Midnight Gospel is your Next Summer Binge

Words come to life in new Netflix animated series

Grief. Meditation. Death. Mindfulness. Netflix’s original series “The Midnight Gospel” explores each of these subjects with a frenzy of wide-eyed, neon cartoon characters. 

It’s not often that you find a television series that can tastefully border the line between humorous and serious, especially in cartoon format. In an attempt to cater to a more mature audience, Netflix has expanded its animated collection (which includes titles such as “Big Mouth,” “F is For Family,” etc.) with “The Midnight Gospel.” Given the success of titles such as “The Simpsons” and “Rick and Morty,” networks have had to invest more in adult animation to keep up with trends. This, accompanied by the streaming wars of Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV and more, has inspired show writers to become more creative with their projects.

Enter The Midnight Gospel, a series that explores a wide array of hard-hitting topics depicted in main character Clancy’s “space cast.” Each episode provides the viewers with a unique perspective of a concept from the experience of the guest speaker. These concepts emphasize the inner turmoil people face along with ways of easing those struggles. 

What makes this show particularly intriguing is its authenticity; all of the interviews are recounts based on Duncan Trussell’s podcast, “The Duncan Trussell Family Hour.”

Creator Pendleton Ward, most known for Cartoon Network's “Adventure Time,” is the mastermind behind this visually compelling and thought-provoking series. As a fan of “The Duncan Trussell Family Hour” podcast and a friend of its creator, Ward reached out to Trussell with the idea of taking Trussell’s podcast episodes and putting them alongside animated content. Through a seven-year process, starting in 2013, Ward and Trussell were able to release “The Midnight Gospel” on April 20, 2020.

Each episode features ‘space caster’ Clancy Gilroy, a pink, noodle-armed spaceman voiced by Duncan Trussell. Using a simulator, Clancy travels to a variety of worlds where he interviews residents on different subject matters. Occasionally, Clancy and his guest will break from the interview to take on an interactive role within the world.

In the first episode, “Taste of the King, “ Clancy visits a zombie-infested world where he meets the president, Glasses Man. This episode deals heavily with the effects of drug usage. As Clancy and Glasses Man attempt to escape zombies, they examine the arguments regarding the pros and cons of drug use, personal growth, and have an in-depth conversation with personal recollections about psychedelics. 

The episode’s appeal lies in how the characters analyze whether a drug is truly bad, or if it is our body’s reaction that is bad. Glasses Man and Clancy begin this conversation by addressing a time Clancy took benzos with an alcoholic drink. After Clancy expresses regret and describes the experience as one of the ultimate “death combos,” Glasses Man then expands on this story when he discusses the relationship between the body and drugs. This journey opened the door to an insightful conversation that even contained some comedic elements to it, with the aid of the visuals. 

Although Pendleton Ward’s bright, overwhelming imagery contrasts heavily with the show’s subject matter, they work exceptionally well—adding to the show’s engaging characters. Many people would probably be satisfied listening to these conversations in a traditional podcast format, but for those who prefer visuals to keep them captivated, it helps maintain focus. The show creates wacky, outlandish scenarios and pairs them with poignant, important topics—it’s a perfect mix.

Additionally, each episode ends with Clancy barely escaping the world he’s in, which means all of the characters featured in the episodes remain static. Since the only consistent character happens to be Clancy, he’s the only one that has room for growth; however, Clancy’s character also remains fairly consistent throughout the series. This lack of growth is indicative of the simplistic formatting of the show, which makes the episodes fluid and easy to understand. 

“The Midnight Gospel” is a uniquely distinctive series that does an incredible job in creating a culmination of two different styles of entertainment: podcasts and animated television. This series is most definitely a game-changer for more mature audiences who can either just sit back and enjoy the content, or listen to the audio while doing another activity.  

In other words, “The Midnight Gospel” is the perfect addition to your summer watchlist—or playlist.