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Midst
Presentation
StarringThird Person
Genre
Created byThird Person
LanguageEnglish
UpdatesWeekly
Length15–45 minutes
Production
ProductionThird Person Productions (2020–22)
Metapigeon (2023–24)
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes57
Publication
Original releaseJanuary 7, 2020 –
June 26, 2024
ProviderCritical Role Productions (2023)
Related
Websitemidst.co

Midst is a space western audio drama podcast created and narrated by an anonymous trio of artists known as Third Person.[1] The first season aired from January 7, 2020, to May 1, 2020. The second season aired from July 30, 2021, to April 29, 2022.[2][3] In March 2023, Midst was acquired by Metapigeon which rereleased the remastered series weekly beginning on April 11, 2023, on various podcasting platforms and the Critical Role YouTube channel. Metapigeon also ordered a final third season of the show which aired from February 14, 2024, to June 26, 2024.[1][4][5][6] An upcoming limited series spin-off, titled Moonward, set after the events of Midst was announced in July 2024.[7]

Premise

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Midst is a semi-improvised space-western audio drama focused on "three protagonists – a crotchety outlaw, a struggling cultist and a diabolical bastard – as their paths intersect in unexpected ways"[1] in the town of Stationary Hill after the mysterious civilization known as the Trust becomes interested in the islet of Midst where the town is located.[8]

History

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Midst was originally produced by the studio Third Person which was made of the podcast's three anonymous narrators and was inspired by a campaign setting the narrators created for a tabletop role-playing game they played together.[4][9] It was originally released from January 2020 to April 2022.[2][3]

In March 2023, the science fiction podcast was purchased by Metapigeon, the film and television production banner of Critical Role Productions; this is the first time that Critical Role has acquired outside intellectual property. Critical Role began to rerelease Midst in April 2023. This rerelease includes remastered audio, a new video format and a planned new third season. It also has an ad-free subscription option that includes an early release schedule and other bonus content.[1][10][8]

When asked in an interview on how the production changed after acquisition, Third Person narrator Xen opined that the upcoming third season will be "on another level" as it will be the first season the group works on full time as opposed to the first two seasons where they were "hobbyist producers" with limited time.[11] Narrator Matt also highlighted the transition of working on the podcast during the group's hobby time versus now working on it full time. Narrator Sara highlighted the art of the new YouTube edition:

Midst is an audio drama, but even when we were indie, we were very gung-ho about making it "more than just a podcast" – creating as many supplements as we could, the appendices, character portraits, episode icons, etc. So having the opportunity to visualize our world through the styles of so many different artists has been a dream come true.[11]

In January 2024, Critical Role announced that while the upcoming third season would be the final season for the podcast, the partnership with Third Person would continue with future projects.[5][12] In July 2024, as part of the announcement of the Moonward spin-off, Third Person revealed that the anonymous narrators are Matt Roen, Sara Wile, and Xen.[7][13]

Broadcast

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The nineteen episode first season ran from January 7, 2020, to May 1, 2020, and the nineteen episode second season ran from July 30, 2021, to April 29, 2022.[2][3] In March 2023, all episodes were removed from various podcast platforms.[14]

On April 11, 2023, Critical Role released the first remastered episode and then released two more episodes that week. Following the initial three episode release, the remastered episodes for the first season were posted weekly on "every subsequent Wednesday".[14] The remastered episodes are available on various podcasting platforms and the Critical Role YouTube channel; subscribers have access to an ad-free early release version.[14][1] The remastered second season premiered on August 23, 2023 with subsequent episodes released weekly on Wednesdays.[15]

The nineteen episode third season premiered on February 14, 2024 with subsequent episodes released weekly on Wednesdays.[5] The final episode was released on June 26, 2024.[16][6]

Reception

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Rashika Rao, for International Podcast Month in 2020, stated that the style of Midst is "reminiscent of Gravity Falls" and that the podcast "combines the unapologetically weird with the frighteningly real to create one of the most original fictional worlds out there right now. Do yourself a favor and speedrun season one—you won't regret it". She also highlighted the world's Valor system which is based on a "person's inherent goodness" with inheritable debt resulting in many people spending "their entire lives trying to rack up enough good deeds to end up at a balanced zero". Rao commented that the Valor system heavily impacts the narrative along with the motivations of various characters and becomes "a brilliant criticism of capitalism because of how closely it aligns to reality".[17]

Midst was included as an "interesting pick" on Vulture's "The Best Podcasts of 2022, According to People Who Make Podcasts" list – the article stated that the podcast is "a consistent entry among producers who either work in the genre or pay close attention to it". Lauren Shippen highlighted that it has a "rich and full sound design" with a spin on the "concept of an exclusively narrated podcast"; "a lot of podcasts throw around words like immersive, but Midst actually delivers – you feel like you're inside the world the narrators are building for you".[18]

Caitlyn Ng Man Chuen, for CBR in 2023, called Midst "creative and original" with a "world that listeners just can't get enough of". She highlighted that the setting mixes "elements of science fiction, fantasy, and drama" – "beyond this, it also has interesting elements related to the world's political system and economy, which adds a lot of political intrigue to the show". Chuen stated that the podcast "is an excellent display of interactive and creative storytelling that's rare to see done with such professionalism. The story has everything from murder mysteries and brainwashing cults to magic and love, all in a distinct world with interesting characters".[19]

Accolades

[edit]
Year Award Category Result Ref
2021 New Jersey WebFest Best Editing of a Narrative Fiction (Fiction Podcast) Won [20][21]
Outstanding Science Fiction (Fiction Podcast) Won [20][22]
Best of the Best (Fiction Podcast) Won [20][23]
2022 Outstanding Science Fiction (Narrative Fiction Podcast) Won [24]
Minnesota WebFest Best Science Fiction Podcast Nominated [25]
Best Overall Podcast Nominated [25]

Spin-offs

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Comics

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In April 2024, a new comic limited series published by Dark Horse was announced. The series will consist of three oversize issues each following a new story and with its own creative team. The first issue, titled Midst: Address Unknown, is scheduled for release in August 2024 and will be written by Colin Lorimer with art by Alejandro Aragón, colors by Chris O'Halloran, and letters by Jim Campbell. It will follow new characters after their postal ship crashes on Midst.[26][27][28]

[edit]

Moonward, a four-part limited series set after Midst, was announced in July 2024. It features Xen as the guide narrator with Liam O'Brien, Marisha Ray, Roen and Wile as players.[7][13][29] Cheryl Teh of Business Insider highlighted that Moonward features "just pure roleplay and acting" as "there no dice and no rules in" the series.[7] The series aired from August 7 to August 28, 2024 with early access for Beacon and Midst subscribers.[30] Tara McCauley, in a review for The Escapist, commented that Moonward "proves undoubtedly engaging" for those who are "in search of character focused storytelling".[31] She noted that while the show "lacks the mechanical perquisites of actual play", Moonward "still deals heavily in the genre's broader motifs, such as creative group problem solving and character-based decision-making" and that this style of storytelling shows the "improvisational method" that was behind Midst.[31] McCauley also highlighted that Moonward, at roughly two hours per episode, has much shorter episodes than Critical Role and that show's the staging is more similar to what is seen in Candela Obscura, however, it "ups the theatrical ante" and "flits between shots of individual players, sides of the table, and the occasional split-screen" between scene partners.[31]

Unend is an upcoming audio drama set several decades after Midst and Moonward by Third Person. The cast consists of Xen, Roen, and Wile. It is scheduled to premiere on October 9, 2024 with new episodes airing weekly on Wednesdays. Beacon and Midst subscribers will have access to an early release schedule.[32][33]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Spangler, Todd (March 29, 2023). "Critical Role Makes First Entertainment Acquisition, Buying Sci-Fi Podcast 'Midst' From Its Three Anonymous Founders". Variety. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Midst on Stitcher". Stitcher. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Midst RSS". Midst Podcast. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Hype: Listen to our New Sci-Fantasy Audio Drama, Midst!". Critical Role (Press release). March 29, 2023. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "HYPE! The Third and Final Season of Midst Premieres February 14th!". Critical Role (Press release). January 24, 2024. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Programming Schedule: Week of June 24th, 2024". Critical Role (Press release). June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024. IT'S THE SERIES FINALE OF MIDST!!! Join our three mischievous and unreliable narrators as they spin a surreal, sci-fantasy, space-western tale about complicated antiheroes making bad decisions in a world on the edge of disaster.
  7. ^ a b c d Teh, Cheryl (July 11, 2024). "Critical Role is branching out further into the podcasting business and putting 2 heavyweight cast members on a new, experimental show". Business Insider. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Tyrrell, Caitlin (March 29, 2023). "Critical Role's Metapigeon Acquires Sci-Fi Fantasy Podcast Midst". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  9. ^ Carter, Chase (March 31, 2023). "Critical Role's new space-western podcast, Midst, started as a tabletop RPG setting". Dicebreaker. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  10. ^ "Critical Role Buys Midst Podcast". ComicBook.com. March 29, 2023. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "An Interview With The Anonymous Minds Behind Midst". The Fandomentals. September 12, 2023. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  12. ^ Smith, Sam (January 24, 2024). "Critical Role Announces a Third and Final Season of Sci-Fantasy Audio Drama Midst". CBR. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Hoffer, Christian (July 11, 2024). "Critical Role Announces Midst Sequel, Moonward, Featuring Marisha Ray and Liam O'Brien". ComicBook.com. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c "Critical Role's New Podcast Goes Live". ComicBook.com. April 12, 2023. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  15. ^ MIDST Trailer Season 2 Episode 0 (YouTube). Critical Role. August 9, 2023. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  16. ^ "Programming Schedule: Week of June 17th, 2024". Critical Role (Press release). June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024. No new episodes this week. The United States is celebrating a national holiday this week BUT be sure to tune in June 26th for the epic SERIES FINALE of Midst!!!
  17. ^ Rao, Rashika (September 16, 2020). "Midst- When Favors ARE Transactional!". International Podcast Month. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  18. ^ Quah, Nicholas (December 21, 2022). "The Best Podcasts of 2022, According to People Who Make Podcasts". Vulture. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  19. ^ Chuen, Caitlyn Ng Man (April 7, 2023). "Why Dungeons & Dragons Fans Will Love Critical Role's Latest Acquisition Midst". CBR. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  20. ^ a b c "2021 Fiction Podcast Nominations". New Jersey Web Fest. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  21. ^ New Jersey WebFest [@NJWebFest] (September 19, 2021). "The winner of Best Editing- Narrative Fiction is.. Midst -by Third Person. Congratulations! [IMAGE]" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2023 – via Twitter.
  22. ^ New Jersey WebFest [@NJWebFest] (September 19, 2021). "The winner of Outstanding Sci-fi Fiction Podcast is.. Midst! Congratulations again! @midstpodcast #FictionPodcast #FeelTheMagic [IMAGE]" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2023 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ New Jersey WebFest [@NJWebFest] (September 19, 2021). "And last but absolutely not least! The winner of Best Of The Best is... Midst!!! Huge congratulations to these talented people! @midstpodcast #FictionPodcast #FeelTheMagic [IMAGE]" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2023 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ "2022 Fiction Podcast Award Winners". New Jersey Web Fest. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  25. ^ a b "Midst – 2022". Minnesota WebFest. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  26. ^ Adkins, Hannah (April 10, 2024). "Critical Role's Midst Gets New Comic". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  27. ^ Epps, Justin (April 10, 2024). "Critical Role Bringing Sci-Fi Western Podcast MIDST to Dark Horse Comics". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  28. ^ "The Space-Western Podcast Series "Midst" Comes to Comics!". Dark Horse (Press release). April 10, 2024. Archived from the original on April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  29. ^ Midst [@midstpodcast] (July 11, 2024). "There's more to come from the Cosmos, keep your eyes peeled for updates as we leave the wake of MIDST behind and head MOONWARD… 🌙 [Teaser trailer]" (Tweet). Retrieved July 11, 2024 – via Twitter.
  30. ^ "HYPE! Get Ready For MOONWARD: A Midst Roleplaying Story". Critical Role (Press release). July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  31. ^ a b c McCauley, Tara (August 19, 2024). "Critical Role's Midst Roleplaying Adventure Mooonward Leaves Dice at the Door [Review]". The Escapist. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  32. ^ "Critical Role Announces Fall Programming, Including New MIDST Series, Return of 'Tales From The Stinky Dragon', And Behind-The-Scenes Features". The Fandomentals. September 10, 2024. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  33. ^ "HYPE: Our Fall 2024 Programming Lineup!". Critical Role (Press release). September 10, 2024. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
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