A Random, Motley Crew Of Fuckups Flying Through Space

August 22, 2019 9:36 AM

Mission to Zyxx is an improvised science fiction podcast following a team of ambassadors as they attempt to establish diplomatic relations in the remote and chaotic Zyxx Quadrant. What elevates it above other improv podcasts is an obsessive dedication to professional sound design and editing, with each 30-45 minute episode requiring up to 80 hours of post-production work. Read about the team's process here - and then get listening.
posted by showbiz_liz (14 comments total)

I'm halfway through the third season and was surprised to see almost no mentions of the show on Metafilter. I wasn't sold on the premise, but I wound up hooked from episode one. It's truly something special.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:37 AM on August 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

I love this show, it is the highlight of my listening week.
Sometimes you can hear them breaking character in giggles.
The audio quality is ecceptional, even thr live shows get cleaned up and postproduced to professional levels. Like bbc level.
Also, the courtroom episode is the funnienst thing ever. Had to stop working because i was laughtin too much.
posted by thegirlwiththehat at 10:23 AM on August 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

I'm asleep
posted by blakewest at 10:38 AM on August 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

I kind of enjoyed this, but I had to give up after the first half season because a couple of the voices were just too distorted for my shitty ears to make out. It was like listening to half of a phone conversation.

I'm also really prone to feeling extreme cringing embarrassment on behalf of others, and a lot of the humor is about that sort of awkwardness. But it was mostly the over-engineered voices of the ship and the robot (and some of the aliens).
posted by Scattercat at 2:30 PM on August 22, 2019 [2 favorites]

Lock and load!
posted by jeribus at 3:08 PM on August 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

I've been slowly making my way through the first season of this and I'm digging it!
posted by Secretariat at 4:24 PM on August 22, 2019

Mission to Zyxx and The Beef & Dairy Network Podcast are the current highlights of my podcast-listening life. I've always found live improv to be a bit cringey, but audio improv really hits a sweet spot for me -- inventive, funny, and leans into audio as the "infinite canvas" medium in a way that both text and visual media can't.
posted by Shepherd at 4:45 PM on August 22, 2019 [2 favorites]

I wish we could get a crossover episode in Season 4 where the crew stumble on Eli Roberts having taken over a whole planet and indoctrinated its naive citizens into a tapestry cult.
posted by blakewest at 5:50 PM on August 22, 2019

I’ve heard the ads on other Max Fun shows and was intrigued, but the favorable comparison to Beef and Dairy sold me. Just downloaded a bunch of episodes and will start listening on my drive to work tomorrow!
posted by mr_roboto at 9:10 PM on August 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

Mission to Zyxx is heavy in my rotation. I love when they break and crack each other (or themselves) up; it just makes it that much funnier to me.
posted by xedrik at 9:49 PM on August 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

I've been trying to figure out why Mission to Zyxx stuck with me while I soon bounced off Voyage to the Stars, another improv podcast with a similar premise.

Its high production values aside, I think the reason I prefer Zyxx is that the characters don't hate each other quite as intensely.
posted by entity447b at 12:07 AM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

Zyxx is definitely one of the funnier podcasts out there, but it bears saying that the sound design is PHENOMENAL. I would not have expected such great sound design from an improvised comedy podcast. I honestly think that when I get back to teaching I'm going to use it as an example for my students.
Seconding Beef & Dairy Podcast.

And, hasn't been mentioned in the blue for four years, but Hello From The Magic Tavern is my current binge. But if you find humor that includes frequent references to "tiny horses with two buttholes" to be too gauche perhaps you should stay away.
posted by aloiv2 at 7:07 AM on August 23, 2019 [2 favorites]

I feel this works well given the immediately preceding thread. The fact that so many people who are not just talented performers but also competent-to-professional level at various production tasks get paid $225/week to do someone else's shit has led to a lot of great podcasts. I actually hope things never get *too* professional because I want the barrier to entry to stay low!

Hello From the Magic Tavern has a strong "we are obviously doing improv" vibe that I love. The Dead Authors Podcast, with Paul F. Tompkins, was another one that fell into that category.
posted by mark k at 7:39 AM on August 23, 2019

This is good. The ship voice is incomprehensible but other than that, great. Very funny. Thanks for the link.
posted by Meatbomb at 6:36 AM on August 27, 2019