Goblins in Dungeons and Dragons
By
Dani Kessel Odom
Published 1 hour ago
Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) is an autistic lead writer on the New TV team, focusing on writing and content planning for streaming shows. They often assist with Classic TV coverage, as well.
They have covered events, such as Denver Fan Expo. Their articles have also been shared by professionals in the field, such as Damien Leone and Lucy Hale.
In university, they majored in English Writing with a minor in psychology. They have always had a passion for analyzing TV and movies, even taking filmography and scriptwriting classes in university. They also studied and participated in onstage and onscreen acting extensively from the ages of 7 to 18.
Aside from working at Screen Rant, Dani has worked as a freelance editor and writer over the past decade, often in a ghostwriting capacity.
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One book series is getting a TV adaptation that could very easily be the ultimate Dungeons & Dragons-inspired TV show, despite not being affiliated with the franchise. As a D&D fan and player, I am always waiting to see great new movies and TV shows that either exist in the franchise or are heavily inspired by it.
Many of us are still bitter about the lack of a sequel for Honor Among Thieves (same), but I think we should be looking forward instead of backwards. Netflix has a Forbidden Realms TV show. Unfortunately, I have no faith in it because the streamer prematurely cancels everything. I can’t wait to see Delicious in Dungeon season 2, which streams on Netflix but isn’t a Netflix original. It’s technically not D&D, but it’s heavily inspired by it.
Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein are absolute fantastic Dungeons & Dragons shows, and the latter is my current obsession. However, an exciting upcoming fantasy TV show based on a book called Dungeon Crawler Carl has the potential to rival all current and upcoming shows, becoming the ultimate D&D-inspired TV show.
I previously said Dungeon Crawler Carl has a “small but passionate fanbase” in a previous article. My apologies. That was in no way meant to be disrespectful. I read Dungeon Crawler Carl during a book club, when the fanbase was smaller. However, it has since grown immensely.
Dungeon Crawler Carl Is Getting A TV Adaptation
Carl is getting chased by a goblin in Dungeon Crawler Carl
The LitRPG book series Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman, which blends together sci-fi and fantasy, started as a free online serial in 2020, with the author allowing readers to vote on what happens next in the story. Then, he began self-publishing the book series as ebooks and audiobooks. Ace Books gained the rights to publish the physical format, which further boosted the fanbase.
The audiobook has a top-notch narrator, and I highly recommend you read it that way!
Dungeon Crawler Carl isn’t technically affiliated with Dungeons & Dragons, but it does have a D&D-esque premise with a dash of science fiction. Aliens come to Earth, destroy the world, and force the humans to participate in a game show in which they must race through dungeons filled with monsters to survive.
A veteran named Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk, get roped into the competition. The characters each have stats, just like they would in D&D. Their skills and stats get enhanced by their clothing.
Carl & Donut's stats at the start of the books
Stats
Carl
Donut
Strength
6
11
Intelligence
3
11
Constitution
5
2
Dexterity
5
8
Charisma
4
25
Now, Dungeon Crawler Carl is getting turned into a TV show with the production companies Universal International Studios and Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door. Chris Yost, who previously wrote Thor: Ragnarok and The Mandalorian, will take charge of the adaptation. This is an extremely good fit since Dungeon Crawler Carl includes both comedy and action. Yost should be able to balance these based on his past projects.
Dungeon Crawler Carl Is Packed With Dungeons & Dragons-Inspired Monsters
Image via Webtoon
Even though Dungeon Crawler Carl isn’t actually part of Dungeons & Dragons, that doesn’t change the fact that it intrinsically feels like a D&D show. This is particularly true because many of the monsters in Dungeon Crawler Carl feel like slightly altered versions of the ones found in D&D.
For instance, the Mind Horrors are essentially Grells without beaks. The Slimes are Oozes. Zlurpies are just Armadillos from 5e. The vine creepers are incredibly similar to the assassin vines in Dungeons & Dragons. On top of that, we have staples that are less D&D-specific, such as Goblins, Cyclopes, Troglodytes, Succubi, and Incubi.
However, Dungeon Crawler Carl also introduces some fun creatures of their own, like the llamas who spit fire and deal drugs and the Mongoliensis. We stan Mongo here. On top of that, the efforts to fight the monsters are as chaotic and unpredictable as they would be in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
Dungeon Crawler Carl Has The Zany Premise & Energy Of A Dungeons & Dragons Campaign
Princess Donut is on Carl's shoulder with flames behind them in Dungeon Crawler Carl
In addition to the monster-fighting in the dungeons element of Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeon Crawler Carl reads like a homebrewed D&D campaign. DMs are known for creating super thought-out scenarios to start a campaign, and then, in my D&D experience, everything completely goes off the rails. Bless the DMs who have to deal with chaotic players like me.
The premise of aliens forcing normal humans and pets like Princess Donut to compete in a game show where they defeat monsters as they descend into the dungeons feels like something a moderately unhinged DM would come up with. It’s just zany enough that I could see it being real.
On top of that, the story gets hilariously ridiculous for Carl, who plays the game wearing heart boxers, and Princess Donut, his snarky and sarcastic companion. The storyline is nothing short of insane, but in the best way possible. It’s truly one of those stories better experienced than described, but needless to say, the chaos D&D campaign vibes will feel familiar.
Dungeon Crawler Carl Could Rival The Mighty Nein, Vox Machina, & Delicious In Dungeon
A group of characters from The Mighty Nein looking towards the camera
Right now, as mentioned, the three best Dungeons & Dragons shows are The Legend of Vox Machina, The Mighty Nein, and Delicious in Dungeon, though this one isn’t technically affiliated with D&D. It will be hard to beat any of the three, but Dungeon Crawler Carl could easily rival them.
Despite the hyperviolent and completely ridiculous nature of Dungeon Crawler Carl, the characters in the book are just as developed and well-rounded as the characters in The Mighty Nein. There’s a lot more depth to them than they seem at face value, which becomes more obvious around book 3 or 4.
Meanwhile, Dungeon Crawler Carl leans into humor in a similar way to Vox Machina, which is a lot more lighthearted than its cousin series. Neither series takes itself too seriously. Carl even earns the achievement of "Crazy Cat Lady." What's more, Princess Donut plots to start a meth war between the goblins and llamas.
Finally, the fight scenes in Delicious in Dungeon are brilliantly choreographed, leveraging the characters' strengths. If the show is anything like the book, Dungeon Crawler Carl will include just as well-choreographed scenes, just with a lot more violence and blood.
What Is The Status Of The Dungeon Crawler Carl TV Show?
Dungeon Crawler Carl book cover shows Princes Donut and Carl running
Unfortunately, the Dungeon Crawler Carl TV show is still in its early stages of development. The show was only picked up about a year ago. However, in a December 2024 Patreon post, Matt Dinniman confirmed that the series will be live-action, rather than animated. (Yes, I am a paying patron.) This answers a question that fans have been asking for quite some time.
I won’t share any other exclusive content about Dungeon Crawler Carl behind a paywall out of respect for the author.
However, the lack of updates makes a lot of sense at this point. One year really isn’t a long time when it comes to adapting a book into a TV show. It can take a few years to reach production, especially when they require a high level of special effects, like Dungeon Crawler Carl. The only thing we can hope for is that development takes a shorter time than other sci-fi and fantasy TV shows.
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