Despite being the studio behind the recent D&D movie Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Paramount has canceled its plans for a sequel or a spinoff TV show. However, there are plenty of successful series set in the Dungeons and Dragons universe, like the critically acclaimed The Legend of Vox Machina. Amazon Prime’s animated TV show is based on the campaign from the Critical Role web series. The show adapts different story arcs that were established in Critical Role but have blossomed into a fully-fledged narrative that holds up against any other fantasy show.

Honor Among Thieves‘ streaming success has sparked renewed interest in a live-action D&D show, and for good reason. There’s huge franchise potential within the D&D universe, which has been shown time and again by The Legend of Vox Machina. It’s true that Honor Among Thieves was a box-office disappointment, but this is mostly because of the high budget, which made the bar for success in theaters too high. However, this underwhelming performance was enough to make Paramount+ decide not to move forward with the D&D TV show, even though it could have been a hit.

Legend Of Vox Machina’s 100% Rotten Tomatoes Streak Proves A D&D Show Can Work

Vox Machina’s continued success shows there’s long-term viability for a D&D series

Each season of The Legend of Vox Machina has raised the stakes and developed the characters, staying true to the heart of the D&D game while becoming a classic fantasy show. The past few years have revealed that the fantasy genre works well on television because of the potential for multiple storylines and the establishment of world-building. The Legend of Vox Machina has used all of this to its advantage. If The Legend of Vox Machina can operate successfully as a TV series and still connect with fans, there’s no reason why the Paramount+ show couldn’t have done this.

When adapting a piece of IP as popular and iconic as D&D, it can be a challenge to please the existing fanbase while also reaching new viewers.

The Legend of Vox Machina season 3’s Rotten Tomatoes record remains intact, with the third installment earning another 100% critical score. Though the audience score hasn’t hit 100 yet, it’s been consistently in the mid-to-high 90s, demonstrating that fans are just as invested in the story. When adapting a piece of IP as popular and iconic as D&D, it can be a challenge to please the existing fanbase while also reaching new viewers. However, The Legend of Vox Machina has shown this is possible, becoming a crossover hit for Prime.

Season

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

1
100%
93%

2
100%
97%

3
100%
96%

The Amazon Series’ Success Makes Paramount’s Dungeons & Dragons Cancelation Worse

The Legend of Vox Machina could have been a blueprint for the Paramount series

Even though Honor Among Thieves wasn’t the hit Paramount was hoping for, the fact that the studio decided to put away the D&D franchise forever is surprising. The Dungeons and Dragons show was canceled at Paramount even though it had already started generating buzz and had a series order. Paramount+’s show would have been a live-action story that could have explored the expansive universe of D&D even further. D&D has so many different realms and possible narratives that Paramount+ could have started fresh without giving up the franchise. Instead, the future of onscreen D&D has become uncertain.

Vox Machina is a good replacement for the canceled D&D show audiences were waiting for. However, it’s a stark reminder of what both viewers and Paramount could have had if the studio had stuck with the franchise. Having both a movie series and a TV show would have put Paramount in the perfect position to make D&D into a new cinematic universe and open the door for even more potential spinoffs and sequels. Likely, The Legend of Vox Machina will continue getting more popular and reaching new audiences, and Paramount will wish it had stuck with D&D.

Paramount Made A Mistake By Giving Up On Its Dungeons & Dragons Franchise

The studio may come to regret not sticking with the D&D universe

Not only has Paramount canceled the live-action D&D show, but Hasbro will be shopping the series moving forward (via Deadline). This opens the door for another studio to establish the franchise that Paramount failed to capitalize on. Paramount turning its back on the many avenues for future projects within the D&D universe makes it easy to question the company’s motives. It seems that with the increasing popularity of fantasy shows like The Legend of Vox Machina and the expanding audience base who tune into D&D and speculative fiction shows, it’s a waste not to make the D&D series.

Additionally, Honor Among Thieves has seen renewed success and interest on streaming but there have also been calls for a sequel film. Whatever studio takes on the Dungeons and Dragons franchise next will likely see that The Legend of Vox Machina is working and that D&D has much in common with many critically and audience-acclaimed TV. Though the Honor Among Thieves sequel might never happen, there’s still room for the live-action TV show, and if a new company can strike the right tone, there’s no reason it can’t be as successful as The Legend of Vox Machina​​​​​​.