To say that Adventure Time’s creator Pendleton Ward has a knack for heartfelt ventures with a trippy spin would be a huge understatement, especially now that Netflix has released its trailer for the long-awaited The Midnight Gospel. Partnering with comedian, podcaster, and writer Duncan Trussell, the newest animated wonder from animation studio Titmouse (Big Mouth) looks like a gorgeous, technicolor mind-melt. It’s also the latest product of the streamer’s expanded deal with the studio—a promising attempt to expand their adult animation roster.
Per the official synopsis from the streaming giant, “The Midnight Gospel is the story of Clancy, a spacecaster with a malfunctioning multiverse simulator who leaves the comfort of his extra-dimensional home on the Chromatic Ribbon to interview beings living in other worlds.” It’s nearly impossible to overlook the ways that The Midnight Gospel and Adventure Time are aesthetically similar; however, Trussell’s comedic voice and clips from his popular podcast Duncan Trussell Family Hour deliver a welcome distinction between the two (along with the overtly more adult direction of TMG). The new series appears to straddle the line between the surreal and the relatably introspective in a similar fashion as retired Netflix joys Tuca & Bertie and BoJack Horseman. It also appears just as engaging.
The Midnight Gospel premieres on Netflix April 20, which seems significant somehow, but we can’t quite figure out why.