Popverse's top stories

• Hairspray creator John Waters is joining American Horror Story to do his best Vincent Price impression
• Game of Thrones is not Lord of the Rings - but in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Westeros got its own Samwise Gamgee
• Daredevil: Born Again season 2 release date, cast, episodes & trailer on Disney+

They say you should never mix business with pleasure, but that seems to be Critical Role’s business model. The popular web show features prolific voice actors playing Dungeons and Dragons together, but as the show has gotten more popular, more work has been involved. However, the cast has never lost sight of what the show is all about – gaming with friends.

“I feel like after all these years and then running the company together, which has its stressful moments, Thursday night is still a reprieve that we still look forward to every time. Sitting at the table,” Marisha Ray says during a Critical Role spotlight panel at New York Comic Con 2023.

“I’m just excited to show up and know that these guys are going to make me laugh and sometimes cry – but usually laugh,” Liam O’Brien adds.

“I think I see comments every now and then, people are like, ‘Oh, it’s a business now. So, they’re doing it for business,’” Matthew Mercer says. “Everything that’s stressful around it is business, but the show, our game, every time we record is sacred. That’s the thing we look forward to most because it’s where everything else kind of drifts away and it’s just us again in the room getting to see each other and play.”

Yes, the cast still has to go through mundane business paperwork, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have fun. Besides, it’s impossible to go on a mythical quest with your friends without having fun. Maybe more businesses should be like that.

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:

• How to watch Critical Role in order
• Travis Willingham on the differences between The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein
• 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.