HarmonQuest

HarmonQuest is an American adult animated web series created by Dan Harmon and Spencer Crittenden. The show is part animated, part live action. Harmon and comedians Erin McGathy and Jeff B. Davis, along with game master Crittenden, play a fantasy roleplaying campaign in front of a live audience, while each episode features a special guest player.
It premiered on the subscription streaming service Seeso in July 2016. Due to uncertainty around Seeso's future, the show was transferred to VRV Select in June 2017, with its second season airing a few months later. In October 2018, VRV renewed "HarmonQuest" for a third season. The third season was released on August 18, 2019.
Episodes.
Series overview.
All ten episodes of the first season were released on July 14, 2016, on Seeso. On October 19, 2016, "HarmonQuest" was renewed for a second season, but due to uncertainty around Seeso's future, rights to "HarmonQuest" were sold to Otter Media's VRV streaming service in June 2017. The second season premiered on VRV Select on September 15 and concluded on November 17, 2017. In October 2018, it was announced that VRV has renewed the show for a third season, which debuted on August 18, 2019.
Production.
Development.
Prior to the creation of "HarmonQuest", Harmon had included a "Dungeons & Dragons"-style segment, hosted by Crittenden, at the end of the weekly podcast "Harmontown". When Harmon pitched the idea of "HarmonQuest", which was originally conceived as a low-budget online show, NBC Universal executive vice-president of digital enterprises Evan Shapiro became interested in the idea. When Seeso was developed as an NBC-owned comedy channel, an order for ten episodes of "HarmonQuest" was confirmed. The show is produced by Universal Cable Productions and Starburns Industries.
Filming and animation.
The show is recorded in front of a live audience at Victory Studios in Glendale, California, with parts of the stories being animated later. Filming typically takes place over an hour, which is then edited down to the 25-minute runtime. Harmon has cited "The Ricky Gervais Show" as an influence, as it also features a mix of live and animated footage.
Reception.
The series has been likened to "Critical Role", a web series streaming on Twitch and later uploaded to the Geek & Sundry YouTube channel since 2015. Unlike "Critical Role" episodes which are long-form, full-play "D&D" podcasts often exceeding 4hrs, "HarmonQuest" has been praised for its accessibility towards casual and beginner audiences. Javon Phillips of the LA Times said, "The show makes its ventures a lot less time-consuming and ups the watchability quotient by throwing in animated segments in digestible half-hour episodes. Gamemaster Spencer Crittenden approaches the show as just that — a show. It’s not just players playing the game and showing off their multi-sided dice-rolling skills."