WBUR launches The Midnight Rebellion podcast

From WBUR, home to award-winning podcasts including Circle Round, Endless Thread and Beyond All Repair, comes The Midnight Rebellion, a first-of-its-kind, pick-your-own-path audio adventure for kids and families. With 82 different paths across 26 audio-rich, action-packed episodes, you help the show's courageous characters tackle humanity's biggest existential threat: climate change.

Written by WBUR science journalist Dean Russell and co-created with director of digital audio Ben Brock Johnson, this fictional adventure is informed by climate models and environmental studies. It's also packed with humor and action. The Midnight Rebellion premieres on Earth Day, April 22 — listen to the trailer at wbur.org/midnight.

"We wanted to push the podcast medium forward, making something interactive and innovative," says Johnson. "But we also wanted to play with what an educational show can really be, for new generations inheriting the planet. The Midnight Rebellion invites kids to have fun, imagine themselves as part of climate solutions, and see what’s possible when we work together to face tough problems."

The plot features 12-year-old Joule Watts-Green, who accidentally steps into her mom's time machine and discovers a future she never expected. One hundred years from now, Boston is a sweltering city of tides, with canals instead of streets. Polluting robots run rampant, and almost every meal is canned Algae-Os. It’s not great! To get home, Joule must be brave, clever and make friends. And together — with the listener's help — they may even discover what it takes to turn back the climate clock for everyone ... and save the world.

"Can fighting the climate crisis be fun? Funny?" Russell asks. "Can fiction motivate the frightened and news-fatigued? Can collective action make a compelling story? Yes. This is Captain Planet for the age of climate change. Each episode centers on a theme — sea-level rise, food insecurity, migration, greenwashing — and ends with real-life actions kids and grown-ups can take."

The Midnight Rebellion features actress Erika Henningsen of Netflix’s "The Four Seasons" and of Amazon's animated series, "Hazbin Hotel," as Joule's mother, Dr. Elizabeth Green. The story is by Russell, with writers from DreamWorks' Emmy-nominated animated series Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts and Apple TV+'s The Big Door Prize. The Midnight Rebellion is supported in part by a grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.

Like streaming TV, the season features three bingeable drops with Part I making its debut on Earth Day. Rebels who are hungry for more can join the "Midnight Rebels" club for early access to upcoming parts and bonus chapters, as well as special mailings with character cards and activities. WBUR is working with Sara K. Johnson, PhD., Associate Professor in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University, to assess the show's impact on younger listeners and how they engage with climate action.

The Midnight Rebellion: Part I is available wherever you listen to podcasts starting Wednesday, April 22. Explore The Midnight Rebellion universe complete with characters illustrations, maps and pick-your-own-path journeys at wbur.org/midnight.

About WBUR

WBUR, founded in 1950, is Boston's NPR. An award-winning producer of high-quality journalism on air, online and on stage at CitySpace. With one of the strongest local newsrooms in America, our journalists cover the most pressing issues in our city and region. Nationally, WBUR reaches more than seven million people each week with On Point, Here & Now — a daily newsmagazine produced with NPR — and with hit podcasts like Endless Thread, Violation and Beyond All Repair.

The Midnight Rebellion builds on WBUR's growing slate of programming for families and young listeners. WBUR is home to Circle Round — named the "Best Kids and Family Podcast" at the 2026 iHeartPodcast Awards — as well as the only kids podcast festival in the country, The Mega Awesome Super Huge Wicked Fun Podcast Playdate. The annual two-day festival takes place on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26 at WBUR CitySpace in Boston with live performances from Circle Round, Million Bazillion, Story Pirates, Greeking Out, The Past and The Curious and Grim, Grimmer, Grimmest.

About the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations

The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations were organized in 1952 and are supported by two trusts established by Mr. Arthur Vining Davis. The Foundations aim to bear witness to Mr. Davis' successful corporate leadership and his ambitious philanthropic vision. Since their inception, the Foundations have given over 4,700 grants totaling more than $400 million to support inclusive higher education and healthcare, high-quality public media, vibrant spiritual communities, and a clean environment. In supporting these sectors, the Foundations are investing in our common future.