Dungeons & Dragons' long-discussed TV show will eventually come to Netflix, and it should copy one key Prime Video series in a few ways if it wants to succeed. TitledThe Forgotten Realmsafter the eponymous campaign setting, perhapsDungeons & Dragons’most famous setting, the TV show could dive into locations like the Sword Coast, the Moonshae Isles, or Icewind Dale. WhiletheDungeons & Dragonsmoviesof the 2000s aren’t enough to make anyone excited about this, Amazon’s show could be, offering a strong template to follow.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, released in 2023, was the latestD&Dmovie, and it offered a huge improvement to all threeD&Dmovies that came before it. However, anHonor Among Thievessequelis unlikely due to the original’s slim box office returns. That will leaveThe Forgotten Realmsto pick up the slack amongD&Dfans, but there is one other show holding down the fort for the gamers' franchise. Launched on August 08, 2025,The Legend of Vox MachinaoffersThe Forgotten Realmsa great example to follow.
Legend Of Vox Machina Proves The Dungeons & Dragons Show Needs Character-Driven Storytelling
The Characters In The Legend Of Vox Machina Are Brilliantly Written
RankingThe Legend of Vox Machinamembers by likabilityis a tough task, because they are so well-written, proving thatThe Forgotten Realmsshould follow its lead to succeed.Dungeons & Dragonsis rich in lore, which should come through to please fans in the form of fan-favorite characters and locations. Meanwhile,The Forgotten Realmswill be executive produced byStranger Things’Shawn Levy, sothe show is sure to summon up a strong plot. But where it must take care to copyThe Legend of Vox Machinais ensuring character-driven storytelling.
Undoubtedly,Dungeons & Dragonsis enjoying a revival. While the threeD&Dmovies released between 2000 and 2012 were underwhelming,Stranger Things,Honor Among Thieves, andThe Legend of Vox Machinaare all fantastic.The Legend of Vox Machinamembers have a unique powereach, and this reflects real gameplay, with each player bringing their individual quirks to the game.The Forgotten Realmsshould replicate this and focus on the relationships growing between its central adventuring party members, rather than getting too wrapped up in convoluted plot or lore dumping.
The Upcoming Netflix Series Must Replicate Vox Machina’s Balance Of Comedy & Drama
A Solid Sense Of Humor Is Serving Dungeons & Dragons Well
The Forgotten Realmsshould use a strong set of characters, following the example ofThe Legend of Vox Machina, to bring the right mix of comedy and drama. This might seem obvious, butit is a hard balance to nail. The earlyD&Dmovies weren’t funny enough, and live-action fantasy shows likeThe Wheel of Time(also on Amazon) demonstrate the problem with being too serious; there’s not enough there for newbies to the franchise to latch onto.The NetflixDungeons & Dragonsshow’s characters must drive humor, whether they are well-known or not, but also drama.
Some readers ofThe Wheel of Timeappreciate the show for how it brings their favorite story to life, but the uninitiated take more cajoling, their engagement unable to rely on recreations of well-known chapters. Regardless of whichcharacters to bring toThe Forgotten Realms, and whether they are well-known inD&Dlore or not, the emotional push and pull between them must drive the show. Romance isn’t needed, although it can work wonders.What is needed is the development of strong friendshipsand the overcoming of the obstacles to them.
The Live-Action D&D Series Needs To Honor The Game Without Isolating Newcomers
The Forgotten Realms Has A Tough Balance To Strike
WhileThe Legend of Vox Machinaseason 3 endeda brilliant season of an excellent animated show,The Forgotten Realmswill have to choose which game elements to bring to live-action to please fans, both old and new.The Legend of Vox Machinahonors theD&Dgame in the same way thatHonor Among Thievesdid: thecharacter-driven storytelling gets right to the heart of the joy ofD&D. Saving the world with friends is the spirit of the franchise, whichThe Forgotten Realmsmust nail, and this will ensure old and new fans alike can engage with the show.
Drizzt Do’Urden can be explored inThe Legend of Drizztbook series by American writer R.A. Salvatore.
The Forgotten Realmswill avoid the pitfalls of the theatrical release thatHonor Among Thieveshadby going straight to a huge streamer likeStranger ThingsandThe Legend of Vox Machina. So, perhaps it can be even bolder with its lore inclusions thanHonor Among Thieves. Szass Tam, Neverwinter, and the Harpers landed fantastically inHonor Among Thievesamong fans, but maybe the Netflix show could introduce thedrow ranger Drizzt Do’Urdenfor an episode or two. However,The Legend of Vox Machinaproves thatThe Forgotten Realmscan honor the game without globally famous characters.
Netflix’s Dungeons & Dragons Series Needs Impressive Visuals Despite Its Format
Whatever The Budget, The Netflix Show Shouldn’t Botch Its Visuals
High fantasy is notoriously expensive to make, and as a live-action show,The Forgotten Realmswill have a budget to contend within a way thatThe Legend of Vox Machinadoesn’t. Animation is an excellent format for high fantasy likeDungeons & Dragonsfor this reason, butThe Forgotten Realms, in a way, has even more potential thanThe Legend of Vox Machina.The Forgotten Realmscould be the TV version ofHonor Among Thieves, without the box office concerns, and with the long-term format to wedge so much more lore in there.
The Legend of Vox Machinaproves thatThe Forgotten Realmscan honor the game without globally famous characters.
Honor Among Thievesproved how live-actionD&Dshould be, whileThe Legend of Vox Machinaproves the perfect TV format forD&D.Stranger Thingsshows that live-actionD&D-inspired stories can be done well on TV, andThe Forgotten Realmswill just need to takeStranger Things’format a step further. It will need to be a full high fantasy show, rather thanStranger Things’low fantasy. But with some tricks up its sleeve, the newDungeons & Dragonsshow can get it right - for instance, the dim light of the Underdark will be forgiving to drow makeup.
Dungeons & Dragons
TheDungeons & Dragonsfranchise is a fantasy adventure series based on the iconic tabletop role-playing game. The franchise includes both live-action and animated adaptations, with the most notable being the recent filmDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves(2023), which brought the fantasy world of D&D to a broader audience with its blend of humor, action, and classic D&D elements. The franchise explores themes of heroism, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of adventuring in a magical world filled with dragons, wizards, and mythical creatures.
