‘The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian’ Is Back with Season 4
Gen-Z Media’s The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian is back today, March 28, with a fourth season of the award-winning sci-fi podcast for kids.
The new season of Finn Caspian picks up with “The Room Behind the Room (Behind the Room),” as Finn and his friends try to figure out how to take back their home, the Marlowe 280 Interplanetary Exploratory Space Station, from season one’s big bad villain, Bunce, and restore order to the galaxy.
“I get a lot of emails from parents whose kids want to see the return of characters from season one or two,” said Jonathan Messinger, the show’s creator. “I think a lot of them will be excited by what happens this season.”
Every season, Finn Caspian riffs on famous kids’ books, and this season is no different — Messinger says the show will pay homage to The Chronicles of Narnia, Call it Courage and a few mystery stories that Messinger has yet to reveal.
And Messinger says that, as always, the show will use listener suggestions for the various planets the explorers encounter and the aliens they meet.
“Every time I think I have a case of writer’s block or I’m in a creative lull, I just check my email and read through all of the awesome ideas listeners send in,” Messinger said. “There’s no such thing as writer’s block for kids — their wells run deep.”
Messinger’s son, Griffin, who is 8 and serves as the show’s editor, will also continue to run Griffin’s Sound Club. The club allows kids to send in sounds to the show, which Messinger then manipulates and uses as part of Finn Caspian’s sound design.
And BeeBop, the show’s robot co-host, continues to dine on art sent in by listeners. BeeBop’s Prank Squad, made up of listeners who send in ideas for pranks BeeBop pulls on Messinger, will be back in full effect, as well.
This season will also see a new way for listeners to solve riddles and puzzles to advance the show’s story — a way Messinger describes as “really fun ridiculous.”
That level of interactivity and collaboration might be difficult for some, but Messinger says he thinks it’s “a blast” to be able to shape the show with listener input.
“When I started Finn Caspian, I knew I wanted it to be interactive, where the kids could play a role in making the show. That’s why Griff is my editor, and why we use listener suggestions and sounds to make the show,” Messinger said. “But I didn’t expect them to wrestle it from my hands, take it over and leave me in the dust. But it’s happened and, unsurprisingly, the show is better for it.”
