After over two years since its release, fans of Netflix’s original animated series The Midnight Gospel finally have an answer. Duncan Trussell, the show’s co-creator, confirmed on his Twitter account last Friday that the show had been canceled. The tweet in question can be viewed below.
For fans of the series, it is a sad day. But for those of us that are out of the loop, here’s a rundown of The Midnight Gospel and what it’s about. Released on April 20th in 2020, the show followed Clancy as he traveled from universe to universe to find guest speakers for his “space-cast”. The first episode involved Clancy landing in a world not too unlike our own during a zombie apocalypse. The second episode followed Clancy landing on a “Clown World”, where dog like creatures are ground into meat. The third episode followed Clancy as he was on a boat manned by a crew of cats, led by a fish-headed being.
What made The Midnight Gospel so unique is that the show is an adaptation of sorts of Trussell’s podcast, The Duncan Trussell Family Hour. Clancy’s interviews with space captains, dog monsters, and soul birds are pulled directly from discussions with writers, teachers, doctors, and experts of all kinds. Topics that are covered between host and guest are about spirituality, confronting death, meditation and everything in between. The show is held together through Clancy’s arc throughout the season. Trussell, who is host on the show, plays Clancy as he is living in hiding with his stolen devices and traveling his own internal journey. Trippy designs, a dreamlike soundtrack, and such heavy discussions combine together to create a show that you can’t look away from.
“Just be here now…”
The Midnight Gospel was kickstarted by Pendleton Ward, who is best known for creating the landmark Cartoon Network show, Adventure Time. While Ward was still working on the show, he came across Trussell’s podcast and was immediately sucked in. Ward reached out to Trussell and the two became good friends. After stepping down from Adventure Time, Ward’s attention shifted to adapting the podcast. The show itself was produced by Titmouse Inc., Oatmeal Maiden, and Netflix Animation.
Upon its release, the show was praised by critics and audiences alike. Viewers were either enchanted by the deep spiritual discussions, laughing at the comedy, or in awe of the bright visuals. Critics highly recommended the show, but cautiously, due to the fact that the show’s humor and style would fit a pretty niche audience. But find that audience it did, and many were hooked.
Sadly, it seems like The Midnight Gospel was another victim of Netflix’s recent cutting back on original animated content. While Trussell did not specify the specific reason for the streaming service cancelling the show, it’s probably not a coincidence that the announcement should come so soon after Netflix’s canceling of project after project in their animation department. This is especially a shame due to season one’s cliffhanger ending, but then again, maybe such an ending is befitting of Clancy. If you’re curious on how season one wraps up, you’ll have to watch the show for yourself. Who knows, it might give you a few things to think about.