The Midnight Gospel
Series, 2020, The 2020s, Set in The Chromatic Ribbon
The Midnight Gospel is #15 of 18 in release order and #15 of 18 in chronological order in the Modern Cartoon Classics.
The story
Traversing trippy worlds inside his universe simulator, Clancy the space caster explores existential questions about life, death and everything in between.
The Midnight Gospel recap
An adult series from Pendleton Ward and Duncan Trussell built on real interviews from Trussell's podcast. Clancy Gilroy lives alone in a trailer on a planet called the Chromatic Ribbon and runs an unlicensed universe simulator. He uses it to visit simulated worlds, almost always in the middle of an apocalypse, and interview the people there for his "spacecast". The conversations are real audio from guests including Drew Pinsky, Anne Lamott, Damien Echols, Caitlin Doughty and Ram Dass, about meditation, drugs, grief, magic and death, while the animation shows Clancy and his guest wandering through zombie outbreaks, slaughterhouses and cosmic events. Small threads link the episodes: the simulator's growing frustration with Clancy, the trouble he keeps getting into for misusing it, and Clancy's refusal to face his own life. The eight episodes build toward the most personal interview of all.
The Midnight Gospel ending explained
In the eighth and last episode, "Mouse of Silver", Clancy interviews his own mother, voiced by Trussell's real mother Deneen Fendig, recorded while she was dying of cancer. They talk about birth and death, she dies, and Clancy finally accepts it and lets her go. Netflix did not renew the show; Trussell confirmed in 2022 that there would be no second season.
Where to watch The Midnight Gospel
The Midnight Gospel is streaming on Netflix in the US.
Ratings
IMDb 8.2/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, before Adventure Time: Distant Lands.
- Chronological order: after Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, before Adventure Time: Distant Lands.
What to watch before The Midnight Gospel
In release order, 14 Modern Cartoon Classics essentials come before The Midnight Gospel (2020), from Adventure Time (2010) to Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (2020).
Cast
- Duncan Trussell as Clancy (voice)
- Phil Hendrie as Universe Simulator (voice)
- Joey Diaz as Steve the Junkboat Fish (voice)
- Christina Pazsitzky as Sarah (voice)
- Natasha Leggero as Peggy (voice)
- David Nichtern as His Divine Grace, God's Scientist (voice)
- Johnny Pemberton as President's Aid (voice)
- Drew Pinsky as Tiny President (voice)
- Anne Lamott as Anne Deer Dog (voice)
- Raghu Markus as Raghu Deer Dog (voice)
- Doug Lussenhop as Daniel Hoops (voice)
- Damien Echols as Darryl the Fish (voice)
Created by Pendleton Ward, Duncan Trussell.