Dispatches from Elsewhere

Did You Know?

• The series is set in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• The premise follows a group of ordinary people who stumble onto a puzzle hiding just behind the veil of everyday life.

Production

AMC ordered the series on July 28, 2018. Jason Segel created the series, directed the pilot, and served as executive producer alongside Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, and Garrett Basch. The series is based on the 2013 documentary film The Institute, which tells the story of The Jejune Institute, an alternate reality game set in San Francisco. Segel chose to shoot in Philadelphia after seeing the Magic Gardens during location scouting; he said that was the moment he knew the city was right for the show. Early scripts were set in an unspecified city and later rewritten to incorporate specific Philadelphia locations. Alongside the series order, Segel was announced as star. Richard E. Grant, Sally Field, and Eve Lindley joined the cast in April 2019, with André Benjamin added in July. Principal photography began in Philadelphia in July 2019. In April 2020, Segel said the series could be either an anthology or a limited series, with each season stand-alone profiling a specific subject as the first season profiled The Jejune Institute. By October 2021, the series was implied to be over.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an 85% rating with an average score of 7.2 out of 10 based on 39 reviews. The critical consensus describes it as a weird and whimsical journey with an experimental approach that does not always coalesce, but committed performances and a genuine sense of wonder make it worthwhile. On Metacritic, the score is 66 out of 100 based on 17 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews. Keith Phipps of TV Guide gave it a 4/5 rating, calling it intriguing and heartfelt with stylishly imaginative storytelling and richly developed characters. Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone gave it a 3/5 star review, noting that it was hard to tell if the series earned its quirkiness based on the limited sample, but found it not boring and its optimism appealing. The series was nominated for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series at the 32nd GLAAD Media Awards.

Alternate reality game (ARG)

In the fall of 2019, flyers for a made-up organization called The New Noology Network (NNN) popped up across the US and Canada, asking people to join a dream-recording study. Those who followed the clues ended up on NNN’s Twitch channel, which seemed to show live therapy sessions until it was all exposed as a hoax. NNN then asked participants to film themselves doing silly tasks, much like the ones in The Jejune Institute. Eventually, players realized this alternate reality game was tied to the show Dispatches from Elsewhere. Starting with the second episode, hidden clues pointed to a van’s location, echoing the show’s hunt for Clara. The finale used some of those participant recordings, especially ones where people said “I am (name), and I am you,” a line from the series. Jason Segel personally picked the recordings and told the chosen participants to keep quiet. More clues led to a private thank-you video from Segel. The ARG was built by the company Hexagram, with help from Segel, AMC’s Kevin Dreyfuss, and Sarah LeTrent. Hexagram brought in Sludge to handle live interactive content, filming in New Mexico. Because of the pandemic, the planned live finale was rewritten, telling players to stay safe at home and watch the remaining streams instead.