Fans of Dungeons and Dragons and The Critical Role are stoked to know their creative offspring, The Legend of Vox Machina, takes flight again with a game-changing season two beginning January 20 on Prime Video. Yes, the Vox crew is back for another comical often death-defying round of fun and fantasy—all laced with profanity to boot.

Original founding and cast members of The Critical Role return in the animated hit: Sam Riegel (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Marisha Ray (Final Fantasy XV: Comrades), Liam O’Brien (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Laura Bailey (The Last of Us: Part II), Taliesin Jaffe (Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn), Matthew Mercer (Overwatch), Ashley Johnson (The Last of Us), and Travis Willingham (Marvel’s Avengers). Good news: the team kept their executive producer status.
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Most at stake in season two is saving the realm of Exandria from terror and destruction from the Chroma Conclave, an ominous group of dragons. “There’s a lot of surprising stuff in season two,” said Riegel, who voices Scanlan in the series—the character is a dashing gnome bard with a variety of musical talents, and he tends to sing in most episodes. “The thing that would surprise a lot of people is just how deep we go with some of the characters… we really get to see what makes them tick [in season two].” Riegel shares more with MovieWeb in an exclusive clip below. We also caught up with other Vox cast members to learn more about the season ahead and why audiences keep tuning in.

More at Stake in Season Two
For Liam O’Brien, who voices Vax’ildan, a half-elf rogue/paladin, season two is significant for the overall story of our intrepid Vox clan. “At the end of season one, the story really ramped up with its level of danger and emotion. That goes even further in season two. I’m looking forward to audiences seeing how deep down the rabbit hole this clusterfuck of a family—their relationships, their time together—goes, and how they react when they’re pushed up against the wall by massive forces that by all rights should wipe them out.”

Related: Exclusive: The Legend of Vox Machina Cast Says Real-Life Bonds are the Secret to the Show’s Success

Dull it’s not. Throughout its 12 inventive, often mind-boggling episodes, our favorite Vox saviors are tested time and again. Reigel admits there’s even “drugs” in season two. Meanwhile, Marisha Ray, who voices Keyleth, a half-elf druid in Vox, says one big difference between season one and two is, “just the sheer volume of locations across the world of Exandria that have made it into this series. This is much more of a globe-trotting season than in season one. And not just in Exandria, but in other dimensions. There’s a lot of fun to be had.”

Keeping Fans Happy

Amazon Studios

One of the biggest challenges the creators of The Critical Role faced early on was ensuring the creative integrity remained intact when their ideas eventually found a new platform with Amazon Studios and Prime Video. Ray was relieved that the transition was smooth and that she and her friends/co-creators kept fans happy and interested.

“A lot of our fans were kind of trepidatious to see how all this would play out,” she said, “and if it would register in season one—our relationships as friends that began around the table. Would it translate into this animated format. You know, were we going to slap dicks and tell a lot of jokes about stuff, but also start pulling on heartstrings and make you cry at the drop of a hat. I think it translates well.

“We were trying to find that balance between just the group of schmucks we were around the table every night and translating that into the animated series,” she added. “It’s definitely hard, but I think we found the right balance and tone for the series. The fans can appreciate it, and it also invites new people in.”

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O’Brien agrees, noting that season two gives viewers a deeper look at who the characters are, what motivates them, and what’s at stake for each of them personally. To be sure, what began as a group of friends sitting around playing Dungeons and Dragons has truly morphed into a global hit.

“Some shows are all about cool people delivering cool lines and doing cool things and there’s obvious broad comedy… and those things are great, but I think in life, you know, we have heartfelt, and serious or dark moments and things can flip on a dime,” O’Brien shared. “We face the ridiculous or act ridiculously, and our [creative] group just gravitates towards that. I think that’s partly what draws people into this show.

“There’s also dragons and mind-blowing visuals and crazy action,” he added, “and, of course, Sam Riegel’s singing voice. So, you know… there’s a lot you get here.”

The Legend of Vox Machina streams on Prime Video.