrew warrior class (created originally for Vin Diesel)

...and much, much more. Roll initiative, player. Magic awaits.