The Emmy’s Structured Reality Program Category has a wide range of potential nominees, but here’s why Encounter Party should be the show to take home the gold.
This year, twenty-eight shows have been submitted for Best Structured Reality Program consideration. They offer a wide variety in the reality television genre, from Antiques Roadshow, to Bar Rescue, to Shark Tank. Only five of the shows will end up as official nominees, and here is why Encounter Party should not only be one of those five, but should take home the gold as well.
Encounter Party is an improvised TV show where seven actors use the rules of Dungeons & Dragons to create an epic fantasy adventure in real-time. Over the course of twenty-two episodes, performers collaborate to navigate a mystery thriller that encourages audiences to use their own creativity to join the adventure.
Encounter Party Is Fun
No tears, just fun. Well, maybe a few tears, but they are earned, and most will come from laughing so hard.
I am not saying that many of these other potential nominees are not fun shows, but I promise you, Encounter Party is more fun than most (if not all) of them. It is easy for viewers to become completely invested in the characters and their backstories. Secrets are slowly revealed over time, and shocking twists will leave you with your jaw on the floor. From the moment the first episode kicks off, we are thrown into the action.
Encounter Party Is For Everyone
If you are new to Dungeons & Dragons, or Table Top Role Playing Games in general, have no fear, Encounter Party has you covered.
One of the best things about this show is that it takes the time to explain certain rules and specific spells / items / actions that are being used, in a way that is inclusive to all levels of understanding. This means you will never be lost when it comes to the gameplay, allowing you to fully enjoy the plot points and story lines.
Encounter Party Is Well Produced
Without giving too much away, one of the episodes features the characters putting on a play. The production level of that episode alone should be applauded, but in reality, Encounter Party as a whole is extremely well done. The lighting, effects, sound production, all play into creating an immersive and believable world in which the actors deliver top notch performances, making every character relatable on one level or another.
Sure, there is something positive to be said about every series that is in the running for Best Structured Reality Program, but Encounter Party brings something unique to the table. There is something for everyone – fast paced action, witty banter, shocking twists that will have you on the edge of your seat, and plot points that will tug at your heart strings. That is why it deserves to at least take one of the five nominee slots, but also should win the category overall.
NEXT: Encounter Party Delivers A Highly Entertaining D&D Adventure
The Story
Six strangers share a prophetic dream that condemns two of them to death. Despite their attempts to avoid it, the party discovers their lives are more intertwined than ever imagined. As they hunt for the source of their grim fate the party becomes ensnared by a charismatic group who are fixated on seeing the future. With the abduction of a sentient weapon, new medical magics, and a masked vigilante obsessed with a romance novel, a question forms within the party.
Does fate change if you know what’s coming?
Watch all of Encounter Party on FreeVee and Plex.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.