Critical Role has always embraced eclectic side projects, and their most eccentric offering, Weird Kids, is making a highly anticipated return. The series will debut 24 brand-new episodes this May, streaming exclusively on the company’s dedicated membership platform, Beacon.
While the studio is best known for a decade of immersive Dungeons & Dragons campaigns—a venture that propelled its founders to unparalleled heights in the tabletop gaming world—Weird Kids highlights a different facet of the brand. It serves as a reminder that the team is just as adept at forging deep connections with their community through intimate, personality-driven content that eschews dice rolls for raw, personal storytelling.
Hosted by industry veterans Ashley Johnson (The Last of Us, The Mighty Nein) and Taliesin Jaffe (Hellsing, The Mighty Nein), the hour-long program serves as a window into their formative years navigating the peculiar pressures of life as child actors in the Hollywood machine.
Image: Critical Role“Revisiting Weird Kids feels akin to opening a scrapbook filled with the most surreal memories imaginable,” Johnson remarked in a press statement. “We explore the specific individuals, locations, and pivotal moments that shaped who we are today; it’s a process that is somehow simultaneously hilarious, disorienting, and surprisingly therapeutic. I am thrilled to welcome our audience back into this private space.”
The inaugural season resonated with fans by transforming mundane childhood recollections—ranging from obsolete toys to forgotten haunts—into a series that felt more like a candid, late-night conversation between old friends than a conventional talk show.
This upcoming season promises more of that signature chemistry, featuring a fresh array of adventures and anecdotes presented in the same hour-long format. This time, however, the hosts are expanding the circle, bringing in an ensemble of other eccentric spirits to dissect the bizarre realities of growing up under the public gaze.
Image: Critical Role“There is profound satisfaction in taking the beautifully strange remnants of childhood and weaving them into a meaningful dialogue,” Jaffe added. “This platform allows us to probe the delightful absurdity of growing up ‘weird’ in Hollywood, and reflecting on how we managed to keep our sense of irony and humor intact throughout the process.”
The second season of Weird Kids premieres on May 5. Both the new episodes and the full first season are available exclusively via Beacon, with new installments arriving every Tuesday.
Source: Polygon
