Prime Video’s Critical Role Shows Outshine The Rings of Power

by

Critical Role’s new fantasy series, The Mighty Nein, is receiving positive feedback, and its arrival is making people reconsider which show is the biggest fantasy hit on Prime Video. When Amazon bought the rights to The Lord of the Rings, many believed that The Rings of Power would be the defining show for the platform for years to come.

The fantasy series Wheel of Time was recently canceled despite its potential, but it wasn’t the only one. Now, over a year after The Legend of Vox Machina finished its third season in 2024, itā€™s becoming apparent that the streaming serviceā€™s most reliable fantasy world isn’t the incredibly expensive oneā€”it’s something else.

As a critic, I’ve been watching the streaming wars unfold, and while Apple TV+ seems to own the sci-fi space, Amazon’s Prime Video is making a serious play for fantasy supremacy. And honestly? I think their The Mighty Nein is even better than the big-budget Lord of the Rings adaptation. Itā€™s surprising, considering how much more Amazon spent on Middle-earth to attract viewers, but itā€™s Exandria, not the Shire, thatā€™s currently winning over critics like me.

Prime Video’s Critical Role Shows Are Better Than The Rings Of Power

Itā€™s becoming clear that Prime Videoā€™s most critically successful fantasy shows arenā€™t the big-budget live-action series. The animated show The Legend of Vox Machina, based on Critical Role, is a standout, earning a perfect 100% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes across all three seasons. In contrast, The Rings of Power hasnā€™t received the same widespread praise.

Although critics liked the second season of The Rings of Power better, many viewers found the first season to be too slow. Viewership dropped by 60% between seasons one and two, and with three more seasons already plannedā€”Amazon would face huge financial penalties if they cancelledā€”the show often feels burdened by the expectations of the original Lord of the Rings stories.

Critical Role’s shows are self-aware and play to their strengths. By embracing adult animation and the rules of Dungeons & Dragons, they create stories with good pacing ā€“ even increasing the length of The Mighty Nein to allow for more development ā€“ and character arcs that feel natural and rewarding.

The animated series has earned a lot of fan trust by staying true to the beloved original stories, while The Rings of Power hasn’t quite achieved that same level of connection because it strayed further from the source material.

The Mighty Nein Proves That The Legend Of Vox Machina Wasn’t An Accident

While The Legend of Vox Machina‘s success could have been seen as a fluke, the positive reception to The Mighty Nein suggests otherwise. The Mighty Nein proves this franchise can thrive with different groups of adventurers, showing that Prime Video is building a connected universe that’s easy to follow and enjoy.

Unlike The Legend of Vox Machina, The Mighty Nein offers a different experience. Though still geared towards adult animation fans who enjoy fantasy, it has a significantly different feel. While the characters still use strong language, itā€™s less over-the-top than in Vox Machina, and feels more sophisticatedā€”similar to shows like Invincible. Set two decades after the events of Vox Machina, The Mighty Nein focuses on a darker, more intricate story with political themes, following a mismatched group of heroes who become a found family.

Initial reactions suggest that the strength of Critical Role lies in its consistent quality, making it a valuable asset for Amazon. Unlike The Rings of Power, which heavily focuses on detailed backstory and requires a significant time investment, Critical Role provides a more approachable, character-focused, and consistently engaging experience. While The Rings of Power seems stuck in its established lore, Critical Role feels fresh and dynamic.

Read More

2025-11-23 05:09