We've just launched a bold new experiment in independent podcasting and micropayments. It's called onlychatter.com. Our creator Edward Champion outlines the details of this new venture and unveils the first episode of a new comedic investigatio

An Alarming Message from Universe 224B

Oct 3rd, 2021 1m 1s

We've intercepted an alarming transmission from Universe 224B. Something about attending the 302nd Bureaucosmological Conference on October 16, 2021 at 7:00 PM at the Gene Frankel Theatre. We pass this information onto you so that you can make

13.4. Pattern Language: Mirrors of the Soul

Aug 31st, 2021 55m 44s

Our intrepid heroes visit the New York Public Library to meet up with visiting literary scholar Merrill Malone, an eccentric and the foremost expert on Virginia Gaskell’s life and work, to get, once and for all, all the answers about the portal

Inside the Gray Area: "Pattern Language: An Iris for Emily"

Aug 28th, 2021 30m 28s

Our showrunner Edward Champion discusses Part 3 of "Pattern Language." Subjects discussed include WandaVision, the careful balance between realism and pastiche, the Faulkner short story as a starting point, Love and Rockets, why the memory of a

13.3. Pattern Language: An Iris for Emily

Aug 17th, 2021 38m 2s

Emily McCorkle has landed the media appearance of a lifetime: a guest spot on the most respected talk show in America. But why is the host so concerned with her private details? And why are so many skeletons from her past making guest appearanc

Inside the Gray Area: "Pattern Language: Not a Frown Further"

Aug 10th, 2021 26m 9s

Our showrunner Edward Champions dives into the second chapter of "Pattern Language." Subjects discussed include creative dissatisfaction, basing the story arc on being personally libeled by a journalist, writing as an act of being peace, resis

13.2. Pattern Language: Not a Frown Further

Aug 3rd, 2021 32m 23s

Months after the events of “Paths Not Taken,” Chelsea is working hard to turn a corner and improve her life. But when Emily McCorkle, the smear merchant journalist who severely damaged her reputation, returns to write a followup piece, Chelsea

Inside the Gray Area: "Pattern Language: The Tainted Grimace"

Jul 20th, 2021 19m 9s

Our showrunner Edward Champion discusses the first chapter of "Pattern Language." Subjects discussed include his hesitations about creating, the dangers of revealing too much, Chris Ware, being dubious about your own work, why the first part of

13.1. Pattern Language: The Tainted Grimace

Jul 20th, 2021 20m 55s

Pat Goras and Lucy Didas are a happy couple living in a fantastical suburban realm preparing for a delightful dragon brisket barbeque with their neighbors. But when a strange portal opens in their backyard, their lives and roles become permanen

Inside the Gray Area: "Marching Orders"

Jul 6th, 2021 19m 30s

n this behind-the-scenes commentary, showrunner Edward Champion discusses "Marching Orders." Subjects discussed: foolish optimism, Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time, the vast historical plan for Season 3, the thrill and challenge of

12. Marching Orders

Jul 6th, 2021 15m 17s

In 1911, a young British gentleman dukes it out against the austere whims of his Edwardian-minded father. But two travelers reveal that his role in the universe is much bigger than he could have ever imagined. (Running time: 15 minutes, 16 seco

Inside the Gray Area: "West with the Light"

Jun 22nd, 2021 26m 56s

n the middle of a snowstorm, our showrunner Edward Champion discusses making "West with the Light" (a sequel to Season 1's "Waiting Room"). Topics include why Chris Smith is the cat's pajamas, how Octavia Butler and Champion's grandmother serve

11. West with the Light

Jun 22nd, 2021 21m 44s

Genius writer Virginia Gaskell fends off boredom (and the Receptionist’s peppy interventions) while trapped in the waiting room, but a number of unexpected new visitors provide vital new clues to her purpose and journey. (Running time: 21 minut

An Important Announcement

Jun 15th, 2021 2m 26s

Two important items: (1) New episodes of The Gray Area will be airing biweekly starting on June 22, 2021. (2) We have learned that Podbean is asking for additional money (in the form of "beans") from our premium subscribers -- a move that we st

Trailer - Phase III Coming in Early 2021

Nov 16th, 2020 1m 1s

We will be releasing the final six episodes of Season 2 in early 2021. Here's a trailer to whet your appetite. These episodes will be available a month early to Season 2 Pass subscribers. So consider supporting our show at grayareapod.podbean.c

The Yellow Wallpaper

Nov 3rd, 2020 32m 24s

During the Season 2 sessions, we recorded this bold adaptation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s famous short story with many of our Gray Area regulars. This radio play honors the text, but is set in the present day, addressing #metoo and the oppre

10.7. Paths Not Taken: Shadows Have Offended

Oct 20th, 2020 1h 24m

In the final part of the “Paths” saga, Chelsea and Maya struggle in their forties to keep their relationship alive as they initiate a fateful but necessary Thanksgiving meeting with Maya’s grandfather — a stubborn and “old-fashioned” World War

10.6. Paths Not Taken: Too Hard a Knot

Oct 6th, 2020 24m 17s

Back in the original universe, Scarlett and Alicia contend with another version of Chelsea and conjure up a plan to get the two Chelseas back in their respective universes as they face the danger of a seemingly innocent benefactor gone rogue. (

10.5. Paths Not Taken: Canny Valley

Sep 22nd, 2020 1h 11m

In this “screwball cyberpunk” episode, it’s 2023. Labor camps, a sinister government, and significant civil unrest rollick the world outside. But within the secret chambers of the multibillion tech company Apotheosis, an optimistic entrepreneur

10.4. Paths Not Taken: Unfound Door

Sep 8th, 2020 31m 1s

Confronted with surprise revelations and the need to reconcile two parallel universes, Chelsea faces the hard truths about what sustaining a relationship really means while cleaning up a cosmic disturbance that no human being could have ever pr

10.3. Paths Not Taken: Same Age Inside

Aug 25th, 2020 26m 26s

While on the run from a wild interdimensional beast named Chester, Chelsea learns of electromatter, the surprising ubiquity of Tony Danza, and the multiverse. But the alarming differences she discovers about the universe she’s become part of th

10.2. Paths Not Taken: The First Illusion

Aug 11th, 2020 52m 7s

It’s January 11, 2011. The world is similar, but it is also quite different. Chelsea reconnects with her best friend Alicia and takes the opportunity to correct her past mistakes, including rebuilding her relationship with Maya. But the shadow

10.1. Paths Not Taken: Where Are the Lads of the Village Tonight?

Jul 30th, 2020 53m 43s

Chelsea Needham was once among the foremost leaders in tech. But something happened involving a fire and a death. And it got in the papers. Rumor reared its ugly head and Chelsea lost everything she had, with only a few friends left. While reco

9.5. The Head Doctor

Jun 1st, 2020 17m 44s

In this sequel to “Compassion Fatigue,” Emma has returned to practicing psychiatry again. But a highly unusual (and strangely familiar) patient arrives in her office with an odd proposition. (Running time: 17 minutes, 43 seconds.) Written and d

9. The Demon Hunters

May 19th, 2020 37m 22s

It's the future. The cities are flooded. Certain words are forbidden. The doomed Earth has become united under a global totalitarian regime. But two eccentric outliers who refuse to follow the rules may be the Tellestian Empire's only chance fo