The Midnight Gospel: Season 1

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 8 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 60 Ratings

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7.8

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7.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 60 Ratings

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The Midnight Gospel

Now Playing: The Midnight Gospel

Season Details & Credits

Netflix | Season Premiere Date: April 20, 2020

Summary: Podcaster Clancy is forced to leave his home to interview beings in other worlds after his multiverse simulator malfunctions in this adult animated series co-created by Pendleton Ward and Duncan Trussell.

Genre(s): Animation, Drama, Science Fiction

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Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E8. Mouse of Silver
Air Date: April 20, 2020
tbd
S1:E7. Turtles of the Eclipse
Air Date: April 20, 2020
tbd
S1:E6. Vulture With Honor
Air Date: April 20, 2020

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Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Darren Franich

May 7, 2020

Gospel's not for kids, but it reflects the ecstatic innovations that made Adventure Time such a trip. Ward directs every episode and finds moments of religious astonishment alongside gloopy horror, all of it served with chatty humanism and palpable sweetness. ... The result is a new kind of masterpiece: easy to like, easier to worship. Read full review

100

IndieWire Eric Kohn

Apr 14, 2020

Every episode approaches sophisticated ideas while stuffing them into an astonishing psychedelic cartoon, so that “The Midnight Gospel” forces you to push beyond the distractions of its many moving parts and appreciate the substance at its core. The resulting trippy sci-fi adventure is a feast for the eyes and mind at once. Read full review

100

Robert Lloyd

Apr 20, 2020

It is an ambitious, extraordinary, dreadful, beautiful thing. Read full review

Joel Keller

Apr 21, 2020

It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but The Midnight Gospel is fascinatingly strange, and if you listen to what is actually talked about, you may come away with some insight into the human condition. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Brian Tallerico

Apr 23, 2020

It can be legitimately transcendent at times – Ward has so much creative energy that the frames burst with detail and Trussell is a great podcaster in terms of how much he truly engages with his subjects. It can also be damn overwhelming. I don’t recommend binging all eight because the onslaught of new age ideas and hyperactive visuals can be a bit much to take consecutively. Read full review

Jacob Oller

Apr 20, 2020

While there’s plenty of merit being preached in The Midnight Gospel, I don’t find the delivery method of its sermon particularly convincing, digestible, or enjoyable. But, hey, as someone who watched the show stone-cold sober, your religious mileage may vary. Read full review

Collider Dave Trumbore

Apr 20, 2020

The Midnight Gospel lets Ward go nuts without any network censors or content restrictions, and the team over at Titmouse absolutely runs with it. So while the combination of creative talent behind the scenes is a winner, this new series is likely only going to appeal to the Adult Swim crowd. Read full review

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User Score

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7.8

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User Reviews

Colem

Apr 20, 2020

Beautiful artwork. Beautiful spirit. Each episode is a self-contained adventure for our protagonist through a different collapsing alternate universe. The visual stimulation and philosophical discussion are equally stimulating to the point that I found myself pleasantly shifting my primaryBeautiful artwork. Beautiful spirit. Each episode is a self-contained adventure for our protagonist through a different collapsing alternate universe. The visual stimulation and philosophical discussion are equally stimulating to the point that I found myself pleasantly shifting my primary focus from the discussion to the animation when one or the other reached a maximum stimulus capacity. Makes for good second and third viewings. The final episode is nothing short of high art, and an incredible achievement when you realize that audio is from an actual archived podcast episode of the co-creator. I don't want to spoil it, but suffice it to say, it is alone worth the cost of entry.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

notor12

Apr 21, 2020

The animation here is really more of a supplement for the experience of the content of the interviews. This show is designed not so much for viewing as for listening. The interviews capture a wide range of perspectives on life from different celebrities and speak to their understandings ofThe animation here is really more of a supplement for the experience of the content of the interviews. This show is designed not so much for viewing as for listening. The interviews capture a wide range of perspectives on life from different celebrities and speak to their understandings of life's core questions of spirituality and human purpose.

The show overdoes it a little bit sometimes, but it's good enough to deliver the message.
What I find so fascinating about this show is how well it demonstrates how everyone is different and their beliefs are different and how they got where they are is different, but there is some sort of core commonality in everything you hear throughout that you can't quite place, which rests just on the tip of your perception.....

Something you cannot quite fully grasp or encapsulate into words, that you struggle to define for others. And you hear in every interview that others struggle to define it too, and from that struggle to define it emerges the differences in what you are hearing. But you get the sense what they are trying to describe is actually the same.

And you know, inherently in some deep part of yourself, that the thing they are attempting to describe (through their imperfect observation) is something critical to the very notion of being alive.

What I hear again and again is that the concept of one's "self" is, in our great confusion, formed by one's own thoughts. Thoughts which are attempting to shape a unique identity to our being distinct from others and the Universe around us because we feel that we must be a unique individual who can control the world and make things happen for us. We think that is how other people are too.
And that in our confused efforts to define ourselves this way, we actually create selfishness when it is not the natural order. Selfishness which is actually harmful to our "selves" and to others.

That is our common delusion, where the reality of this Universe is that all of us are both part and parcel to the entire universal system that surrounds us while at the same time being capable of observing that system through our sensory perceptions and consciousness. The reason selfishness is such a burden on the mind, body, and spirit is because it is not true, and the reason the selflessness, caring, and love are so freeing is because it alleviates us of the delusion and obsession with self.

My perspective, anyways.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

TheUrbanPunk

Apr 22, 2020

Absolutely do not sleep on this. It's such a beautiful show. Perfect amount of weird, psychedelic, and sentiment.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

brockcheese

Jan 25, 2021

This can be a difficult show to digest thanks to the esoteric nature of the conversations but once you let it wash over you it becomes a relaxing and meditative look at the human condition.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

kirkender

Apr 29, 2020

Lower-fi and more psychedelic version of Waking Life / Cinema Verite / ??? Which, if you are into this kinda thing, it's pretty good. I am into this kinda thing, and it's pretty good. I find the concept to be quite engaging, and the content of the psychedelic weirdness to be top notch. ILower-fi and more psychedelic version of Waking Life / Cinema Verite / ??? Which, if you are into this kinda thing, it's pretty good. I am into this kinda thing, and it's pretty good. I find the concept to be quite engaging, and the content of the psychedelic weirdness to be top notch. I find issues with the quality of the animation, I want more frames per second because the delicious weirdness needs more fluidity. (Also the cuts are very quick and there's not a lot of time to enjoy the weirdness) By the nature of the project it is wandering and naval gazing, but a bit more editing of the interviews for clarity would have helped.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

seel82

Apr 24, 2020

This isn't particularly good, too bad cause it looks like it has all the tools to be. But it just isn't. There's no coherence, no story, and no reason to care about the discussion.

3 of 9 users found this helpful36

bluewizardx

Mar 12, 2021

The animation is great, but the content doesn't hold up. A lot of the dialogue is Eastern philosophy fetishism. The rest is recycled mysticism. It's all pretty meaningless when you get down to it.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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Seasons & Episodes

82

Series Overview
Season 1

82
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: April 20, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E8. Mouse of Silver
  Air Date: April 20, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E7. Turtles of the Eclipse
  Air Date: April 20, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E6. Vulture With Honor
  Air Date: April 20, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E5. Annihilation of Joy
  Air Date: April 20, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E4. Blinded By My End
  Air Date: April 20, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E3. Hunters Without a Home
  Air Date: April 20, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E2. Officers and Wolves
  Air Date: April 20, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E1. Taste of the King
  Air Date: April 20, 2020