Mission to Zyxx’s creators are laughing their way through the sci-fi spinoff boom
When Mission to Zyxx debuted in 2017, the podcasting space was very different. There were fewer shows, and more money was being spent as companies rushed to figure out how to capitalize on the growing medium. At a time when many big podcasts were focused on news and investigative reporting, Zyxx - an improvised comedy about a group of alien diplomats journeying across the galaxy in search of adventure - felt like an oddity that was channeling the spirit of classic radio dramas.
The show was a loving sendup of Star Wars and Star Trek's most iconic (and ridiculous) narrative beats. And while nostalgia was a big part of Zyxx's appeal, meticulous sound design and inspired, on-the-spot performances made each episode sound like something from podcasting's future.
When Mission to Zyxx came to an end in 2022, the show's creators - Alden Ford, Jeremy Bent, Allie Kokesh, Seth Lind, Winston Noel, Moujan Zolfaghari, and Shane O'Connell - needed a break and time to figure out what they wanted to do next. Eventually they landed on The Young Old Derf Chronicles; it's set in the same universe as Mission to Zyxx and features many voices from the original, but it's a very different kind of (mini) …