The Oyster

THE OYSTER is a new sci-fi podcast from the Paragon Collective, with an ensemble cast featuring Logan Browning (DEAR WHITE PEOPLE), Mamoudou Athie (JURASSIC WORLD), Giancarlo Esposito (BREAKING BAD), Carla Gugino (HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE), Constance Zimmer (HOUSE OF CARDS), and Andrew Santino (DAVE). The series takes place 30 years in the future, after global warming has rendered the earth nearly uninhabitable. The government creates a numeric rating system to determine an individual’s usefulness to society. People with ratings above 50 are deemed useful enough to be “saved” and enter a civilization below ground with limited resources. But once underground, in order to increase life satisfaction, the government begins testing The Oyster—a software program that mimics DMT and creates a sort of Nirvana for participants. At its center, this series explores what happens when people no longer want to live in reality. 

While the expansive cast of characters makes the podcast a bit hard to follow, the comprehensive world-building and high concept make this series notable. 

—Lucy Putnam, Development Assistant