# Critical Role (2015)

> Voice actors play Dungeons and Dragons characters in an improvised fantasy campaign set in the world of Exandria.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/168940

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 421
- Episode runtime: 236 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: fantasy, comedy, drama, adventure
- Created by: Matthew Mercer, Ashley Johnson, Marisha Ray, Taliesin Jaffe, Sam Riegel, Laura Bailey, Liam O'Brien, Travis Willingham
- Network: YouTube, Twitch, Alpha, Beacon
- Cast: Matthew Mercer, Luis Carazo, Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Whitney Moore, Ashley Johnson, Travis Willingham, Liam O'Brien
- TMDB rating: 9.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4834232/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: playful, sincere, adventurous, comedic, emotional

## Synopsis

Critical Role (2015-present) is an American actual play fantasy series created by Matthew Mercer, Ashley Johnson, Marisha Ray, Taliesin Jaffe, Sam Riegel, Laura Bailey, Liam O'Brien and Travis Willingham. Voice actors sit around a table and play characters in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, with Matthew Mercer as game master guiding the story. Laura Bailey plays Vex'ahlia Vessar, Ashley Johnson plays Yasha Nydoorin, Travis Willingham plays Grog Strongjaw and Marisha Ray plays Beau Lionett, each character pursuing personal goals while dice rolls and improvised choices push the group into danger. The engine is collaboration: players react to one another and to the game master in real time, so every session turns on unscripted decisions and the consequences that follow. The series runs as an ongoing multi season campaign across four seasons and hundreds of episodes, streamed weekly on YouTube and Twitch. Set in the fantasy world of Exandria, it blends comedy with sincere emotional moments, a warm and playful register with real stakes. Fans of The Adventure Zone and the Dungeons and Dragons film Honor Among Thieves will find kinship in its tabletop spirit and ensemble fantasy adventure.

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