Saturn’s Orbit 4/6/26
Hello and welcome to the newest Chronicle column, stranger. Here at Saturn’s Orbit, I’ll give synopses and recommendations for my favorite pieces of media. In a completely logical, scheduled, and not at all chaotic way.
Are you doing a task and feeling bored? Does life lack that spark? Are you just not enough of a nerd already? Well, if you answered yes to any of the above or just have good taste, step into the world of indie audio dramas, fiction podcasts, or whatever else you want to call them. And what better way to start your journey than with one of my favorites, World Gone Wrong?
This “fictional chat show about friendship at the end of the world”, produced by Audacious Machine Creative, is a delightful, silly, occasionally terrifying, comforting listen. Jamie and Malik, voiced by Hilary Williams and Michael Turrentine, are two best friends and former roommates separated by circumstance. What circumstance? Well, you can’t exactly call it an apocalypse- but it’s not too far off. They call it the enf*ckening, which is a pretty good description.
If you’ve seen Gravity Falls, imagine weirdmaggedon and the rest of the show combined. Once a week, these two get on a call and discuss whatever insanity the world has to offer that week, answer listener messages and letters, and more, occasionally with the help of Riley R, Malik’s new roommate (Kat Hoil). Sometimes these conversations are touching, sometimes terrifying, sometimes just plain strange. Here’s a sampling of what they cover: there are alligators in the tunnels under Chicago, and they’re making maps; the body snatcher who’s living in place of my ex is nicer than him; pancake mix vs. the acid rain melting a hole in the roof of my car; and trolls, vampires, werewolves, weird plants, and trees that look like people.
This podcast explores friendship, trauma, growing up, fear, queer identities, love, and how to cope with what feels like the end of the world. This show feels perfect for this moment in time, inspiring listeners to discover hope, community, found family, and humor among a chaotic world that’s a lot like our own. World Gone Wrong is the perfect blend of escapism, comedy, and making you feel understood- it’s real and not real, odd and ordinary, all at the same time.
CW:
Cursing
Discussions of moderately sexually explicit material (mostly dirty jokes)
You may/will cry. It gets a bit intense at times
Discussions about death, grief, and mental illness
Really bad puns
Discussions of racism
Good for people who enjoy:
Gravity Falls
Welcome To Night Vale
Midnight Burger
Amphibia
The Harbingers
Dead End: Paranormal Park
The Magnus Archives
Wolf 359
Things to know:
- Ongoing series
- Pretty limited romance (some, but not a main focus at all)
- Not horror, scary at times
