Seth MacFarlane is adapting the Dungeon Crawl Carl book series for Peacock

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Published Apr 2, 2026, 2:06 PM EDT

The apocalypse will be televised

Carl has a fluffy white cat named Princess Donut on his shoulder as he runs from an explosion on the cover of the graphic novel version of Dungeon Crawler Carl Image: Vault Comics

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Matt Dinniman’s hit sci-fi book series Dungeon Crawler Carl follows a contestant on an alien reality TV show forced to navigate a dungeon created by stripping Earth of all its resources. Variety reports that Seth MacFarlane and Dinniman will executive produce a live-action adaptation of the series for Peacock, so you can watch aliens watch Carl compete.

Chris Yost, whose writing credits include Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: The Dark World, will write the series and serve as an executive producer. He’ll have plenty of material to work with: Dinniman has written seven Dungeon Crawler Carl books and an eighth, A Parade of Horribles, will be released on May 12. The series follows Carl, a Coast Guard veteran, as he tries to survive and entertain viewers with the help of his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut. That means battling aliens, monsters, and even other human survivors.

Carl wearing a military jacket runs from a group of goblins driving a very spiky tank in Dungeon Crawler Carl Image: Dandy House

Dungeon Crawler Carl is one of the definitive series in the LitRPG genre, which draws on tropes from tabletop role-playing games and dungeon-crawler video games to portray characters battling monsters, collecting gear, and acquiring new abilities. Initially self-published, the series has now sold six million copies and been translated into 20 languages.

It’s also turning into a media empire. Playmates will be debuting several lines of Dungeon Crawler Carl toys at San Diego Comic-Con in July. Renegade Game Studios is launching a Backerkit campaign on April 14 for a TTRPG that will let players create their own dungeon crawlers. The company is also crowdfunding for a deckbuilder that can be played solo or cooperatively, with cards representing gear and abilities that can be upgraded as you play. A 2025 Backerkit campaign for Crocodile, a graphic novel extension of Dungeon Crawler Carl, raised $2.6 million. A graphic novel adaptation of the first Dungeon Crawler Carl book is releasing on May 19.

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