We probably have a long way to go before the <a href="https://www.tvline.com/2228201/dungeon-crawler-carl-season-1-details-everything-we-know-peacock/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>official “Dungeon Crawler Carl” TV show adaptation hits Peacock, but there are some TV shows that you can watch now to feed your appetite. And in one case, they may even feed your appetite literally. “Dungeon Crawler Carl” is a LitRPG series written by Matt Dinniman that combines an alien invasion, dungeon crawling, deadly games played for the entertainment of others, and a quirky style of humor that is endlessly charming.
Beyond the monsters and mayhem, it’s also a story that balances brutality with absurdity, sincerity with slapstick, and somehow makes you care just as much about the emotional beats as the boss fights. So while we wait for Carl, Princess Donut the talking cat, and the rest of the crew to make their streaming debut, here are five shows to tide us over.
Squid Game
This one seems obvious, but you simply cannot ignore Netflix’s “Squid Game” when it comes to playing deadly games for a prize, all for the entertainment of a shadowy group of rich patrons. The series follows Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), a chronic gambler who enters the competition for a chance to win life-changing money. The problem, of course, is that losing a round of seemingly innocent children’s games, such as Red Light, Green Light, means death. There’s also the social conflict of convincing a majority of the remaining contestants to vote to end the games before everyone is eliminated.
The obvious similarity to “Dungeon Crawler Carl” is the life-or-death atmosphere of the games, but both stories also give their characters room to shine amid the carnage. After all, the emotional stakes are just as important as the action, with friendships, alliances, and difficult choices giving viewers a reason to care about who survives.
Alice in Borderland
Netflix’s “Alice in Borderland” puts its own inventive spin on the death-game premise. The series follows Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) and his two friends, who find themselves in a deserted, alternate version of Tokyo where survival depends on winning deadly challenges. Each victory extends a player’s visa, and anyone who lets theirs expire is killed by a laser from the sky. The question of what this strange world is, and why they’ve been brought there, adds another mystery, with answers arriving as the series unfolds.
While “Squid Game” draws on familiar childhood activities, “Alice in Borderland” gets creative with its challenges. Its games are organized by card suits, which signal whether players will face tests of intellect, teamwork, physical ability, or psychological endurance. If you are someone who specifically liked the creativity of the challenges in “Dungeon Crawler Carl,” you’ll definitely like the design of the games in “Alice in Borderland.”
Solo Leveling
If you’re a fan of the HUD (Heads-Up Display) system from “Dungeon Crawler Carl,” then you’ll definitely like the animated series “Solo Leveling.” Based on a popular South Korean web novel, “Solo Leveling” follows Sung Jinwoo, a hunter who receives his own version of a HUD known as the System. This interface aids him in fighting monsters inside the dungeons accessed through Gates, portals connecting his world to another dimension.
Some would say that the best part of dungeon crawling is, in fact, the grind, not the destination. “Solo Leveling” embraces that idea, as the series focuses heavily on Jinwoo’s quest to become stronger. But there is also a secondary mystery involving why Jinwoo received the System after surviving a seemingly fatal encounter. Understanding the nature of this world and unraveling more of its lore and intricate power system should satisfy “Dungeon Crawler Carl” fans while they wait for the TV adaptation.
Tower of God
Speaking of lore, “Tower of God” is another anime with a richly imagined world. However, instead of crawling through dungeons, the protagonist Baam and others climb the floors of a mysterious tower, where those who reach the top are promised everything they desire. Baam himself enters to follow his friend Rachel. “Tower of God” has a lot in common with “Solo Leveling,” but one key distinction is that Baam isn’t driven by an automated game system. Instead, he must refine and wield an uncanny natural power that sets him apart from most other climbers.
“Dungeon Crawler Carl” fans who enjoy the emotional beats of the series will likely enjoy “Tower of God” for similar reasons. Centering the story around Baam and the close friends he makes while moving through the tower is very similar to Carl and Donut’s journey through the dungeons. After all, in a world where challenges can turn allies against each other, finding someone you can actually trust is the ultimate prize.
Delicious in Dungeon
Getting swallowed by a monster isn’t a new concept, but what if humans also decided that monsters could be food, too? That’s the premise of “Delicious in Dungeon,” a Japanese anime series based on a popular manga. While you might have an aversion to the idea of cooking and eating monster meat, this show makes it look a lot better than you might think. With its appetizing meals and dungeon-crawling fantasy backdrop, “Delicious in Dungeon” puts a deliciously bizarre twist on the familiar adventuring formula.
If you are a “Dungeon Crawler Carl” book fan, you’ll probably like this show for its classic dungeon-crawling elements and offbeat humor. The party also has a specific goal beyond cooking up the monsters they encounter: Laios and his companions are trying to rescue his sister, Falin, after she’s swallowed by a dragon. With little money or food, they’ll have to survive on whatever they can find along the way. The most important thing is to remember that when you’re broke and down on your luck, another dungeon’s trash is another crawler’s treasure.
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