“It’s 2076 in the United Segregated States of America”

The slogan for the sci-fi drama podcast Caucus: After the Fall feels a lot less fictional as I am writing this than it would have done six months ago.

The same is true for the storyline depicting a country forever changed by systemic collapse, which is scarily relevant to the current state of the world.

In fact, the author of the podcast, Teja Arboleda, now describes it as a ‘revisionist future’ because when he first started writing the script in the early noughties it carried a totally different sentiment.

After bingeing all the episodes and bonus content in a couple of days, this ‘revisionist future’ angle makes even more sense.

So, let’s start from the beginning.

The hero of this story is a former documentary producer who sets out to explore this alternative version of the United States, marred by disease and social conflict.

In the prologue episode, he explains how the struggling country turned into a perilous, clandestine world controlled by a makeshift government and its crude, arrogant leader.

It is a grim but clear picture, demonstrating the power of propagandistic messages and the consequences they can have in the long run, particularly when citizens are gripped by fear and led to obey by their survival instinct.

In this case, the result is a divided country where the population is forcibly displaced into separate race districts, defined according to pseudoscience.

In the following episodes, the hero visits each of these communities and talks to their leaders, under the guise of doing research.

I revelled in the authenticity of the stories that they shared, only to find out from the bonus content that many personal experiences were channelled through these characters.

The actors used this creative opportunity to express dismay and scepticism about the current situation, reflect upon growing up in an immigrant household and incorporate various elements of their cultural heritage as part of their individual narratives, all with the writer’s blessing.

Another thing that makes the lead narratives so authentic is the skilful use of historical and modern-day references.

For example, the storyline mentions events such as the Great Migration, the term ‘collateral damage’ – popularised by the Vietnam war to devalue lives lost – or phrases such as “he gets the job done”, which we now hear as justification for wrongdoings of authoritarian leaders by those who still approve of them.

The result is a captivating narrative that offers something relatable to viewers from many backgrounds, which is probably why the podcast has attracted listeners from 69 countries worldwide.

Caucus… has real potential to help people understand what a society in disarray looks like, and how continuous hardship changes people’s attitudes.

It portrays followers who settle for blind complacency, rebels who go through a rough awakening, as well as the sceptics who never trusted the system in the first place.

Then there’s the podcast producer himself, who chases his own demons while searching for truth.

All in all, it’s an intriguing mix.

If you like stories where nothing is really as it seems, this podcast has a lot to offer.

I was not surprised to find out that it was originally written as a screenplay for television. It is the complete package with vivid portrayals, suspense and a fast pace.

Judging by the first season alone, it would make a great action thriller.

Hopefully, one day.