When I first watched The Midnight Gospel on Netflix, it was complicated to understand what was going on. The whole concept of the show is an apocalypse that is destroying a whole planet, and at the same time, there are two people having a completely calm and normal conversation while fighting zombies. 

After searching it up, I found out that this was a show made by comedians and podcasters named Duncan Trussell and Pendleton Ward, who is the famous creator of Adventure Time. Trussell has made a podcast called The Duncan Trussell Family Hour, featuring hosts like Trudy Goodman, Damien Echols, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Anne Lamott, and even Duncan’s own mother, Deneen Fendig. These people are famous psychologists, philosophers, authors, and thinkers, who share their insights on life, spirituality, mental health, and personal growth. The Midnight Gospel is a show based on this podcast.

The Midnight Gospel is an animated show that follows a space traveler named Clancy Gilroy, as he visits different planets in space using a multiverse simulator. This simulator is a huge machine that connects to different planets and chooses the ones that are in the middle of dying. 

Clancy is a space-caster who visits these planets and interviews different creators for his channel, which only has one follower. Every time Clancy visits a planet, he brings home a pair of different shoes for his collection, as a memory of the planets that have just died in front of his eyes.  

In his interviews, Clancy asks questions that focus on topics like death, addiction, spirituality, existence, personal growth, self-improvement and relationships. 

My favorite episode is the last one, when Clancy meets his mother. In this episode, he talks with her as she is dying, and their conversation is full of honesty, love and reflection. Clancy eventually faces his fears about mortality and begins to understand the importance of accepting loss and valuing the time we have with loved ones.

Even though this show is all about Clancy’s podcast and basically has no plot or storyline, that’s not the only thing going on here. Clancy himself is a metaphorical character who represents an ordinary person trying to avoid life’s struggles. Through his travels, he seeks answers about life, death and consciousness, often exploring deep philosophical questions. However, his adventures also show his habit of avoiding real problems, like family issues and taking care of himself. 

For example, Clancy’s sister calls him, talks about needing to change and seems upset about their situation, but he ignores her for most of the call. At another moment, his machine is slowly dying, but he’s not paying attention to any of that and continuing with his day and adventure. 

However, at the end of the show, Clancy actually has a character development by putting himself together, facing his fears, and accepting the reality of death. He becomes a mature person in his final moments, but it is too late. 

This show is amazing, because it combines deep conversations along with jokes and colorful animation, but the most important part is how honest it is. There are no scripted lines, and everything is real, including every joke and sad moment, including the conversation between mother and son. 

Make sure to check out The Midnight Gospel on Netflix today. And if you enjoy this series, you may also like BoJack Horseman and Rick and Morty.