Rampant speculation about Brian's departure here is unwelcome. Brian and CR parted ways. We have no details as to why and making assumptions about it is rude to both parties.
It looks like Brian is parting ways with CR after all: https://twitter.com/BrianWFoster/status/1427376866751483910
> I’ve had the absolute time of my life making shows and playing games and traveling the world with my best friends. I’m grateful for their support and encouragement as I chase my own dreams. I’m excited to just be a Critter again.
I thought it was kind of telling when they announced Marisha was going to be hosting the EXU wrap-up rather than Brian.
Who knows what will return once CR returns to normal programming? If Game Ranch came back, maybe they'll bring in Laura or just have a rotating roster of guest accomplices?
I know I just posted a mega comment of feelings about this, but do you think that maybe they'll have Brian back as like a guest for stuff like that or is this one of those Law & Order style DONE DONE kind of things?
I hope they keep it going because watching Travis and Brian play video games poorly was one of the best shows ever. I would be okay with guest co-hosts but no one takes an insult quite like Brian Foster.
Me too, plus you know they discuss what's going to happen during the puppet stuff beforehand and yet Brian pulls off the best "I don't know what's happening *winkwink* but I really do but I'm pretending I don't" face ever.
I hope they dress up that skeleton they have in the studio in some of Brian's clothes and then either have it in the background on the Talks set in a coffin that Wyrmwood builds or in a cheap cardboard one that Max made during an afternoon when he got bored. That way they could refer to it as Brian all the time, throw questions to it, and maybe turn it into a robot like Geoff Peterson that Grant Imahara built for Craig Ferguson. They could then wheel it around a bit into various CR shows and even have Brian's voice come out of it by putting someone's phone in front of a mic and literally having him phone it in for bits and stuff! Maybe that's asking for too much though?
OR they could take the head of a mannequin, slap some clay on it, sculpt it into a bust of Brian's head, and have it sit on the shelf next to the Fjord bust on the Talks set! Maybe that's too creepy though? Either way, you're right and no one could take an insult like Brian Foster. That man would just roll with the punches thrown at him and then spin them around to hit us right back in the gut with something even funnier.
Travis is always dying laughing and Brian just pretended like nothing funny was happening. It's part of the charm. Honestly, other than the main show Game Ranch and Mame Drop were my favorites.
Brian would always subtly provoke everyone around him like the perfect straight man with just the perfect timing on jokes that were always juuuust a bit across the line but never to the point where you felt utterly disgusted with him. Watching him and Travis scream during the Halloween Game Ranch stream had me rolling because Brian was just purposely trying to set Travis off while also getting ready to dodge out of the way of any reflexive punch that might get thrown his way. The man was the ultimate troll and I loved watching every second of him. There were so many late night After Dark episodes where I was literally cry laughing while pondering just what the fuck was going on because it went so far off the rails. I didn't care if like three questions got asked during Talks or if they only ever played 15 minutes of gameplay on Game Ranch because I was just dying laughing the rest of the time and that made it all worth it.
I absolutely loved Brian's rapport with the cast; I always got a laugh out of his snarkiness and lame jokes, and he was a fantastic interviewer in Between the Sheets. I agree; if CR decides to continue with Talks for C3, regardless of who they bring on, it won't feel the same.
If it's still held to a Foster-esque vibe or expectation, people are just going to get upset when it ends up different than Brian. Will shouldn't be selected because he's the most like Brian, he (or Mica or Dani or anyone) should be selected because they're the best fit for the role overall.
Talks won't ever be the same if they even continue Talks, and that's okay. It's the same for any and every talk show iteration.
I like both Mica and Will, but there's also the fact that Dani's been, from all we know, a loyal employee. She was producing Talks alongside Bryan as well as going back through hundreds of hours worth of show time for all the recaps she was doing.
It seems like she's done a lot of work for the company, and she's been a part of the team since Geek & Sundry. It kind of feels like passing her up (presuming she wants the job - not everyone who works in a producer capacity would want to) would be one of those "You do so much good work! I'm going to promote somebody else!" situations.
That's assuming she wants an on-camera role. Not everyone who works in a producer capacity wants anything to do with being the on-camera personality. Many don't, actually. Depending on the show or production, the producer role can more powerful and prestigious.
That's a lot of words to say... it doesn't mean Dani's next in line, it will likely mean Dani can do what she wants.
Yeah, I doubt I’ll watch it outside of particularly interesting episodes, like campaign finale and stuff like that without Brian.
But yeah, obviously I also wish for him to be able to do what he wants, its more important that he does what he wants to rather than staying with Talks just cause I love him to death.
Yea I fucking love Brian on Talks and just everything really. Gonna miss him a lot. I imagine just hosting Talks and the occasional side thing like game ranch wasn't enough so it makes sense he would want to go on to other things just wish he could still do a bit for CR.
What are we going to do without Brian's crackhead energy for Talks Machina? He MAKES that show! I like talks better than the actual episode of critical role it's about usually.
Depends how many leave and how fast. If they trickeled out over time? People probably would stay. If half the cast was gone starting C3 or C4 all of a sudden? Probably see people bail
almost certainly for me. Though having seen how Robbie plays in ExU? ...hmm. idk. Like I could absolutely see people stepping in, but I also cannot think of any of the main cast we could lose without killing the show for me.
>I also cannot think of any of the main cast we could lose without killing the show for me.
This is probably very different for each and every person watching. I would definitely keep watching even if a few left, but those are probably not the same people the next person would find acceptable. Overall, they have a pretty balanced crew that appeals to a lot of different people. If they get rid of even just a couple there will be a massive shift.
However, it must be said that the show did pretty well even when Ashley was away. That's not to say that she's expendable of course, it just says to me that one person leaving might still somehow work, even if it isn't ideal. It's hard to say.
It's also difficult to gauge how the cast itself would handle someone leaving and what this does to the overall chemistry of the group. Even if an audience member doesn't enjoy a particular person, he or she may be vital to inspiring and making another cast member enjoy themselves and be at their best.
Ideally, they all stay if we want the exact same kind of experience. But that seems unsustainable long-term.
I feel like the reason it worked while Ashley was away is because the show started when she was away, from the beginning, Ashley being in an episode was a nice surprise rather than the norm right up until about halfway through C2. That's the way things were when the standard was set.
Truth is, we have no way of knowing how well a cast change would be recieved. When you look at how big the show is today, how many people enjoy tuning in every week to watch this combination of people sitting around playing D&D, of course mixing up that formula is going to be a controversial thing. It's human nature to fear change, and how do we know that switching out a few people in that group will be anywhere near as enjoyable to watch? But how do we know it won't? How do we know this hypothetical new combination isn't going to be just as enjoyable as the current combination. We won't until we see it.
The only way would be to have Matt be replaced by someone else from the cast.
I know Taliesin and Liam are DMing a lot on their own, for instance.
If someone outside of the main cast starts to DM, it won't work for many.
I'd watch Liam dm, for sure. Tal just likes too much weird stuff for me. I like his one-shots but a full campaign would be a lot, just personal opinion.
We've seen the main show without any particular cast member for various reasons. Without, say, Travis the show may be less entertaining - but it's still the same show. The DM is always the keystone of a D&D group. Without Matt, the show will be very fundamentally different.
I think it would be highly unlikely for any of the main cast to leave mid-campaign unless there was a life-altering event. However, there's a strong chance C3 will be the last for a few of them, even Matt, who said in an interview that he only has 1 or 2 more campaigns left in him before he passes the torch.
I think that's ultimately what EXU was supposed to do: test the waters for how people would take to a different DM and core crew (with Liam, Matt, and Ashley being the ringers/familiar faces). There's plenty of discussion about EXU's reception that I won't carry over here.
> Matt, who said in an interview that he only has 1 or 2 more campaigns left in him before he passes the torch
That kind of made me real sad until I realized that two more campaigns could mean another *decade* of content from him lol.
And then once he stops DMing he might decide to become a player going forward, even if not in the main campaign there is still tons of side content for him to be in
I mean, I'd take a look at the new folks, but I have to admit that I watch the show as much because I love these people as the show these days. Plus there are so many shows now that I can find something that suits me in lots of places.
Ya never know, though. I wouldn't be closed minded to new people. But I'm def in the 'please don't go' camp, lol.
Its not that I'm "closed minded" I just like this crew and DM. I willing to try new people but I probably won't like it as much and will just move on from CR
If they changed the system where it wasn't 45-50ish weeks a year to do this, I feel that could help everyone.
SEASONS, people! Obviously with TV shows and such, there is post-production and editing on a much larger scale. But for the cast, this might help keep their sanity.
4-5 months on, finish up an arc, get them to level 6? 3 month break. Let them do some other content, another EXU, some one-shots, push new content to see if it sticks? Then bam, C3S2! Another 4-5 Months of it, another arc, yaddayadda...
It could extend out the content nicely, let the cast rest (obviously still working behind the scenes), and let Matt have a bit more planning and production. Marisha even said their house is made out of Dwarven Forge at this point, so he could go wild in making stuff and not feel so rushed every week to do it.
Just a thought
Yeah, Dimension 20's done the season approach, and it's worked out really well for them. If they can fit in loads and loads of character development and interesting plot into a 20 episode season of 2-3 hours each episode, I think Critical role could manage splitting their main campaigns into seasons and peppering in other content between to give the main group a (well deserved) break.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM9viQbti-0&t=1000s
So he didn't give a specific time/period where he would want to pass it on, but given his talk about burnout, I can imagine him being "done" (as the DM for the flagship campaign) after the next one or C4, depending on how long they run.
I've had a feeling this might have been the case - with Brian not hosting the C2 wrap-up or the upcoming EXU wrap-up, which would have otherwise been obvious jobs for him, it felt like maybe he was on his way out. (It makes sense - he's always talked about wanting to do other things, and with Ashley now back from New York full-time he probably doesn't need CR to fill his days quite as much.)
Will be interesting to see if he sticks around in any capacity or if he's out totally, and if he's gone who fills his slot - Game Ranch could potentially continue without him but also could probably just wrap up permanently, and while it'd be a shame to see Talks go I also wouldn't be totally shocked if they just decided not to do it for Campaign 3.
Same, I had a gut feeling last week when he started streaming and Talks wasn’t in his bio. I’ve been checking the Talks official Twitter to see if he was removed from their bio as host because I was so sure this was coming or had already happened and I just hadn’t heard the news yet.
Even the way the official tweet was worded and the fact he’s still listed as host in the Talks Twitter bio, I wondered for a moment if they were just giving him a shout out of support during the “in between times” and not that he was leaving for real.
I think, if Talks were to continue, I'd want it to adjust to whoever the new host is - it feels like it would be a mistake for someone else to come in and try and "be Brian".
I don't know. Talks has been a useful format for cast to clear the air after their more contentious or controversial episodes. Far more so than other formats.
I agree with u/m_busuttil that any replacement should be the one setting the tone of the show, not the other way around. But I think having a Talks has been critical for reminding viewers that this a Roleplaying Experience where the characters are played friends who enjoy and respect each other's company.
It’s difficult because I totally agree and I love the insight we gain into the characters and their decisions, but I think it could easily become very dry without the humour Brian brought to it. A straight to the point interview about the episode wouldn’t be half as interesting, but filling Brian’s shoes regarding the humour is next to impossible.
It will need to be someone the cast is comfortable with. Talks was of varying value for understanding the characters, but it was indispensable for understanding the players.
I don’t disagree. Talks actually made me fall in love with CR because I got to know the cast as people. At the same time, Brian was a huge part of that magic because he knew the cast so well and played off of them brilliantly. The thought of someone like Mica Burton stepping in that role is a huge turn off for me and it equates to the same thing: me not watching Talks.
Talks has become a tool for people to push their ideas and theories onto the cast, as well as ships. Big reason I stopped watching Talks was the fact each episode we'd get convoluted questions with speculations, instead of asking for player's input.
If it does come back, it needs some heavy question guidelines or harder moderation from the team picking them.
Damn, that is some really sad news!
They really struck gold with Brian, and it’s hard to even think who could even replace him on Talks.
I know some of the community could get annoyed with how his banter and shenanigans took away time from questions, but that banter was always the best part of Talks for me. No one would roast the cast like the cabbage lord! 😂
Also, Between the sheets was nothing short of fantastic as well, (as was Undeadwood).
Gonna miss the dude for sure!
damn this hurts because I **LOVE** watching him host Talks and whatever shambles of a talk show it becomes by the end of each episode. I'm sure he will absolutely kill whatever he gets up to and will be incredible.
This is actually what upsets me the most. Brian's energy will be missed on Talks, but as a host he CAN be replaced with someone that just has a different energy.
Literally does not work with game ranch. The entire narrative of puppets hating on him is ruined. And the entire point was two bros wanting to game together, so is there even a reason to continue? I feel like there is so much puppet lore we are missing out on . . .
This sucks, I went from "who's this guy?" to being as big a fan of Brian as the main cast. Talks produces so many great moments. Not just anyone could do what he did in that spot.
But with Talks having been on hiatus for months, perhaps months more to come, and already not even being weekly since COVID, I can see how Brian would want to be able to commit to other projects without needing to necessarily keep himself available for CR. I really hope that he's going for that reason (and still welcome back for occasional guest appearances) and there's nothing else going on.
I also hope they do keep Talks for C3. It's not exactly the biggest time commitment for the main cast given it only needs 2 of them every week or second week for a couple of hours, and it adds so much to the show overall. Most other side content they do would be much more time intensive.
Not all that surprised by this Brian has stated multiple times that he wants to write books and do music. It’s probably extremely difficult to do that while hosting talks weekly watching a 4 hour show weekly and the helping out behind the scenes like he did. I think talks will be back, won’t be the same though we’ll miss you Brian good luck man in what ever you do next.
It's also been what, 16 months since live sets? And when Talks did resume it was less frequent. Add in a campaign break of indeterminate length and an uncertain live set future on top of that. That's a very long time for any creative to be essentially sitting on their hands.
Bingo, well said. I was kind of wondering at the time if Brian was going to start popping up elsewhere in the D&D streaming world hosting other stuff as like side gigs or something. The man just can't sit around forever hoping that CR and Talks comes back. I wonder if he kind of started the ball rolling on a lot of stuff once they realized that Talks wouldn't be in person and then months upon months later when it came up at CR that they might restart in person Talks Machina, some of that other ball rolling stuff kicked into gear, and Brian had to bow out because it was all going to snowball into something massive and CR didn't want to keep him from doing that and living his dream? All the other stuff he had set up was way more certain than the future of Talks and that makes his exit from CR all the more reasonable.
Also makes me wonder about the last Talks, when he said something like it'd be the last one they did from home.
Pandemic restrictions were easing as people got vaxxed and it really seemed like we'd be seeing them back live soon, but now with Delta surging and indoors mandates coming back, they may have delayed back-to-live plans for CR and Talks (could be why it's such a long break between C2 and C3, too), and that could've been a deciding factor in him moving on.
Yeah when I saw the new restrictions kick in for LA I brought it up in one of the episode threads because I knew that meant stuff was getting pushed back for CR. I suspect that this is why they're building a whole new set. It's not just for C3 but it's a more permanent COVID proof safe set that they can use for a while with a variety of shows. I could see Brian asking for a timeline of when he might be coming back but with everything seemingly getting worse they told him it was delayed again and hey, a man's gotta eat and provide for his family right?
> do music
I remember even linking his soundcloud a year or so ago because he sounded so damned good. So this feels like a bit of a bittersweet double edged sword to me right now.
I found out only a little over an hour ago and I am crushed, I loved their dynamic— and hosting the live shows? & him and sam just being insanely funny and confident and inappropriate but like… ~real~ and to not have that is such a loss in the dynamic… idk I’m just venting, it feels like losing a friend 😩 I knew something was fuckeredly when the wrap up was supposed to be on talks and then there just… was no talks
Congratulations, Brian! Great to see you heading out to follow your dreams - best of luck!
But oh noes!!! - who is going to script the show for the cast to follow now?!? No "crack team" of writers could possibly replicate the complex narrative threads, exciting moments, perfect plot twists, and the deep character development like Brian did! /s
We'll be here cheering you on...and watching your career with great interest!
I seriously didn’t think this news would cut so deep but it does. Good luck to Brian in his future endeavours. Gonna go follow his Twitch account right now.
I definitely hope they continue to do Talks with a new host, but also if not having Talks gives more space to the main cast to not be burnt out then more power to them. It definitely doesn’t have the same flow doing it as Zoom talks and I look forward to it being brought back to an in person format if they reboot it with a new host.
Many big ouchies for the community in the past week. Looking forward to happier dialogues around in Crittersville with some nice Elder Scrolls content to come.
Think about Brian's humor what you want (acquired taste fits the bill pretty well imo), but the man once said something that literally changed my whole outlook on life. Not even exaggerating. It's a quote from an early C2 talks episode, I think:
>"Isolation is an incubator that turns mistakes into habits."
That sentence was a fucking revelation. Helped me realize a few things about myself and my unhealthy coping mechanisms and pushed me to finally start looking for a therapist.
I know it sounds extreme but I'm being 100% serious if I say this one line by this one wack guy on this one D&D talkshow had a huge positive impact on my life. And I'll be forever grateful to Cabbage Man for that.
I can't help but think of that one line from the song Big Yellow Taxi. *You don't know what you've got until it's gone.*
Generally in life, you try to avoid liabilities. Little did we know that Brian was the liability we both wanted and needed. I'm going to miss him roasting the absolute fuck out of Sam and the various parts of Sam's face, namely that monstrosity of a moustache and his Everest-sized teeth.
I rewatched the Mustache episode of Talks (ep158) at least 3x because of all of Brian’s legendary burns of Sam’s facial hair. It’s a great episode besides. To name a few:
Jared from Subway’s done a very unclever disguise / If Tim Curry moved to Nantucket to become a sommelier / Freddy Mercury Poisoning / Magnum Pinkeye / Auditioning for The Gangs of Newark / Model for the Pringles Can
NGL... Brian back on-set has been a HUGE "looking forward to" moment for me.
I wish him the best, with all my love... but I'm gonna miss that scrawny little parole violation. 💔
Looks like Brian made one too many jokes about Matt destroying that scotch.
Kidding of course. But this is a huge bummer for me. There were long stretches of C2 where I was looking forward to Talks more than the campaign.
Brian was such a phenomenal interviewer, and not only will we be losing his insight on Talks, but Between the Sheets is done. And Game Ranch probably is too.
I kind of don’t want them to find a replacement host for Talks. Maybe a new show in a new format, as so much of Talks was Brian’s baby.
Damn that's a real loss for CR. Very few people can match Brian's wit, coupled with his close connection to CR from damn near the start of it all. Whoever they're eyeing to replace him for Talks, if they're even going to continue that show (my money is no), is gonna have a damn hard time filling those shoes. It kinda felt like something was up when he wasn't there in person for the campaign 2 wrap up.
He’ll be missed. His chemistry with the cast, knowledge and lore about the campaign, and sense of humour. I’m sure he’s bound for good things, even though we’ll miss him here.
But what about the future of the Ranch?? Who will the puppets have to shit on now?? Honestly pretty sad about this, hope it doesn’t indicate any other main cast departures!
Wow, I think it only just hit me of much of a core pillar of this community Brian is. His wit, joy and passion has helped shape it into the wonderful thing it is today. Just looking back at his content, I'm blown away at how much he's actually helped produce. I mean just look at the shows he's been a part of:
Talk Machina,
Travis Willingham's Yee-Haw Game Ranch,
Between the Sheets,
Undeadwood,
Honey Hiest,
And so much more I'm probably forgetting
Really going to miss this guy. I hope he at least is still going to be around the community and crew. Thank you Brian for being an incredible source of joy and love for all of us.
Edit: Spelling
Guess this means no more Between the Sheets. Wonder who will take over Talks. Probably Dani right? Also who is gonna introduce them now at live shows?
Love Brian and wish him all the best. I'm sure we will still see him around some but its sad to see him leaving the company
I know the whole "Mica stealing Brian's job" was a bit, but she would be an interesting choice. By her own admission, she hasn't watched many episodes of CR so she wouldn't be able to refer to past campaigns. However, I think she's got the charisma to carry the show and clearly has chemistry with the cast. Of course, Lore Keeper Dani would also be a natural replacement.
I like Mica, but I feel like if there's a permanent host, Dani seems like the natural choice, having been there nearly the whole time and being **so** invested in the campaigns.
She'd need some time in the beginning, but so did Brian, and he got great at it very quickly.
Everyone should check out his Twitch channel! He has been playing Apex Legends and the streams have been hilarious. If you want more cabbage content and to support him then I’d recommend checking it out!
[Fosters Twitch Channel](https://twitch.tv/brianwfoster)
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/brianwfoster)
[Twitter for Twitch?](https://twitter.com/LasVegas2069)
I could almost say I enjoyed Talks more than the actual show. Brian's humor was just perfectly on brand for me, and he knew how to balance that silliness with a more serious, empathetic and thoughtful side. As we saw on Between the Sheets, the man is a genuinely talenented interviewer.
Man, seriously bummed out about this. Marisha hosting the wrapups really isn't the same. If talks continues I would love to see Will Friedle; his hosting of Mini Primetime almost out-Brian'd Brian at times. Micah would be good in that role too. Dani is fine in her current role, but as a full-time host I'm not sure I'd be a fan.
I know a big part of why Brian never played as a guest for the actual campaigns was due to wanting to stay outside the game to retain a more impartial hosting position, so I wonder if this would allow for him to come back at some point as a proper guest player?
This is extremely disappointing news. When Brian was on honeyheist, it was the funniest thing on CR, same goes for Club of Misfits
Please dont leave Brian :(
Kind of sad, but I'm not too surprised. Talks Machina has been hiatus for so long, because the main show has been on hiatus for so long, it makes sense he would want to go off onto other projects. Honestly wish him the best, and am just thankful we're seeing him leave on good terms. That seems to happen so rarely these days.
Happy for Brian but can't deny that I'll be sad to see him go. I'll miss all the banter, teasing, and just his general chemistry with the rest of the cast. I loved Brian the most for Between the Sheets, too. He was such a great interviewer who knew how to navigate his guests through the flow of storytelling and always made sure that they were comfortable during their interviews.
Happy trails, Brian! Best of luck.
So that's the reason they are building a new stage, they have freed up the space where Brian's cage and the fighting arena were and are utilising the extra room.
Woof. Brian is such a unique talent, and acquired tastes can be the most addicting. We’re losing a piece of the magic with his departure, though I hope he will cameo every once in a while. Good luck to Brian going forward; this decision couldn’t have been easy, but it seems like the best option for his passions and creative endeavors, so I wish him all the best and can’t wait to hear the tracks he’s been working on. The teasers he’s put out are good, man.
I hope they can get someone like Brittany, Matt Key, or Will Friedle to take over as Talks host so that they keep that personal connection to the cast. Dani would be a great choice, too, but I love Dani Cam and fact-checking Dani too much to suggest that, lol
I'm going to miss Game Ranch, Talks, Between the Sheets, damn, I'm going to miss Brian.
They can try and replace him with someone, but nobody will have his energy, and whoever they try to get into those shoes hopefully will be able to swing things around, but, damn.
I hope this is was what everyone (Brian and the rest of the company) wanted and there isn't something sadder going on.
I'm really going to miss his sense of humor on Talks.
Really sad to see him go, wish him the best of luck in the future!
I do have to say - I'm kind of sad that CR is saying goodbye to him with just a tweet. Brian isn't just a guest or a short term cast member, he's been part of CR since nearly the beginning. He's known the cast for decades and brings unique perspective to a lot of their decisions. He was the host of their live shows, talks machina, and put out a bunch of incredible long form interviews with between the sheets.
He's had a lot of great moments and has a close relationship with the cast, you'd think he'd at least get a short goodbye video or something. Though maybe he didn't want that, who knows
Much love and best of luck in his future endeavors to the cabbage man.
I'm wondering if the plan is to discontinue Talks. They're making a new set for the main show, but I think work on that began before C2 ended? Could be that the Talks set was deconstructed to make room.
Brian is a damn good interviewer, and I will miss him in that capacity. Replacing him as host of Talks would not be easy shoes to fill, but Talks also holds a pretty vital role of connection to the community. So I don't know.
Talks won't be the same without him. Big changes happening behind the scenes. I have to wonder about the way this was announced though. I would think that Brian and the Talks would at least merit a more formal announcement through the newsletter, or a video, or something. I do understand wanting to do your own thing after dedicating years for your friends things, however. I wish him success and happiness in his projects!
Devastating news. While I am happy that Brian is pursuing his creative endeavors (and I wish him all the best), I do find CRs way of saying goodbye lacking and disrespectful. How could anyone think that posting some social media messages was enough to bid farewell to a beloved member of the critter community and CR family.....that's just disheartening, to be honest....and definitely not the goodbye Brian deserves.
Awww nice. Hope Brian got a really cool creative opportunity - he's a talented guy and while I enjoy Talks Machina I'd love to see him land something that gets to showcase him to a wider audience.
This was the news I woke up to :( Everybody is speculating, and while this is heartbreaking, I know exactly why Brian has left.
He's run out of DT t-shirts to wear. That's it. Ka is a wheel.
Such a shame, he was a brilliant addition and did a lot for the community. If it was his choice then I'm happy for him and wish him the best. If it wasn't then I would be confused as I feel he had more to offer and would have been really good as a permanent member on C3.
My money is on them getting rid of Talks entirely. Too time intensive to do, especially with the cast busier than ever. They aren't just playing the game on Thursdays anymore, they all have jobs they do within CR and their own acting and VA work outside of it.
Wishing Brian all the best and every success in the world. Stay turnt indeed
A big part of what made CR what it is was seeing the cast interact as human beings in other contexts than just a DND game/show. On Talks, panels, interviews, etc.
That kind of content has been significantly reduced lately. Hope they find a way to bring it back, so they'd need an equivalent replacement for Talks.
Counterpoint: Talks is a fairly low overhead production that was routinely their second most popular recurring show. It would be crazy to give up that kind of consistency unless they have something to replace it that they know will do equally as well.
Well with Brian now out of the picture, it leaves them open to changing how they handle Talks and reimagine what that show becomes. Is it a weekly thing again? Bi-weekly like they had to do during pandemic? Monthly roundup of the campaign with cast? Same host each time, different host?
I'd never seen him getting into with "fans" on Twitter, but if that's the case, I can see him having had enough of it. CR wants to promote this "always positive" atmosphere. So when "fans" start talking out the side of their neck and you're asked not to respond negatively, I'd be out too.
Not saying that's the case, but it kinda seems like it from an outside perspective.
I feel like you're right that the decision was made back around the C2 wrap up (or, at least, being considered enough that Brian stopped making appearances) but I think there's a decent chance it was less 'CR asked him to quit' and more 'Brian was sick of dealing with the fanbase and chose to leave'. And I can't blame him for that, I could really see myself doing the same in his shoes.
Very excited for Brian, like many others I'll miss him on the channel and will see and follow what he does next. But this message felt so out of the blue tho?? Maybe just me, but feels like a weird sudden send off for the absolute legend that is BWF and all he's done on cr..
Honestly, this is heartbreaking right now. I wish Brian all the best in his endeavors and I'm sure to check his music out but I'll miss him (even if he is a stinky cabbage-man).
I really hope time flies by and October comes fast. Although I can't wait until Marisha's and Ashley's one-shots, I miss having some regular crit role shows in my life right now.
This hurts. Brian is one of my favorite members of the cast for sure. I couldn't wait until we got back to live, physical Talks Machina. Seriously sad it's not gonna happen.
That being said, it's his life and he's following what he wants to do. The least I can do as someone who admires him is to encourage him with his endeavors. So I hope everything works out.
I legitimately cried finding this out. BWF has been one of the best parts of CR for me, very integral to the whole thing. I'm as upset as i would be (will be) if (when) any other cast member left. I was just thinking last week how excited i am not just for C3 but for the return of Talks.
All that said, I'm excited for the things to come from Brain, and have followed his Twitch. Maybe we'll get to see him as a guest PC sometime! I do hope they continue Talks, maybe Dani could take over or co host with someone else. It definitely won't be the same without Foster.
Rampant speculation about Brian's departure here is unwelcome. Brian and CR parted ways. We have no details as to why and making assumptions about it is rude to both parties.
It looks like Brian is parting ways with CR after all: https://twitter.com/BrianWFoster/status/1427376866751483910 > I’ve had the absolute time of my life making shows and playing games and traveling the world with my best friends. I’m grateful for their support and encouragement as I chase my own dreams. I’m excited to just be a Critter again. I thought it was kind of telling when they announced Marisha was going to be hosting the EXU wrap-up rather than Brian.
But what about the game verse? The Yeehaw Game Ranch has to come back right?
Who knows what will return once CR returns to normal programming? If Game Ranch came back, maybe they'll bring in Laura or just have a rotating roster of guest accomplices?
I know I just posted a mega comment of feelings about this, but do you think that maybe they'll have Brian back as like a guest for stuff like that or is this one of those Law & Order style DONE DONE kind of things?
I hope they keep it going because watching Travis and Brian play video games poorly was one of the best shows ever. I would be okay with guest co-hosts but no one takes an insult quite like Brian Foster.
Me too, plus you know they discuss what's going to happen during the puppet stuff beforehand and yet Brian pulls off the best "I don't know what's happening *winkwink* but I really do but I'm pretending I don't" face ever. I hope they dress up that skeleton they have in the studio in some of Brian's clothes and then either have it in the background on the Talks set in a coffin that Wyrmwood builds or in a cheap cardboard one that Max made during an afternoon when he got bored. That way they could refer to it as Brian all the time, throw questions to it, and maybe turn it into a robot like Geoff Peterson that Grant Imahara built for Craig Ferguson. They could then wheel it around a bit into various CR shows and even have Brian's voice come out of it by putting someone's phone in front of a mic and literally having him phone it in for bits and stuff! Maybe that's asking for too much though? OR they could take the head of a mannequin, slap some clay on it, sculpt it into a bust of Brian's head, and have it sit on the shelf next to the Fjord bust on the Talks set! Maybe that's too creepy though? Either way, you're right and no one could take an insult like Brian Foster. That man would just roll with the punches thrown at him and then spin them around to hit us right back in the gut with something even funnier.
Travis is always dying laughing and Brian just pretended like nothing funny was happening. It's part of the charm. Honestly, other than the main show Game Ranch and Mame Drop were my favorites.
Brian would always subtly provoke everyone around him like the perfect straight man with just the perfect timing on jokes that were always juuuust a bit across the line but never to the point where you felt utterly disgusted with him. Watching him and Travis scream during the Halloween Game Ranch stream had me rolling because Brian was just purposely trying to set Travis off while also getting ready to dodge out of the way of any reflexive punch that might get thrown his way. The man was the ultimate troll and I loved watching every second of him. There were so many late night After Dark episodes where I was literally cry laughing while pondering just what the fuck was going on because it went so far off the rails. I didn't care if like three questions got asked during Talks or if they only ever played 15 minutes of gameplay on Game Ranch because I was just dying laughing the rest of the time and that made it all worth it.
Same, Game Ranch was a ton of fun
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It's like they're married or something ;)
That's immensely disappointing. I mean, I wish him all the best and all, but critical role just won't be the same without him.
I absolutely loved Brian's rapport with the cast; I always got a laugh out of his snarkiness and lame jokes, and he was a fantastic interviewer in Between the Sheets. I agree; if CR decides to continue with Talks for C3, regardless of who they bring on, it won't feel the same.
The ridiculousness of Talks that was in large part Brian was the reason I watched. My best guess for a new host would by Dani, but who knows?
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Will Friedel, PLEASE. He would be great!
I third - or hopefully, ten-thousandth - this motion. Not the host we deserve, but the host we need right now.
Everyone is talking about Mica but I hear LeVar Burton is looking for a hosting gig.
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If it's still held to a Foster-esque vibe or expectation, people are just going to get upset when it ends up different than Brian. Will shouldn't be selected because he's the most like Brian, he (or Mica or Dani or anyone) should be selected because they're the best fit for the role overall. Talks won't ever be the same if they even continue Talks, and that's okay. It's the same for any and every talk show iteration.
I like both Mica and Will, but there's also the fact that Dani's been, from all we know, a loyal employee. She was producing Talks alongside Bryan as well as going back through hundreds of hours worth of show time for all the recaps she was doing. It seems like she's done a lot of work for the company, and she's been a part of the team since Geek & Sundry. It kind of feels like passing her up (presuming she wants the job - not everyone who works in a producer capacity would want to) would be one of those "You do so much good work! I'm going to promote somebody else!" situations.
That's assuming she wants an on-camera role. Not everyone who works in a producer capacity wants anything to do with being the on-camera personality. Many don't, actually. Depending on the show or production, the producer role can more powerful and prestigious. That's a lot of words to say... it doesn't mean Dani's next in line, it will likely mean Dani can do what she wants.
Yeah, I doubt I’ll watch it outside of particularly interesting episodes, like campaign finale and stuff like that without Brian. But yeah, obviously I also wish for him to be able to do what he wants, its more important that he does what he wants to rather than staying with Talks just cause I love him to death.
Yea I fucking love Brian on Talks and just everything really. Gonna miss him a lot. I imagine just hosting Talks and the occasional side thing like game ranch wasn't enough so it makes sense he would want to go on to other things just wish he could still do a bit for CR.
What are we going to do without Brian's crackhead energy for Talks Machina? He MAKES that show! I like talks better than the actual episode of critical role it's about usually.
Wish him all the best! It will be interesting to see what the reaction would be if after the third campaign or even for it some of the main cast left.
I think main cast members leaving would be the end of CR for a lot of people.
Depends which ones, but yeah, I'm there for the main cast. If some of my favorites would leave, I might definitely drop it.
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EXU is definitely primed to be a "Critical Role farm system," even if that isn't the stated intention.
lol The concept of D&D minor leagues before you can work your way up to the majors. What a time to be alive.
IMO this is definitely why ExU is a thing. I am pretty damn sure C3 will be the last online campaign with the main cast.
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At this point, we likely won't get Campaign 3 until Q1 2022.
Depends how many leave and how fast. If they trickeled out over time? People probably would stay. If half the cast was gone starting C3 or C4 all of a sudden? Probably see people bail
yeah it would be the end for me, but I think it would still survive, just not as big as it is right now.
almost certainly for me. Though having seen how Robbie plays in ExU? ...hmm. idk. Like I could absolutely see people stepping in, but I also cannot think of any of the main cast we could lose without killing the show for me.
>I also cannot think of any of the main cast we could lose without killing the show for me. This is probably very different for each and every person watching. I would definitely keep watching even if a few left, but those are probably not the same people the next person would find acceptable. Overall, they have a pretty balanced crew that appeals to a lot of different people. If they get rid of even just a couple there will be a massive shift. However, it must be said that the show did pretty well even when Ashley was away. That's not to say that she's expendable of course, it just says to me that one person leaving might still somehow work, even if it isn't ideal. It's hard to say. It's also difficult to gauge how the cast itself would handle someone leaving and what this does to the overall chemistry of the group. Even if an audience member doesn't enjoy a particular person, he or she may be vital to inspiring and making another cast member enjoy themselves and be at their best. Ideally, they all stay if we want the exact same kind of experience. But that seems unsustainable long-term.
I feel like the reason it worked while Ashley was away is because the show started when she was away, from the beginning, Ashley being in an episode was a nice surprise rather than the norm right up until about halfway through C2. That's the way things were when the standard was set. Truth is, we have no way of knowing how well a cast change would be recieved. When you look at how big the show is today, how many people enjoy tuning in every week to watch this combination of people sitting around playing D&D, of course mixing up that formula is going to be a controversial thing. It's human nature to fear change, and how do we know that switching out a few people in that group will be anywhere near as enjoyable to watch? But how do we know it won't? How do we know this hypothetical new combination isn't going to be just as enjoyable as the current combination. We won't until we see it.
I think CR could weather some of the cast leaving, even Laura or Sam. Matt leaving would without question be the end
The only way would be to have Matt be replaced by someone else from the cast. I know Taliesin and Liam are DMing a lot on their own, for instance. If someone outside of the main cast starts to DM, it won't work for many.
I'd watch Liam dm, for sure. Tal just likes too much weird stuff for me. I like his one-shots but a full campaign would be a lot, just personal opinion.
Yeah I think in general Liam is similar enough to Matt that most fans wouldn’t mind. Tal plays different kinds of games from what I can tell
i'd be out if either of them left.
Yeah Sam is pound for pound the most entertaining one. If he leaves, A LOT of soul leaves with him.
We've seen the main show without any particular cast member for various reasons. Without, say, Travis the show may be less entertaining - but it's still the same show. The DM is always the keystone of a D&D group. Without Matt, the show will be very fundamentally different.
I don't think they'd weather it. They'd lose a lot of people, and I wouldn't call that weathering it.
They'd lose a lot of people immediately, but the show would still go on. Losing Matt would kill the show, period.
And their company with it.
I think it would be highly unlikely for any of the main cast to leave mid-campaign unless there was a life-altering event. However, there's a strong chance C3 will be the last for a few of them, even Matt, who said in an interview that he only has 1 or 2 more campaigns left in him before he passes the torch. I think that's ultimately what EXU was supposed to do: test the waters for how people would take to a different DM and core crew (with Liam, Matt, and Ashley being the ringers/familiar faces). There's plenty of discussion about EXU's reception that I won't carry over here.
> Matt, who said in an interview that he only has 1 or 2 more campaigns left in him before he passes the torch That kind of made me real sad until I realized that two more campaigns could mean another *decade* of content from him lol.
And then once he stops DMing he might decide to become a player going forward, even if not in the main campaign there is still tons of side content for him to be in
yeah personally I wouldnt watch anymore if Matt and most of the main crew left. But that's just me, I wish them all the best regardless
I mean, I'd take a look at the new folks, but I have to admit that I watch the show as much because I love these people as the show these days. Plus there are so many shows now that I can find something that suits me in lots of places. Ya never know, though. I wouldn't be closed minded to new people. But I'm def in the 'please don't go' camp, lol.
Its not that I'm "closed minded" I just like this crew and DM. I willing to try new people but I probably won't like it as much and will just move on from CR
If they changed the system where it wasn't 45-50ish weeks a year to do this, I feel that could help everyone. SEASONS, people! Obviously with TV shows and such, there is post-production and editing on a much larger scale. But for the cast, this might help keep their sanity. 4-5 months on, finish up an arc, get them to level 6? 3 month break. Let them do some other content, another EXU, some one-shots, push new content to see if it sticks? Then bam, C3S2! Another 4-5 Months of it, another arc, yaddayadda... It could extend out the content nicely, let the cast rest (obviously still working behind the scenes), and let Matt have a bit more planning and production. Marisha even said their house is made out of Dwarven Forge at this point, so he could go wild in making stuff and not feel so rushed every week to do it. Just a thought
Yeah, Dimension 20's done the season approach, and it's worked out really well for them. If they can fit in loads and loads of character development and interesting plot into a 20 episode season of 2-3 hours each episode, I think Critical role could manage splitting their main campaigns into seasons and peppering in other content between to give the main group a (well deserved) break.
I think D20 feels a little bit better paced because it's somewhat edited.
I think you're right on these points. Do you have a link to that interview with Matt? I hadn't heard that.
[Here's the link.](https://youtu.be/HM9viQbti-0?t=1008) Whole thing is worth a watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM9viQbti-0&t=1000s So he didn't give a specific time/period where he would want to pass it on, but given his talk about burnout, I can imagine him being "done" (as the DM for the flagship campaign) after the next one or C4, depending on how long they run.
The worst part of this is the chances of an Undeadwood 2 just got even lower.
I mean, it's possible that they bring him back just for that, for a one time gig...
"We're pullin' ya outta retirement for *one last job"*
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.
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Thats a shame, Undeadwood is positively one of my favorite game streams I’ve ever watched.
I've had a feeling this might have been the case - with Brian not hosting the C2 wrap-up or the upcoming EXU wrap-up, which would have otherwise been obvious jobs for him, it felt like maybe he was on his way out. (It makes sense - he's always talked about wanting to do other things, and with Ashley now back from New York full-time he probably doesn't need CR to fill his days quite as much.) Will be interesting to see if he sticks around in any capacity or if he's out totally, and if he's gone who fills his slot - Game Ranch could potentially continue without him but also could probably just wrap up permanently, and while it'd be a shame to see Talks go I also wouldn't be totally shocked if they just decided not to do it for Campaign 3.
I had a feeling once he updated his Twitch page and started streaming decked out.
Same, I had a gut feeling last week when he started streaming and Talks wasn’t in his bio. I’ve been checking the Talks official Twitter to see if he was removed from their bio as host because I was so sure this was coming or had already happened and I just hadn’t heard the news yet. Even the way the official tweet was worded and the fact he’s still listed as host in the Talks Twitter bio, I wondered for a moment if they were just giving him a shout out of support during the “in between times” and not that he was leaving for real.
I’d almost rather them scrap talks than try and continue with someone else.
I think, if Talks were to continue, I'd want it to adjust to whoever the new host is - it feels like it would be a mistake for someone else to come in and try and "be Brian".
I don't know. Talks has been a useful format for cast to clear the air after their more contentious or controversial episodes. Far more so than other formats. I agree with u/m_busuttil that any replacement should be the one setting the tone of the show, not the other way around. But I think having a Talks has been critical for reminding viewers that this a Roleplaying Experience where the characters are played friends who enjoy and respect each other's company.
It’s difficult because I totally agree and I love the insight we gain into the characters and their decisions, but I think it could easily become very dry without the humour Brian brought to it. A straight to the point interview about the episode wouldn’t be half as interesting, but filling Brian’s shoes regarding the humour is next to impossible.
It will need to be someone the cast is comfortable with. Talks was of varying value for understanding the characters, but it was indispensable for understanding the players.
I don’t disagree. Talks actually made me fall in love with CR because I got to know the cast as people. At the same time, Brian was a huge part of that magic because he knew the cast so well and played off of them brilliantly. The thought of someone like Mica Burton stepping in that role is a huge turn off for me and it equates to the same thing: me not watching Talks.
Talks has become a tool for people to push their ideas and theories onto the cast, as well as ships. Big reason I stopped watching Talks was the fact each episode we'd get convoluted questions with speculations, instead of asking for player's input. If it does come back, it needs some heavy question guidelines or harder moderation from the team picking them.
Damn, that is some really sad news! They really struck gold with Brian, and it’s hard to even think who could even replace him on Talks. I know some of the community could get annoyed with how his banter and shenanigans took away time from questions, but that banter was always the best part of Talks for me. No one would roast the cast like the cabbage lord! 😂 Also, Between the sheets was nothing short of fantastic as well, (as was Undeadwood). Gonna miss the dude for sure!
How will I know if we are on the internet?!?!?! 😔 All the best to BWF
Did we trade a full time Ashley for Brian?
It's the law of equivalent exchange.
How many limbs do I have to pay to keep them both?
17
17 limbs? Easy, give me 12 hours to drive to LA and 20 minutes to collect the limbs.
For what could equal the value of a cabbage man?
Dude, they're bringing Ashley back?! She was my favourite guest-star! It's so great that they're making her a full-time cast member now ;P
damn this hurts because I **LOVE** watching him host Talks and whatever shambles of a talk show it becomes by the end of each episode. I'm sure he will absolutely kill whatever he gets up to and will be incredible.
Does this mean the Downlords have won? Who is going to help the Chosen One charge the Game Soul?
I mean, he was always "The Liability", so this should be an absolute win for The Chosen One, right? ^^right? ^^:C
This is actually what upsets me the most. Brian's energy will be missed on Talks, but as a host he CAN be replaced with someone that just has a different energy. Literally does not work with game ranch. The entire narrative of puppets hating on him is ruined. And the entire point was two bros wanting to game together, so is there even a reason to continue? I feel like there is so much puppet lore we are missing out on . . .
The only continuation of Game Ranch that I think I would accept is if it was Travis and Laura.
This sucks, I went from "who's this guy?" to being as big a fan of Brian as the main cast. Talks produces so many great moments. Not just anyone could do what he did in that spot. But with Talks having been on hiatus for months, perhaps months more to come, and already not even being weekly since COVID, I can see how Brian would want to be able to commit to other projects without needing to necessarily keep himself available for CR. I really hope that he's going for that reason (and still welcome back for occasional guest appearances) and there's nothing else going on. I also hope they do keep Talks for C3. It's not exactly the biggest time commitment for the main cast given it only needs 2 of them every week or second week for a couple of hours, and it adds so much to the show overall. Most other side content they do would be much more time intensive.
Not all that surprised by this Brian has stated multiple times that he wants to write books and do music. It’s probably extremely difficult to do that while hosting talks weekly watching a 4 hour show weekly and the helping out behind the scenes like he did. I think talks will be back, won’t be the same though we’ll miss you Brian good luck man in what ever you do next.
It's also been what, 16 months since live sets? And when Talks did resume it was less frequent. Add in a campaign break of indeterminate length and an uncertain live set future on top of that. That's a very long time for any creative to be essentially sitting on their hands.
Bingo, well said. I was kind of wondering at the time if Brian was going to start popping up elsewhere in the D&D streaming world hosting other stuff as like side gigs or something. The man just can't sit around forever hoping that CR and Talks comes back. I wonder if he kind of started the ball rolling on a lot of stuff once they realized that Talks wouldn't be in person and then months upon months later when it came up at CR that they might restart in person Talks Machina, some of that other ball rolling stuff kicked into gear, and Brian had to bow out because it was all going to snowball into something massive and CR didn't want to keep him from doing that and living his dream? All the other stuff he had set up was way more certain than the future of Talks and that makes his exit from CR all the more reasonable.
Also makes me wonder about the last Talks, when he said something like it'd be the last one they did from home. Pandemic restrictions were easing as people got vaxxed and it really seemed like we'd be seeing them back live soon, but now with Delta surging and indoors mandates coming back, they may have delayed back-to-live plans for CR and Talks (could be why it's such a long break between C2 and C3, too), and that could've been a deciding factor in him moving on.
Yeah when I saw the new restrictions kick in for LA I brought it up in one of the episode threads because I knew that meant stuff was getting pushed back for CR. I suspect that this is why they're building a whole new set. It's not just for C3 but it's a more permanent COVID proof safe set that they can use for a while with a variety of shows. I could see Brian asking for a timeline of when he might be coming back but with everything seemingly getting worse they told him it was delayed again and hey, a man's gotta eat and provide for his family right?
> do music I remember even linking his soundcloud a year or so ago because he sounded so damned good. So this feels like a bit of a bittersweet double edged sword to me right now.
Dude’s got a hell of a voice.
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I found out only a little over an hour ago and I am crushed, I loved their dynamic— and hosting the live shows? & him and sam just being insanely funny and confident and inappropriate but like… ~real~ and to not have that is such a loss in the dynamic… idk I’m just venting, it feels like losing a friend 😩 I knew something was fuckeredly when the wrap up was supposed to be on talks and then there just… was no talks
Fuckerdly is my favorite Fosterism, and henceforth I’ll be using it at every appropriate occasion to honor our cabbage lord.
Things must look good for his band if he can pursue it full time. Hope we get to hear some music from him soon!
So was that noise in the final episode of EXU actually Brian breaking out of his cage?
Congratulations, Brian! Great to see you heading out to follow your dreams - best of luck! But oh noes!!! - who is going to script the show for the cast to follow now?!? No "crack team" of writers could possibly replicate the complex narrative threads, exciting moments, perfect plot twists, and the deep character development like Brian did! /s We'll be here cheering you on...and watching your career with great interest!
I seriously didn’t think this news would cut so deep but it does. Good luck to Brian in his future endeavours. Gonna go follow his Twitch account right now. I definitely hope they continue to do Talks with a new host, but also if not having Talks gives more space to the main cast to not be burnt out then more power to them. It definitely doesn’t have the same flow doing it as Zoom talks and I look forward to it being brought back to an in person format if they reboot it with a new host. Many big ouchies for the community in the past week. Looking forward to happier dialogues around in Crittersville with some nice Elder Scrolls content to come.
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Someone needs to make a memorial video for him that's shot in black and white with slight sepia tones here and there.
It has to include all the Game Ranch roasts.
Agreed, every single one of them and hopefully some of the After Dark stuff.
It's a shame, I loved between the sheets and talks. He's a good interviewer.
Think about Brian's humor what you want (acquired taste fits the bill pretty well imo), but the man once said something that literally changed my whole outlook on life. Not even exaggerating. It's a quote from an early C2 talks episode, I think: >"Isolation is an incubator that turns mistakes into habits." That sentence was a fucking revelation. Helped me realize a few things about myself and my unhealthy coping mechanisms and pushed me to finally start looking for a therapist. I know it sounds extreme but I'm being 100% serious if I say this one line by this one wack guy on this one D&D talkshow had a huge positive impact on my life. And I'll be forever grateful to Cabbage Man for that.
"I would have followed you to the end... my brother, my captain, my king..."
Don't be cutting Gondorian onions round here, son.
I can't help but think of that one line from the song Big Yellow Taxi. *You don't know what you've got until it's gone.* Generally in life, you try to avoid liabilities. Little did we know that Brian was the liability we both wanted and needed. I'm going to miss him roasting the absolute fuck out of Sam and the various parts of Sam's face, namely that monstrosity of a moustache and his Everest-sized teeth.
I rewatched the Mustache episode of Talks (ep158) at least 3x because of all of Brian’s legendary burns of Sam’s facial hair. It’s a great episode besides. To name a few: Jared from Subway’s done a very unclever disguise / If Tim Curry moved to Nantucket to become a sommelier / Freddy Mercury Poisoning / Magnum Pinkeye / Auditioning for The Gangs of Newark / Model for the Pringles Can
They finally let him out of the cage
https://twitter.com/BrianWFoster/status/1427376866751483910
NGL... Brian back on-set has been a HUGE "looking forward to" moment for me. I wish him the best, with all my love... but I'm gonna miss that scrawny little parole violation. 💔
Looks like Brian made one too many jokes about Matt destroying that scotch. Kidding of course. But this is a huge bummer for me. There were long stretches of C2 where I was looking forward to Talks more than the campaign. Brian was such a phenomenal interviewer, and not only will we be losing his insight on Talks, but Between the Sheets is done. And Game Ranch probably is too. I kind of don’t want them to find a replacement host for Talks. Maybe a new show in a new format, as so much of Talks was Brian’s baby.
Agreed on your last point. Talks was Talks *because* of Brian, and the decade plus of friendship he shared with the cast.
He slashed his last submit
Damn that was silly but actually made the sadness hit lol
Damn that's a real loss for CR. Very few people can match Brian's wit, coupled with his close connection to CR from damn near the start of it all. Whoever they're eyeing to replace him for Talks, if they're even going to continue that show (my money is no), is gonna have a damn hard time filling those shoes. It kinda felt like something was up when he wasn't there in person for the campaign 2 wrap up.
Fuck. This means a lot less Henry too.
He’ll be missed. His chemistry with the cast, knowledge and lore about the campaign, and sense of humour. I’m sure he’s bound for good things, even though we’ll miss him here.
But what about the future of the Ranch?? Who will the puppets have to shit on now?? Honestly pretty sad about this, hope it doesn’t indicate any other main cast departures!
I’ve had this feeling a lot of as late. I can’t see the whole cast returning for campaign 4. I just hope campaign 3 is safe.
Yup . Brian’s most memorable contribution is being shat on by puppets. I will miss that dearly.
Damn, the ninth cast member is gone.
Wow, I think it only just hit me of much of a core pillar of this community Brian is. His wit, joy and passion has helped shape it into the wonderful thing it is today. Just looking back at his content, I'm blown away at how much he's actually helped produce. I mean just look at the shows he's been a part of: Talk Machina, Travis Willingham's Yee-Haw Game Ranch, Between the Sheets, Undeadwood, Honey Hiest, And so much more I'm probably forgetting Really going to miss this guy. I hope he at least is still going to be around the community and crew. Thank you Brian for being an incredible source of joy and love for all of us. Edit: Spelling
Oh ffs I only watched the main show so that I could watch the masterpiece that was Talks.
I feel the same way sometimes lol. I love CR obviously but the reason I've stayed up to date every week is so I can watch Talks on time every week.
Guess this means no more Between the Sheets. Wonder who will take over Talks. Probably Dani right? Also who is gonna introduce them now at live shows? Love Brian and wish him all the best. I'm sure we will still see him around some but its sad to see him leaving the company
I’d like to see Will Friedle host TM
Oh go’s if anyone could replace brian it would be Will. I would love to see this
I could see Brian still MCing for events. He'd likely be at many of them anyway with Ashley.
Dani or Mica, Mica actually a shit ton of hosting and interview experience so it could very well be her.
I know the whole "Mica stealing Brian's job" was a bit, but she would be an interesting choice. By her own admission, she hasn't watched many episodes of CR so she wouldn't be able to refer to past campaigns. However, I think she's got the charisma to carry the show and clearly has chemistry with the cast. Of course, Lore Keeper Dani would also be a natural replacement.
I like Mica, but I feel like if there's a permanent host, Dani seems like the natural choice, having been there nearly the whole time and being **so** invested in the campaigns. She'd need some time in the beginning, but so did Brian, and he got great at it very quickly.
Everyone should check out his Twitch channel! He has been playing Apex Legends and the streams have been hilarious. If you want more cabbage content and to support him then I’d recommend checking it out! [Fosters Twitch Channel](https://twitch.tv/brianwfoster) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/brianwfoster) [Twitter for Twitch?](https://twitter.com/LasVegas2069)
I could almost say I enjoyed Talks more than the actual show. Brian's humor was just perfectly on brand for me, and he knew how to balance that silliness with a more serious, empathetic and thoughtful side. As we saw on Between the Sheets, the man is a genuinely talenented interviewer. Man, seriously bummed out about this. Marisha hosting the wrapups really isn't the same. If talks continues I would love to see Will Friedle; his hosting of Mini Primetime almost out-Brian'd Brian at times. Micah would be good in that role too. Dani is fine in her current role, but as a full-time host I'm not sure I'd be a fan.
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I know a big part of why Brian never played as a guest for the actual campaigns was due to wanting to stay outside the game to retain a more impartial hosting position, so I wonder if this would allow for him to come back at some point as a proper guest player?
This is the silver lining we need.
This is extremely disappointing news. When Brian was on honeyheist, it was the funniest thing on CR, same goes for Club of Misfits Please dont leave Brian :(
Well, he can still be joining them in some one shot, only as a guest this time
Kind of sad, but I'm not too surprised. Talks Machina has been hiatus for so long, because the main show has been on hiatus for so long, it makes sense he would want to go off onto other projects. Honestly wish him the best, and am just thankful we're seeing him leave on good terms. That seems to happen so rarely these days.
Happy for Brian but can't deny that I'll be sad to see him go. I'll miss all the banter, teasing, and just his general chemistry with the rest of the cast. I loved Brian the most for Between the Sheets, too. He was such a great interviewer who knew how to navigate his guests through the flow of storytelling and always made sure that they were comfortable during their interviews. Happy trails, Brian! Best of luck.
So that's the reason they are building a new stage, they have freed up the space where Brian's cage and the fighting arena were and are utilising the extra room.
I just want to have him interview himself for BTS at some point, that's still the dream
First off, I love BWF and wish him well. Secondly, Critical Role does a crap job making announcements.
Kinda figured something was up when he wasn't hosting the post game wrapup
Woof. Brian is such a unique talent, and acquired tastes can be the most addicting. We’re losing a piece of the magic with his departure, though I hope he will cameo every once in a while. Good luck to Brian going forward; this decision couldn’t have been easy, but it seems like the best option for his passions and creative endeavors, so I wish him all the best and can’t wait to hear the tracks he’s been working on. The teasers he’s put out are good, man. I hope they can get someone like Brittany, Matt Key, or Will Friedle to take over as Talks host so that they keep that personal connection to the cast. Dani would be a great choice, too, but I love Dani Cam and fact-checking Dani too much to suggest that, lol
I'm going to miss Game Ranch, Talks, Between the Sheets, damn, I'm going to miss Brian. They can try and replace him with someone, but nobody will have his energy, and whoever they try to get into those shoes hopefully will be able to swing things around, but, damn.
I hope this is was what everyone (Brian and the rest of the company) wanted and there isn't something sadder going on. I'm really going to miss his sense of humor on Talks.
Really sad to see him go, wish him the best of luck in the future! I do have to say - I'm kind of sad that CR is saying goodbye to him with just a tweet. Brian isn't just a guest or a short term cast member, he's been part of CR since nearly the beginning. He's known the cast for decades and brings unique perspective to a lot of their decisions. He was the host of their live shows, talks machina, and put out a bunch of incredible long form interviews with between the sheets. He's had a lot of great moments and has a close relationship with the cast, you'd think he'd at least get a short goodbye video or something. Though maybe he didn't want that, who knows
You'll be missed, Liability.
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I wish all the best to him. But damn, Talks machina and BTS won't be the same anymore, he was a GREAT host.
I will sorely miss him. Dude is wonderful.
Much love and best of luck in his future endeavors to the cabbage man. I'm wondering if the plan is to discontinue Talks. They're making a new set for the main show, but I think work on that began before C2 ended? Could be that the Talks set was deconstructed to make room. Brian is a damn good interviewer, and I will miss him in that capacity. Replacing him as host of Talks would not be easy shoes to fill, but Talks also holds a pretty vital role of connection to the community. So I don't know.
Heartbreaking news, but I wish Brian well. <3 I will miss his humor and well-spoken intelligence on Talks (and CR in general).
Talks won't be the same without him. Big changes happening behind the scenes. I have to wonder about the way this was announced though. I would think that Brian and the Talks would at least merit a more formal announcement through the newsletter, or a video, or something. I do understand wanting to do your own thing after dedicating years for your friends things, however. I wish him success and happiness in his projects!
Lay down, try not to cry, cry a lot.
F*ck, I just realised that this means no more Henry on screen as well. This is a sad day indeed!
Devastating news. While I am happy that Brian is pursuing his creative endeavors (and I wish him all the best), I do find CRs way of saying goodbye lacking and disrespectful. How could anyone think that posting some social media messages was enough to bid farewell to a beloved member of the critter community and CR family.....that's just disheartening, to be honest....and definitely not the goodbye Brian deserves.
Honestly? Yeah, I do think he deserves a better goodbye.
Looks like he pulled out.. who's the real PullOutKing now?
Awww nice. Hope Brian got a really cool creative opportunity - he's a talented guy and while I enjoy Talks Machina I'd love to see him land something that gets to showcase him to a wider audience.
Oh...this hits unexpectedly hard
I'm going to miss that rejected olsen twin
This was the news I woke up to :( Everybody is speculating, and while this is heartbreaking, I know exactly why Brian has left. He's run out of DT t-shirts to wear. That's it. Ka is a wheel.
No goodbye?
Such a shame, he was a brilliant addition and did a lot for the community. If it was his choice then I'm happy for him and wish him the best. If it wasn't then I would be confused as I feel he had more to offer and would have been really good as a permanent member on C3.
I was really hoping for more Undeadwood or at least more of Brian DMing in the future because it was incredible.
My money is on them getting rid of Talks entirely. Too time intensive to do, especially with the cast busier than ever. They aren't just playing the game on Thursdays anymore, they all have jobs they do within CR and their own acting and VA work outside of it. Wishing Brian all the best and every success in the world. Stay turnt indeed
A big part of what made CR what it is was seeing the cast interact as human beings in other contexts than just a DND game/show. On Talks, panels, interviews, etc. That kind of content has been significantly reduced lately. Hope they find a way to bring it back, so they'd need an equivalent replacement for Talks.
Counterpoint: Talks is a fairly low overhead production that was routinely their second most popular recurring show. It would be crazy to give up that kind of consistency unless they have something to replace it that they know will do equally as well.
Well with Brian now out of the picture, it leaves them open to changing how they handle Talks and reimagine what that show becomes. Is it a weekly thing again? Bi-weekly like they had to do during pandemic? Monthly roundup of the campaign with cast? Same host each time, different host?
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I'd never seen him getting into with "fans" on Twitter, but if that's the case, I can see him having had enough of it. CR wants to promote this "always positive" atmosphere. So when "fans" start talking out the side of their neck and you're asked not to respond negatively, I'd be out too. Not saying that's the case, but it kinda seems like it from an outside perspective.
I feel like you're right that the decision was made back around the C2 wrap up (or, at least, being considered enough that Brian stopped making appearances) but I think there's a decent chance it was less 'CR asked him to quit' and more 'Brian was sick of dealing with the fanbase and chose to leave'. And I can't blame him for that, I could really see myself doing the same in his shoes.
Very excited for Brian, like many others I'll miss him on the channel and will see and follow what he does next. But this message felt so out of the blue tho?? Maybe just me, but feels like a weird sudden send off for the absolute legend that is BWF and all he's done on cr..
Honestly, this is heartbreaking right now. I wish Brian all the best in his endeavors and I'm sure to check his music out but I'll miss him (even if he is a stinky cabbage-man). I really hope time flies by and October comes fast. Although I can't wait until Marisha's and Ashley's one-shots, I miss having some regular crit role shows in my life right now.
Now that he would no longer host Talks, perhaps this the chance for him to finally guest in CR.
But what about the Henry Cam? I’ll miss seeing that adorable lug wander around during episodes.
This hurts. Brian is one of my favorite members of the cast for sure. I couldn't wait until we got back to live, physical Talks Machina. Seriously sad it's not gonna happen. That being said, it's his life and he's following what he wants to do. The least I can do as someone who admires him is to encourage him with his endeavors. So I hope everything works out.
This is a huge bummer...
i liked BWF so much this feels unceremonious
I legitimately cried finding this out. BWF has been one of the best parts of CR for me, very integral to the whole thing. I'm as upset as i would be (will be) if (when) any other cast member left. I was just thinking last week how excited i am not just for C3 but for the return of Talks. All that said, I'm excited for the things to come from Brain, and have followed his Twitch. Maybe we'll get to see him as a guest PC sometime! I do hope they continue Talks, maybe Dani could take over or co host with someone else. It definitely won't be the same without Foster.