How to Listen to Adventures in Odyssey: The AWB Method
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Same Show, Multiple Eras
Adventures in Odyssey has been running for almost forty years. A lot can happen in forty years, and for the new and existing fan alike, it can be confusing. The show makes a lot more sense when broken down into eras. We started dissecting AIO in 2024 with our Eras theory, and we’re constantly updating. For now, read a full summary on this page.
The Format:
Main Characters: Every era of Adventures in Odyssey has had distinct main characters, old and young. Not only do we point that out on this page, but we also make a distinction between the main adult and child characters. For all of these elements, you’ll find that we try our best to place them in order of significance or appearance, depending on relevance. Understand that these are not all of the characters in any one era, only the most critical or prominent.
Main Family: Yes, with limited exception, all eras of AIO have had a main family on whose story the show focused. It’s owned by Focus on the Family, after all!
Main Saga: All eras of Adventures in Odyssey have had a main saga woven into their events. There are also typically one or more secondary character arcs that are a monumental part of the story of one of the main characters. These will be arranged in order of significance.
Music Characterization: An underrated aspect of each era is the sometimes noticeable shift in music that occurs with each one. At times it’s clearly influenced by the style of the period in history, at other times it’s of the composer’s own creation. But from ’80s synths to orchestral grands, there’s no doubt that every era generally shares a theme in its dulcet design.
The Hal Smith Period
Era One: The Establishment
1987-1992
Era One
Albums 1-14
Main Adult Characters: John Whittaker, Tom Riley, Connie Kendall, Eugene Meltsner
Main Child Characters: Donna Barclay, Jimmy Barclay, Isaac Morton, Lucy Cunningham, Robin Jacobs, Jessie Morales, Melanie Jacobs, Jack Davis, Curt Stevens
Main Family: Barclays
Main Saga/Arc: Blackgaard Saga, Connie’s Conversion Arc
Music Characterized By: 80’s Electric Synths, Pianos, Deep Basses, and Heavy Cymbals and Snares
For its first dozen or so albums, Adventures in Odyssey was just getting off the ground. The show began by making its transition from Family Portraits, which gave us our first two main characters: Whit and Tom. Over the next five years, Adventures in Odyssey would continue to establish its identity. The brand-new Christian audio drama experimented in other ways as well. Introductions in this time frame ranged from lengthy cold opens with Chris to the shorter and beloved “Let’s see if this thing works” scene featuring Whit. The other main characters in this era are easy to point out: Eugene and Connie. This time period introduced these two and cemented them as the most prominent characters in the entire series.
Era Two: The First Transition
Era Two- Part One
1992-1995
Albums 16-25
Main Adult Characters: Connie Kendall, Eugene Meltsner, Jason Whittaker, Jack Allen, Tom Riley
Main Child Characters: Jimmy Barclay, Lawrence Hodges, Sam Johnson, Lucy Cunningham-Schultz, Rodney Rathbone, Erica Clark
Main Families: Barclays, Rathbones
Main Saga/Arc: Blackgaard Saga- Darkness Before Dawn, Eugene’s Relationship and Conversion Arc, Barclay Family Transition
Music Characterized By: Woodwinds, lighter digital sounds, falling chimes
By the early 1990s, Adventures in Odyssey had found its place everywhere from minivan cassette players to Chick-fil-A kids’ meals. But one problem was moving quickly toward the team…age. The team was about to cleverly work with a minor edition of this problem through the appropriately titled episode “Coming of Age”, but a more prominent version was lurking. The actor for the show’s main character, Hal Smith, wasn’t getting any younger, and executives realized this. They had a contingency plan, though. Without a main star, the program would end with Jason, Connie, and Tom at his side. Such a good episode couldn’t just fall to the back burner, though. A little over a year later, Smith did unfortunately pass away, leaving the team in a tense position. Should they call a few years good and kill the project, or keep going? After much deliberation, they chose the latter option, making The Mortal Coil and its subsequent episodes a transition into a different kind of Odyssey, an Odyssey without Whit. Lots of good would come out of this first part of the era, such as Eugene’s conversion and the explosive second half of the Blackgaard saga.
The Paul Herlinger Period
Era Two- Part Two
1996-1999
Albums 16-25
Main Adult Characters: Eugene Meltsner, John Whittaker, Jason Whittaker, Jack Allen, Katrina Shanks, Connie Kendall, Tom Riley
Main Child Characters: Sam Johnson, Jared DeWhite, Dwayne Oswald, Erica Clark, Julie Zeeke, Lisa Mulligan
Main Saga/Arc: Whit’s Return Arc, Eugene’s Relationship Arc
Music Characterized By: Similar sounds to the first part, but with a greater inclusion of digital piano sounds by the end of the century.
Era Three: The Novacom Era
Era Three
1999-2003
Albums 32-38
Main Adult Characters: John Whittaker, Connie Kendall, Jason Whittaker, Nick Mulligan, Robert Mitchell, Arthur Dent, Bennett Charles
Main Child Characters: Aubrey Shepard, Alex Jefferson, Cal Jordan, Mandy Straussberg, Liz Horton, Lisa Mulligan, Nathaniel Graham
Main Families: Shepards, Straussbergs, Jefferson/Jordans
Main Saga/Arc: Novacom Saga, Connie and Mitch’s Relationship Arc, Aubrey Shepard’s Conversion Arc
Music Characterized By: Strings, Woodwinds, Digital Piano Sounds, Electric Guitar Sounds, Multiple Crescendos
In the opening months of the 21st century, everything about Adventures in Odyssey underwent a less radical transition, but a transition nonetheless. The music, stories, and sound effects began to reflect the new digital age. This was also Odyssey’s biggest period of experimentation. It wouldn’t all be to its benefit, though. After the highly-rated Malachi’s Message aired, the contents of the subsequent albums would go down as the least popular for years to come. What fans didn’t know at the time was that Adventures in Odyssey was brewing a massive project in all this, a saga that would be renowned in every measure the preceding episodes were reviled, and then some. What’s unique about this era? It’s self-contained. Every character and plot line introduced in it would have a part to play in the conspicuous Novacom saga and its climax…for now.
Era Four: The Aftermath
Era Four
2003-2008
Albums 39-50
Main Adult Characters: Connie Kendall, Eugene Meltsner, Wooton Bassett, Katrina Meltsner, Robert Mitchell, Leonard Meltsner, Aubrey Shepard, John Whittaker
Main Child Characters: Mandy Straussberg, Liz Horton, Grady McKay, Trent DeWhite, Marvin Washington, Tamika Washington, Rodney Rathbone
Main Families: Washingtons, Straussbergs, Meltsners
Main Sagas/Arcs: Connie and Mitch’s Relationship Arc, Leonard Meltsner Saga, Straussberg Separation Arc, McKay Storyline, Kelly’s Adoption Arc
Music Characterized By: Pan Flutes, Clarinets, Chimes, Acoustic Guitar Sounds, and MIDI Piano Sounds
The Novacom saga came to an explosive conclusion at the end of album 38, and Adventures in Odyssey came to a reflective point with special episodes 500, 501, and 502. Another reset. Just because the bad players at Novacom were defeated didn’t mean there weren’t loose ends to close up. Album 39 was filled with one follow-up after another. Everything afterwards would flow from this, with the new families, new characters, and the triumphant return of Eugene. There was a unique focus on a new main character that rose to prominence entirely in this era, too: Wooton. His introduction was overshadowed as it arrived on the horizon of the Novacom saga in 2001. He had his moments, sure, but the following five years allowed Tory Martin and the team to fully develop his character. He also got a sidekick of sorts in Grady McKay, another non-Novacom-related character. What previous eras lacked in families, this era made up for. The McKays are on an extensive list of post-Novacom family stories, including the Washingtons. Technology was also uniquely unequivocal and up-to-standard for the early 2000s. Whit loses his v60 in No Way Out. Connie uses a PowerBook in Around the Block. Other elements constrict time too, such as Lester owning a medicine that would be banned in 2010. In fact, Odyssey time in this era is the most perfectly linear since Era One, with seasons, dates, and events mentioned explicitly. But that’s another conversation.
The Andre Stojka Period
Era Five: “New Odyssey”
Era Five- Part 1
2010-2014
Albums 51-58
Main Adult Characters: John Whittaker, Wooton Bassett, Katrina Meltsner, Eugene Meltsner, Connie Kendall, Penny Wise
Main Child Characters: Matthew Parker, Emily Jones, Olivia Parker, Barrett Jones, Jay Smouse, Ryan Cummings
Main Family: Parkers
Main Saga/Arc: The Green Ring Conspiracy-Ties That Bind Saga
Music Characterized By: Orchestral Sounds, Grand Pianos, Strings, Woodwinds
In 2010, Adventures in Odyssey hit one more “reset button” and wasted no time getting to the action. Just a few albums after setting the scene with essentially all-new characters, the Green Ring Conspiracy kicked off a multi-year saga that would include new family members for Eugene, Wooton, and Connie, respectively. The first part of this new era ended with one piece of software that would go on to define Odyssey indelibly: the Adventures in Odyssey Club.
Era Five- Part 2
2015-2020
Albums 59-69
Main Adult Characters: Wooton Bassett, Penny Bassett
Main Child Characters: Emily Jones, Morrie Rydell, Matthew Parker, Jules Kendall, Buck Oliver, Zoey Grant, Jay Smouse, Camilla Parker
Main Families: Parkers, Perkins
Main Saga/Arc: Rydell (Jones-focused) Saga, Buck’s Adoption Arc, Buck and Jules’ Relationship Arc
Music Characterized By: Similar to Part 1, with Piano and String Sounds and Episode-Specific Sounds When Appropriate (such as in International Club Episodes).
A new Club-defined age for Adventures in Odyssey came with lots of technical changes that would influence changes in story. The first was the sacrifice of the twelve-episode album, a staple of the show since 1987. This meant the development of new club-exclusive characters and stories. Examples of this include the introduction of characters like Renee, Zoey, and Buddy, all of whom would eventually make their way out of the Club. The domino effects from the GRC/TTB events of the first section rolled right into this one too, as the Bassetts, Buck, and Jules all explored their new lives as parts of the Odyssey community. Through it all, however, it was truly one character made the dividing line between this part of the era and the next: Morrie Rydell.
Era Five- Part 3
2020-2026
Albums 70-80
Main Adult Characters: Connie Kendall, Jillian Marshall, Renee Carter, Penny Bassett, Wooton Bassett, John Whittaker
Main Child Characters: Olivia Parker, Jules Kendall, Buck Oliver, Morrie Rydell, Suzue Rydell, Buddy Norman, Wyatt Perkins, Bridget Perkins
Main Family: Perkins
Main Saga/Arc: Rydell Saga, Olivia’s Faith Arc, Buck & Jules’ Relationship/Faith Arcs, Renee’s Conversion Arc
Music Characterized By: Same as Parts 1 and 2, with dramatic additions from varying Artists (i.e., DePasquale and Smith).
The biggest change here is a transition into a different kind of era without Whit. Unlike the period in the mid-1990s, Whit is very much still around, but his role is different. Stories move along largely without him, and when they don’t, his role is a lot more guiding than instructive. On top of that, this part of the era included a character classification AIO had never fully explored before: teenager. And when exploring teenagers, nuance becomes part of the mix. Jules was the main villain of the Ties That Bind arc, but it looks like she’s a little more complex than that. Morrie Rydell was the clear antagonist of the Rydell saga, but maybe it’s …Emily Jones, or even a third player? Additionally, this final piece of Adventures in Odyssey found itself focused on erasing the line between “mainstream” and “Club”. The Perkins family is an example that, upon introduction, found themselves in a curious balance between series and Club development. A new team member arriving on the scene around early 2023 took this vision to reality, canonizing the Club and incorporating extra-audio content, such as comics.