3. The Midnight Gospel (Season 1) – Netflix
Writer/podcaster Duncan Trussell teamed up with Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward to create one of the most thought-provoking and trippy experiences of all-time with the Netflix animated series The Midnight Gospel.
Following an inquisitive, but directionless podcaster named Clancy (voiced by Trussell), viewers go on a cosmic adventure like no other as Clancy goes to new worlds on the verge of extinction to have discussions about life before the world implodes for his spacecast The Midnight Gospel. With a visionary like Ward both writing and producing, you know there’s some crazy stuff in store – especially with the series being on Netflix and there being no real restrictions. The Midnight Gospel is definitely more of an adult animated series, not just because of discussion topics, but more because the animation and situations that Clancy finds himself in are so strange. Whether it’s helping the US President fight off a zombie apocalypse, helping a talented warrior rescue her lover, or watching a prisoner be stuck in a deathloop as they try to escape, Clancy gets stuck in some wild situations that are animated like a pure fever dream.
The animation of The Midnight Gospel is really just half the experience though. It’s a bit of a dual experience that sees Clancy nonchalantly go on adventures while Trussell’s podcast, with a rotating special guest, sort of narrates the adventure. While Clancy is doing kind of whatever, Trussell creates some incredibly heartfelt discussions on drugs, meditation, and life that really capture your attention and sometimes oddly connects with the animation in unique ways.
From talking with Dr. Drew Pinsky about the pros and cons about psychedelics to discussing how people handle death with mortician Caitlin Doughtery, Trussell really unearths some genuine food for thought that has life-changing potential. The most impactful discussion easily comes in the finale as Trussell talks to his late mother Deneen Fendig about life and loss in a way that legitimately blurs the line between the show and reality and really gets the tears flowing. Honestly, Trussell as Clancy is one of the greatest things this show has to offer and it’s legitimately fulfilling to see Clancy’s journey unfold and watch him go through such deep, personal growth right up until the end.
There’s really nothing like The Midnight Gospel out there and Trussell and Ward have come together to create an experience that’s both a beautiful fever dream of animation and a genuine look at life and death that anyone can benefit from watching.
