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For lovers of Critical Role, Prime Video’s animated adaptations have been the means to experience Exandria in a way they never have before. But that doesn’t just go for the fans. As Popverse has reported on previously, CR creatives like Travis Willingham have touted the shows The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein as opportunities to revisit the choices they made for their characters at the TTRPG table. And apparently, costar Ashley Johnson agrees. 

In fact, for the Pike Trickfoot actor, and The Legend of Vox Machina is an opportunity to tell her story in a way that, because of scheduling conflicts, Campaign 1 couldn’t.

That’s what Johnson said in an interview with The AV Club, published ahead of The Legend of Vox Machina’s season 4 debut. 

"We got to tell this story about [Pike’s] crisis of faith," The Last of Us actor explained, "And this whole sort of emotional journey that she’s on [...] It was almost better in a way than what we were able to in the campaign because I wasn’t here all the time. So being in the booth and having to be very serious and emotional and yell at my friends, that’s not fun. But, you know, we work it out!"

In case you don’t know - Johnson was only away from the actual play table during Campaign 1 because of a role she had on NBC’s Blindspot, the mystery thriller that had her cast as FBI forensic specialist Patterson. Filmed between 2015 and 2020, the show’s schedule meant that Johnson had to miss a few sessions of what became The Legend of Vox Machina. But now, a filming schedule of its own (and let’s face facts, an Amazon Prime budget), means that Johnson and the Critical Role writers are able to tell a much less disjointed story involving everybody’s favorite gnome cleric.

If she survives, of course…

The Legend of Vox Machina 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.