7 Things Peacock’s ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ Must Get Right
Collier Jennings is an entertainment journalist with extensive experience. Collier, or "CJ" to his friends and family, is a dedicated fan of genre films - particularly science fiction, fantasy, and comic book adaptations, not to mention all forms of animation. This stems from a close bond with his father, who introduced him to these genres via copies of X-Men comics and reruns of the original Ultraman series. With his near-encyclopedic knowledge and bottomless love of genre, he's tackled a wide variety of articles.
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Dungeon Crawler Carl is officially a pop culture phenomenon. Thanks to Matt Dimmaman's novels, the misadventures of former U.S. Coast Guard member Carl and his talking cat, Princess Donut, have hooked an audience rivaling Harry Potter and Twilight. It's also led to a massive expansion of Dungeon Crawler Carl merchandise, including a Webtoon adaptation and a tabletop role-playing game that broke records with its crowdfunding campaign. However, the biggest sign of Dungeon Crawler Carl's success is its upcoming television adaptation.
Set to debut on Peacock, the adaptation already has a stacked creative lineup. Seth MacFarlane is producing through his Fuzzy Door banner, while Christopher Yost (X-Men: Evolution) and Eric Heisserer (Arrival) have been tapped to write episodes. Perhaps the biggest draw is Jeff Hays, who helped catapult Dungeon Crawler Carl to its current popularity thanks to his work on the audiobook versions of the novels. Hays has been tapped to voice Princess Donut, which shows that Peacock is fully prepared to embrace everything that makes Dungeon Crawler Carl a massive success. Here are seven more things the series needs to do to be a great adaptation.
‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ Needs To Nail the Book’s Tone
The biggest draw of the Dungeon Crawler Carl books is the way it manages to balance the utterly outlandish and the deathly serious. On the one hand, the idea of a former military man racing through a massive video-game-styled dungeon with his ex's pet cat is the kind of ridiculousness that just works. On the other hand, this dungeon's slammed right into the middle of Earth, causing untold death and destruction — and other "crawlers" aren't as lucky as Carl. The Peacock series needs to remember to keep that balance intact.
Thankfully, that's where the creative crew, especially Yost and Heisserer, will have a chance to shine. Heisserer is best known for writing sci-fi and fantasy stories that ground their high concepts in human emotion, whether it's Arrival or Bird Box. Yost has a great gift for mixing action, humor, and drama, thanks to his work on Thor: Ragnarok. MacFarlane is also a perfect fit for Dungeon Crawler Carl. While most people know him best for Family Guy or American Dad!, it's his work on The Orville that proves he could bring Dungeon Crawler Carl to life since that series also manages to mix humor and drama surprisingly well.
The 'Dungeon Crawler Carl' Series Should Balance CGI & Physical Effects
Probably the biggest question Dungeon Crawler Carl fans have about the television adaptation is how Peacock plans to bring it to life. This book series is chock-full of strange creatures, from shapeshifters and goblins to llamas that spit lava out of their mouths. That's a series that requires plenty of special effects to bring to life, but at a time when streamers are slashing budgets, producers will have to be smart about how much CGI to use and how much practical effects to do. While Matt Dimmiman has said that Seth MacFarlane's work on Ted gives him hope for seeing Dungeon Crawler Carl fully realized, MacFarlane's been open about how rising costs on Ted led to it lasting only two seasons. Here's hoping he and the rest of the Dungeon Crawler Carl crew can find a happy medium.
‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ Should Capture the Thrill of LitRPG
Beyond becoming a popular book series in its own right, Dungeon Crawler Carl also helped popularize the "litRPG" subgenre. LitRPG often thrusts its main character into a world where video game mechanics are applied, allowing them to "level up" and become better versions of themselves. As with any popular genre, there's a double-edged sword. Some litRPG novels take a genuinely clever approach to how their worlds work, and how their characters evolve. Others follow some of the worst tropes that have plagued the isekai genre in anime.
Dungeon Crawler Carl stands out from the pack as its premise is meant to be satire. Throughout his journey, Carl's adventures are televised through the galaxy, as the human race struggling for its life is apparently high entertainment to extraterrestrials. This approach lets Dimmiman subvert the empty power fantasies that often pop up in litRPG novels, and delivers satire in the vein of Starship Troopers about how the need for entertainment often desensitizes an audience to someone's suffering. If Peacock wants Dungeon Crawler Carl to succeed, it needs to lean into that satire.
’Dungeon Crawler Carl’s Showrunners Shouldn’t Be Afraid To Expand Upon the Books
To keep the storytelling freshand make sure the television series stands on its own two feet, Dungeon Crawler Carl's producers should build out the book's world. There are other crawlers than Carl; why not dedicate an episode or two to their exploits? Better yet, exploring the history of the Syndicate—the massive intergalactic conglomerate that's taken Earth hostage—would be a great way to flesh out Dungeon Crawler Carl's existing lore. Matt Dimminan has previously said that he expects the shows to streamline the books, as long as the core elements remain intact.
"Each book alone would be multiple seasons if we did everything...Some things will have to go. Some things will have to change. In the end, it doesn't matter that much as long as, again, the tone, the story stays the same. And I think those two characters, especially Carl and Donut, need to be as closely written to the book as possible in order for it to maintain its popularity amongst existing fans."
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you'd actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you're honest about what you're actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don't trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn't just tactical — it's physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they're actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You'd Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You're a systems thinker who can't help but notice the seams in things.
- You're drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
- You'd find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines' worst nightmare.
- You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
- The Matrix built an airtight prison. You'd be the one probing the walls for the door.
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn't reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That's you.
- You don't need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
- You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you're good at all three.
- You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
- In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Blade Runner
You'd survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
- You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
- In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
- You're not a hero. But you're not lost, either.
- In Blade Runner's world, that distinction is everything.
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
- Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they're survival tools.
- You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
- Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You'd learn its logic and earn its respect.
- In time, you wouldn't just survive Arrakis — you'd begin to reshape it.
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn't have it any other way.
- You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
- You'd gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire's grip can be broken.
- You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn't something you're capable of.
- In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
'Dungeon Crawler Carl' Needs To Embrace the Ensemble Element of Later Books
While Carl and Princess Donut might be the stars of Dungeon Crawler Carl, they aren't the only characters that show up in the book. As Carl progresses through the dungeon, he encounters other crawlers fighting to survive and ends up befriending them. These characters add plenty of variety, whether it's an Icelandic professor who turns into a shapeshifter or an anthropomorphic goat; seeing them come to life would create a great ensemble cast that draws in more viewers. It could also give the showrunners a chance to put some of these characters into the spotlight, similar to how The Last of Us expanded its storytelling to feature new faces.
‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ Absolutely Has To Cast the Perfect Carl
Surprising absolutely no one, the biggest thing Dungeon Crawler Carl has to get rightis the role of Carl. Carl has plenty of layers; he's still dealing with the end of his relationship with his ex Beatrice, and he has to take care of her cat when the dungeon hits. His gruff humor often masks his emotions. His Coast Guard training gives him an edge in the dungeons, as he can use his old skills alongside his new ones to face hordes of enemies. Whoever's cast as Carl needs to embody the same mix of humor, emotion, and badassery that's made him such a beloved character. While fans have thrown out names like Jensen Ackles and Alan Ritchson, a fresh face is needed, given that Carl's 27 in the books, and Peacock probably wants someone who can commit to multiple seasons.
Peacock Should Lean Into Heavily Marketing 'Dungeon Crawler Carl'
Even if Dungeon Crawler Carl gets the story, characters, and look right, it could still fail if it doesn't reach a big enough audience. There's also the matter of Peacock; while the streamer has had some successful series, it hasn't had the same reach as other streaming services like Prime Video or Apple TV. Dungeon Crawler Carl could be the series that finally helps Peacock break out, and there's one way that it can stand out. Peacock needs to market the series heavily at events like San Diego Comic-Con, where book fans will be in attendance. It wouldn't be the first time Dungeon Crawler Carl or Peacock has been represented at SDCC, as Audible promoted the audiobooks and Peacock successfully promoted Twisted Metal at past cons.
The Dungeon Crawler Carl books have taken the world by storm, and the television show has every chance to replicate that success. Peacock needs to play its cards right to adapt the books correctly while appealing to fans and newcomers alike.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.