It Came from the Internet: Rob Norman in his new podcast about

You may know Rob Norman as the co-creator of Personal Record, the CBC podcast’s acclaimed comedy self-improvement show, which was designed to help ordinary people achieve small goals. TIME called Personal Record “easily one of the funniest podcasts out there”.

But with his new series, limited-capacity Rob Norman isn’t trying to make you laugh — he’s trying to scare you.

After winning an Oscar for Jordan Peele’s Out, the jump from comedy to horror has become more and more common. Still, it’s unusual enough that Norman’s choice of a follow-up project may have come as a surprise. That doesn’t mean limited ability isn’t fun sometimes; Tonight it’s akin to Black Mirror, which extracts dark humor from its disturbing screenplay.

Limited ability is related to the strange and perverse ways people use technology. The series blurs the line between thriller and imitation, with twists and turns in each of the six short stories in the collection. Limited caliber cast including Eric Peterson (Angle Throttle), Rahki Morzaria (Run the Barbs), Cal Dodd (X-Men: The Animated Series) and more. As a listener, the actors were sometimes surprised when the story ended; Scripted pieces are intertwined with improvised elements in storytelling.

November 18 is coming. Limited Potential is a collection of six disturbing short stories detailing how our lives are distorted by imperfect technologies. With dark humor and surprising twists, each episode blurs the line between horror, thriller, mockumentary and satire. It’s like a black mirror to your ears. From Rob Norman, co-creator of the popular Personal Best podcast. 1:07

Norman spoke to the CBC podcast about the unusual production process of limited capacity and why he wanted to create something different from his previous project. Here is an excerpt from that conversation.

How would you describe a limited ability to someone who is experiencing it for the first time?

This is a psychological phobia for people who spend too much time on the Internet. Each episode is a different story with different characters. Some episodes are scary. Others are sad or funny. Be it a black mirror or the Twilight Zone but for your ears.

Your other podcast, Personal Record, is a no-script comedy podcast. Why did you want to change the styles? limited capacity?

I loved making it a personal record and would love to make another 100 episodes of that show. But Andrew [Norton, my co-host] and I knew very well what stories to tell and which stories not to tell. Even telling someone else’s story is a big responsibility: telling their story honestly and looking good to your guests.

The limited potential really allowed me to steer the characters and stories in a direction we’d never explored before. This is also the first show that I have produced on my own. So each of these stories seems very personal to me.

The production process for this podcast involved mixing script pieces and improvising from the cast. How did the artists help shape the stories? limited capacity?

Each episode was scripted in its entirety, but the actors never received those scripts. Instead, his characters were guided by the scene through the story. Sometimes directing an episode feels more like walking through a haunted house than creating a podcast. I think it made these stories feel more ‘alive’ because you don’t hear anyone reading the script; Each episode is a real experience of an event.

In a limited capacity, people use technology in some very harmful ways. Would you say that you are generally more pessimistic or optimistic about how technology will affect society in the future?

I don’t feel strong in any way. Technology solves some problems and creates new ones. But humans remain largely the same. And that’s what this show is about. Being on the Internet doesn’t change the human condition; It only changes the way that behavior is expressed.

What’s your personal technical flaw: Something you know you should give up or use less often, but can’t stop?

If I had a strong will, I would have stopped using social media completely. It’s not good for me. But I am part of this tea-drinking Facebook group where people talk about tough times and the best filters. They are very good for each other.