It’s a high-quality podcast. Fantastic acting, professional mixing, and drama-filled story. Season 1 is definitely 5 stars. Season 2 is reasonably exciting but the final 3-4 episodes suffer from overproduction: too many complicated subplots, too many pointless action sequences that don’t work well for audio, and most annoyingly, I had great difficulty understanding the Alpha’s words. It seemed to get much worse about halfway through the season.

Great story, great audio effects, great actors telling a great story. I’ve listened to season 1 3 times and it doesn’t get old. Love this! Can’t wait for next season!!

indescernible plot points & dialogue; transcript incomplete; frustrating to finish this series ‘in the dark’ on key details; otherwise entertaining. thank you.

This is the best audio drama I’ve ever listened to. Fans of “We’re Alive” will love this.

I was so loving it, the depth of the characters is dizzying, they’re all so well written… there is a problem hearing dialogue at times in action scenes, a lot of background noise, but they’re working on fixing that… then in “my pain, your pain” someone said “eck cetera” and I lost faith. It’s all well and good to write 17 white-hot geniuses figuring each other out against certifiably insane computers but when you mispronounce something so basic, I remember you’re an actor and your whole job is saying things convincingly. And then I think of how mistakes proliferate and how we have real AI actively making people more stupid already, auto-mistaking things, and oh look, I’m pulled out of the story. If you can get over things like that, it’s great, but I’m already angry that we have succeeded in making intelligence uncool, so I wish people cared that it is “et cetera,” and that “et” means “and” and led to the creation of the ampersand, which is itself a misunderstanding of “and, per se and” and don’t get me started on “per say…” Language is cool. Getting it right can be even cooler. But the characters really are fantastic. The writing is better than most “good” books. Just…fix that one.

If this were a TV show, I’d have the subtitles on because the sound effects drown out a lot of text. Cool story for the 15 mins I could stand, but sadly unlistenable as a podcast.

I have spent the last 2 days listening to the first season and since the first minute, I’ve felt like I’m watching a fantastic show. The sound effects and voice actors are incredible and it is so well done. I have already pledged for the next season so we all get to hear the ending!!!

I’m trying to enjoy the storyline, but the sound effects and voice distortions are way overdone. Can barely understand the actual words. Almost like the sound effects guy really wants to steal the show.

My favorite new couple of 26! They are an adorable couple, 🥰🥰🥰

The story is compelling, the production is great, but it has some of the most annoyingly written characters I’ve heard. Peak Ryan Reynolds “winking at everything”

This was a recommendation from The No Sleep Podcast and so far has been very immersive with the voice actors and sound effects. And the story is so captivating! Hope it keeps going!

I love the story, acting, music. I especially love the Aliens references in the first episode of season two.

This is the first performed, fiction podcast that I binged. So well done.

I found this podcast while listening to the No Sleep Podcast. They played the first episode for us and I was instantly hooked. At times it does seem hard to hear Macs monologue over other characters breathing and action sounds. But overall I am IN LOVE 💙

So darn well written, cast and directed. Entirely thrilling and highly visual and kinetic… especially for a podcast! Exciting and accessible action-sci-fi without being at all dumb. Big kudos to all involved. Looking forward to Season 3!

I stumbled across this podcast looking for something new. And I was instantly addicted. The story was just so interesting, and I definitely developed a crush on Agent Blayne 😍 I was so sad when I got to the end! I felt like I had been given this glimpse into this world and then had the door slammed shut in my face 😭 Everyone involved did an amazing job!!

I come back to relisten to this podcast regularly. Incredible sci-fi worldbuilding, compelling characters, and a really interesting premise. Love this show!

This is an excellent podcast. This series kept glue to my earphones. I had to listen the series a second time. The reason I listened to this podcast I did not wanted to miss out on anything. Great show

Some what Spoiler warning. I’d love to see an epilogue episode(s) after season three in the style of Eraser, Assault on Precinct 13 and 16 Blocks with the survivors trying to get back to earth to testify in court against Maas Dorian for the events that have happened during Fathom and Derelict and possible other incidents of blatant criminal negligence. Ending with some court room drama. If Agent Blayne survives it’d be cool to see him be “something better” by being the main witness to testify and just maybe leading to him and his wife getting back together. I think Sarah Raynor is Eva Graff’s exwife. Her drug abuse stems from the loss of Alex their child then most likely being told Eva Graff died on Fathom. Sarah Raynor depressed seeks the comfort of another person and gets pregnant and when she gives birth to Shawn that’s why she was hesitant to even hold him. Because on the Derelict ship Alpha/Codex tortures her sadistically like a child who feels not just abandoned but replaced.

Fathom is a fantastic story, derelicts audio is sharp and uncomfortable. Not sure what happened there

Enjoyed the first season. Now on season two and had to go from earbuds to my car speakers. The AI voice pitch is painful. Not as bad through the car speakers.

I love how the audio wraps you in the story but it’s difficult to make out what Mac is saying over Eva breathing at one of the most important moments 😭

The combination of the audio environment and a story that is compelling and original makes this a place I return to repeatedly. Keeping track of some of the characters can be challenging at times, but I think that signals narrative complexity rather than deficieny. I hope that Barton-Mitchell continues to develop this universe.

Very fun. Gripping and engaging from start to finish. Story, audio, voice acting was all spot on. Can’t wait for the next season!

Derelict is one of those rare podcasts that grabs you from the first minute and never lets up. The writing is tight, smart, and full of atmosphere—every episode layers tension in a way that makes you feel like you’re right there drifting through the dark with the crew. The sound design is on another level: headphones are practically mandatory because the audio pulls you so deeply into the story world that you forget you’re just listening. What really sets Derelict apart is how grounded its sci-fi feels. The characters talk and act like real people under pressure, and the mystery unfolds with just the right balance of slow-burn dread and big, satisfying payoffs. You can tell the creators care about building a believable universe, and it pays off in every scene. If you like atmospheric sci-fi, horror elements, or stories that reward your attention, this podcast is an absolute must-listen. It’s cinematic, tense, and incredibly well-made. One of the best audio dramas out there right now.

I don’t write reviews very often, just don’t have the time or motivation to do it, but this show is absolutely fantastic! If you like epic science fiction stories, this is a great one. The voice acting is totally pro and the sound design is outstanding. It’s a loud show, expect explosions, loud bangs, and the occasional screaming. I cant help but to almost literally *see* all of it in my head while listening!

The first few episodes of Fathom (Season 1) are among the best audio dramas I’ve heard: intriguing plot, compelling characters that are well acted, and immersive world building through sound design. But once the action really takes off, the series becomes sort of like a video game that you listen to, with the characters finding their way through challenges on each “level.” This happens at the expense of deepening the mysteries that were so intriguing in the earliest episodes. By the end of Season 1, I had become too bored and tired of the whole thing to profess to Derelict.

I have listened to the final episode. It was only okay. This is because he went everywhere! New characters, brought back supposedly dead characters, the past. Much of which was completely unnecessary and useless. I got the feeling he was making it up and trying to find an ending.

This audio drama is one of the best pieces of art I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. It’s an immersive journey with twists every episode, I’m always on the edge of my seat listening. Thank you Night Rocket!

I have listened to thousands of hours of podcasts and Derelict has been the most impressive and immersive audio drama I have even listened to. The sound scape draws you in and from my car to office to home. I get lost in the story, characters and Agent Blane is the GOAT. If you are looking for a new show especially an Audio drama you might want to wait because this show will make your expectations so high for all other shows.

Overall, this series is good! Sure, there's a lot of little bits you could complain about. But I won't. Except until S2 E9. The Codex is just ridiculous. I mean, by E10 almost stop listening ridiculous. But maybe there's a reason for all that, plus I'm invested now, still finish this series.

Both Fathom and Derelict have been by far the best podcast I have listened to. The story line and the dialogue is great and very captivating. I’m only giving it 4 stars because sometimes the sound effects drown out the dialogue between the characters. I know there was a revamp to correct this , but it’s still there. Nevertheless very great production!!!

I dove into Derelict with high expectations and for the most part, it delivered. The podcast excels at creating a richly immersive world. The sound effects are superb: creaking bulkheads, sputtering machinery, ambient hums; they pull you into the environment and make every corridor, every chamber feel real. The story premise is compelling, the stakes feel present, and the producers clearly care deeply about crafting suspense and atmosphere. But for me there’s a jarring issue that claws at the immersion: the exaggerated vocal quirks, especially from Dr. Graff and Sarah Clayton. In pivotal moments, when the dialogue could deepen character or advance plot, these characters (and occasionally others) lapse into overly dramatic throat-churning inhaling/exhaling, loud swallowing, gulping, and other mouth noises. It feels like a performative crutch; a way to fill silences or distract when there’s nothing substantial to say. More than once, I thought: if you don’t want to answer the question, fine but don’t lean on bizarre breathing as your fallback. That “mysterious non-answer” trope is cheesy, and the vocal tics make it worse. Instead of a pause that invites tension, it becomes a distraction. I found myself listening for when the heavy breathing would kick in, rather than staying focused on what the characters actually had to say. I still value what the show does right: Strengths: Stellar sound design and spatial audio: it brings claustrophobia, tension, and dread in ways many audio dramas can’t. An interesting premise and solid worldbuilding. Strong production values overall; many listeners echo praise for how cinematic it feels.  Weaknesses (for me): The vocal distractions break immersion repeatedly. The “I won’t answer because it’s more mysterious” trope shows up too often — it undermines character credibility. Occasional mixing issues (dialogue lost under effects) is a complaint I’ve seen echoed by other listeners.  Overall judgment: Derelict is still worth listening to, especially if you love atmospheric sci-fi and immersive audio dramas. But it would feel stronger if it leaned less on verbal gimmicks and more on real emotional weight and dialogue. If the creators could tone down the aggressive vocal tics (and maybe polish the audio balance a little more), this could be truly excellent rather than just very good. I’d rate it 3.5 to 4 stars (out of 5) — a story with real promise, but hampered for me by distracting vocal mannerisms.

absolutely recommend, incredible sci-fi writing, killer voice acting, delightfully immersive production with immaculate sound design. Fathom was enrapturing, and I’m so excited to dive into Derelict. Hope to see much much more of this world (dreaming of even a TV show or it coming to the big screen- the world building is THAT GOOD.)

Fantastic so far, however, at 48:10 of season 1 episode 2, it sounds like Eva absolutely farted in her suit. I need confirmation of that. Edit: the moaning in Derelict is out of control.

I started with the prequel FATHOM and am now into the DERELICT seasons, and so so good, I can’t stop listening.

Fathom was amazing. I want to like Derelict, and the first few episodes are good. But it falls off pretty steeply and I can’t tell if it’s the actor’s choice or editing but there’s a character that is very difficult to hear clearly. I have auditory processing issues and tend to give a lot of benefit of the doubt as a result but ultimately the show wasn’t worth the effort.

This is easily the best audio drama I’ve ever listened to. Impeccable writing, performances, production values. Yes, the episodes take awhile to drop. But in the meantime you can just listen to the old episodes again. Yes, they are that good.

Both seasons, but particularly season 2 are roller coaster rides with surprising twists and turns, complex characters, and gripping action. Sound design is near perfect- with the rhythmic atmospheric sound effects mixing seamlessly with music and regular story effects. Voice acting is believable with great casting and direction - the characters are complex in all the their various personal tragic histories, narcissisim, heroics, faults and desperation. Even Blaine in his Tom cruise like toughness has dimensions of humor and self reflection. Computer and ai characters ride a fine line between creepy and sympathetic. Each of the episodes are over an hour long so that each story line brings the listener deep in. Impact winter is a close second but derelict in my book is nearly flawless.

Pretty slow drip on the episode releases, otherwise one of the best shows available, if not the best. Thank you for the entertainment.

5 stars all around. A must listen.

Fathom and Derelict is *far and away* the best acted, produced, and written podcast available on the platform and it really isn’t even close. All of the others suggested by Apple are nowhere near the quality and not remotely as interesting and immersive. I wish night rocket productions had more out there!

Great story and great audio experience

The surround sound and immersive audio experience is unparalleled in this show

The sound quality on this is better than most movies. if you like SF and Audio Drama, then this is an absolute must!

Very immersive experience and love the characters and story. They just finished remastering the audio on the entire series and the balance is great, totally worth a re-listen if you previously had difficulties hearing dialogue during action sequences. Thank you to the production team for listening to all the feedback, I'm so excited to hear what you have in store for us soon!

Words don’t do justice. Rock on night rocket

I have enjoyed every episode, great story so far

Exciting storylines, deep audio, and a cast/crew that clearly care about making something amazing. Definitely give it a listen (especially after the audio remix that makes it easier to hear dialog!)

I’ve been enthralled by this story and never enjoyed an audio production so much. It’s a wonderful update to the old radio shows of the past and gives War of the Worlds a run for greatest of all time. The characters feel real and compelling even when placed in a bizarre situation. The story has twists and turns but they remain consistent and true to the core plot. And the use of sound effects to add ambiance and setting makes it feel like this story best exists in an audio format. I caught up with the show as S2 episodes 6-8 were being released and now I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for the end of the season and hope a third comes too. Burying a critique in here, the last couple episodes have not been sound balanced quite as well, there are times where the background has drowned out the voices, or I’ve found a need to change volume frequently. S1 and early S2 had that balance really well.