The Midnight Gospel, Netflix's adult animated podcast series, has been canceled after only one season as, despite the high praise garnered by its eight episodes, it’s been the latest show to bite the dust as part of Netflix's current managerial transformation.
Unlike any other podcast or animated series for that matter, Netflix's The Midnight Gospel made strides in 2020 due to its mixed nature. The show took interviews from comedian Duncan Trussell's podcast, The Duncan Trussel Family Hour, and turned them into fully fledged animated adventures for protagonist Clancy Gilroy, with Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward providing his experience on the animation front. Clancy, naturally voiced by Trussell, took part in a series of trippy multiversal adventures that saw the “spacecaster” travel across several colorful worlds to the tune of interviews covering a wide range of topics.
Although The Midnight Gospel had built a strong fanbase interested in the existentialist themes the show dealt with, its cancellation comes as a harsh blow. Trussell not only dropped the news on Twitter rather unexpectedly, but he also confirmed Netflix owns the rights to the series and it won’t be able to find a new home. Nevertheless, Trussel did thank Netflix for “[rolling] the dice and let us make such a strange show,” saying the company was very supportive throughout the show’s creation, with no regard to why “the sentient glass deciding’ cube” making the type of decisions ultimately canceled his project.
Trussell did express his belief that the show warranted another season at least, something many might second. The Midnight Gospel's popularity can be seen in its relatively high ratings among critics and audiences on most review sites. Anyone who enjoyed The Midnight Gospel for its actual content rather than for the psychedelic animations style will find comfort knowing The Duncan Trussell Family Hour is still going strong after 506 episodes.
Among the episodes from Trussell's podcast that made the cut into The Midnight Gospel are interviews covering existentialism, drug usage, death, mediation, religion, funerary traditions and prison, just to name a few. They were all created with the help of a diverse group of guests encompassing health specialists, YouTubers, actors, fellow comedians, and even yogis, which would even make the deepest anime out there blush.
The Midnight Gospel's cancellation will strike a nerve for some, as Netflix has financed far less popular shows for several seasons. It also poses a stark contrast to the likes of Cowboy Bebop, which was almost universally panned. However, with a shrinking workforce and stock market cap, Netflix probably wants to play things as safe as possible for the next few quarters.
The Midnight Gospel is now available on Netflix.
Source: Duncan Trussell | Twitter