Midnight Burger — The Podcast at the End of the Universe and One of Its Reviews

Around 15 years ago, I used to make my day at my boring job go faster by listening to podcasts. I mainly focused on short story “magazines” that gave burgeoning authors a place to publish and hear their work narrated.

My favorites were genre based podcasts like Pseudopod (horror), Escape Pod (science fiction), and PodCastle (fantasy). These were all produced by Escape Artists, Inc. The only audio drama that I ever listened to was the original radio dramas of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

I soon stopped listening to podcasts when I discovered audiobooks, so returning to the format was a surprising experience for me. Midnight Burger is a throwback to old radio drama, but with a modern edge that keeps you coming back.

How was Midnight Burger developed?

In essence, Midnight Burger is a true homage to the old radio shows of the 1930s and 1940s. Every episode is well-written, acted, and has excellent sound technicians that bring the story to life.

Created during the pandemic by partners writer, Joe Fisher and audiobook narrator, Finlay Stevenson while feeling uncreative during lockdown, the two decided to create a project together, called some of their friends and Midnight Burger was born.

How does it begin? 

Episode one, The Transdimensional Haboob introduces us to our main characters, when Gloria, a woman who lost her restaurant in the pandemic comes to a diner, Midnight Burger, outside of Phoenix, in search of a job.

She had seen an ad for the job, although it seems like Caspar, the man who runs the diner, is unaware of this ad. The listener is left wondering how they came together and why Caspar is so evasive?  Why does he try to make Gloria leave?

As the episode progresses we meet the main cast: the aforementioned Gloria and Caspar, as well as Ava, a theoretical physicist with a pathological attachment to her booth.

Then there’s the two Depression era evangelists, Zebulon and Effie Mucklewain, on the diner radio that can interact with the diner inhabitants. No one can explain why this is, but they appear to hold great power.

Towards the latter part of the episodes, we meet the last of the main characters, Leif, the free-wheeling fry cook. 

Eventually, it becomes clear that the diner is a spatial anomaly that travels back and forth in time and space, and Gloria is faced with the decision: should she stay at the diner and join the crew’s adventures or go home? After a discussion with Ava in the parking lot, Gloria makes the choice to stay.

What’s the Overall impression of Season One?

After listening to the first season, I am impressed with the quality of storylines. The characters are well-developed and each episode adds to their lore and likeability. At its heart, Midnight Burger is a science fiction show with humor and heart.

If you are a fan of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett, this world will feel very comfortable to you.  Midnight Burger feels like a version of Adams’ restaurant at the end of the universe, except it is not static, but constantly moving through time.

The show follows a formula that’s best exemplified by The X-Files. Every episode has a focused event, but there’s always character development and nods to possible conspiracy. 

Would I Recommend Midnight Burger?

I was a little trepidatious upon re-entering the world of podcasts, but I found myself delighted to fall into the world of Midnight Burger. All of the characters have a balanced presentation, and are likeable while fallible and human.

The first season was a slow-burn focused on building the listener’s interest in the characters and their bizarre situation. There’s a touch of mystery woven in by leaving breadcrumbs for the listener, daring them to create theories to explain the world. 

Midnight Burger has just completed its fifth season. The podcast has had over 2 million downloads and has gained enough of a following that it held its first BurgerCon this year for the fans to meet the cast and each other. I am happy to say I am now one of those fans and plan to complete the other four seasons.

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