Sci-fi podcast ‘Bubble’ bursts barriers as well as zombies

Ever dreamed about living in a town with an incredible music scene, a vast array of food trucks and tons of dog parks? The sort of place you could maybe afford with the help of an appbased side hustle in which you kill bloodthirsty psychic beasts from another world?

Boy, do I have a podcast for you!

It’s called “Bubble,” and it takes place in the Portlandia-esque town of Fairhaven, which is sealed off from the rest of the world. Outside the bubble, reptilian monsters with bat-like wings, alien parasites and other creepies dwell — but they are somehow oozing inside, too.

“Bubble” follows the lives of a band of Fairhaven residents who work as part-time killers for a sort of Uber-for-slaying-monsters business called “Huntr.”

I got interested in “Bubble” as soon as it was announced, because the podcast network MaximumFun.org consistently creates hilarious, informative and addictive podcasts.

But the deal was sealed when I saw a photo of the principal cast, which includes the brilliant actress Cristela Alonzo, most recently seen in her Netflix comedy special “Lower Classy.”

After hearing the first of eight episodes — premiering on June 13 and downloadable on your favorite podcatcher — I can report that “Bubble” is a hoot. It’s an endearing send-up of the generation likeliest to keep baby goats, drink “raw” water and feel comfortable living in a post-apocalypse world.

Alonzo plays Bonnie, a highpowered, hard-charging executive at the corporation that created the bubble and is Fairhaven’s top employer.

“This is such a fun character — and one that I would normally not get to audition for,” Alonzo said. “It’s such a different personality than what I’m used to playing, and I love it. It speaks to the whole beauty of a project like this, because it allows you to use your imagination, to create the characters in your head, to create the monsters in your head — you’re not limited by what you see.”

Alonzo told me that she hadn’t even thought about the diversity angle to “Bubble” until I brought it up because, “When the project is good, when the story is good, you have fun in the moment creating it, and you just make the best story possible.”

“Bubble” creator/lead writer Jordan Morris is also co-host of one of my favorite MaximumFun.org podcasts, “Jordan, Jesse, GO!” Morris said that the diversity in the cast and writing staff was not difficult to achieve. “I was just writing about people I know, characters from my life, and that just happened to include a lot of different kinds of people. In terms of casting, we just wanted to use the coolest people we knew.”

This includes Keith Powell, of “30 Rock” fame, as a principal character; Nick Adams, a writer for the Netflix show “BoJack Horseman,” who serves as executive producer on “Bubble”; and stand-up comedians Aparna Nancherla and Janine Brito in the cast and writer’s room, respectively. (These talents are in addition to a full slate of supremely funny comedy performers and writers, both white and of color, that is far too extensive to list here.)

Jesse Thorn, the founder of MaximumFun.org and executive producer of “Bubble,” told me that diversity is such a core component to all of the network’s programming because, “When you are telling a story about hip young people in the city, or telling an action, sci-fi comedy story, it’s important that those characters not all default to white, straight and male. The diversity was very intentional, and we didn’t do a home-run, perfect job, but I think we did a pretty good job.” Perfection is overrated. Pure delight, however, is far harder to achieve. If you’re looking for charm and laughs, carve out some time to visit “Bubble.” After all, who among us doesn’t need a reprieve from reality that involves savoring the thrill of spearing a few mold zombies for some folding money?