With his Netflix animated series The Midnight Gospel, comedian Duncan Trussell embraced a novel technique and challenge, juxtaposing fantastic interstellar adventures with audio from a series of podcast interviews.

A collaboration between Trussell and Adventure Time’s Pendleton Ward, the adult animated series centers on Clancy, a spacecaster (or video podcaster in space) living in a dimension known as “The Chromatic Ribbon,” who uses his multiverse simulator to travel to dying worlds.

Framed on pre-recorded interviews with comedians, spiritual teachers and other guests of The Duncan Trussell Family Hour, including Joey Diaz, Trudy Goodman and Dr. Drew, each episode features conversations between Clancy and a being from a distant planet, touching on such themes as meditation, hope and death.

Trippy, existential and heartfelt, The Midnight Gospel emerged as a concept on the part of two-time Emmy winner Ward. “He was a fan of the podcast, and he had this idea,...