Dispatches from Elsewhere is a show that will make you go on an enigmatic journey that you will never forget! It possesses all the elements of a book: secret messages, hints, and weird characters. However, it is not a work of fiction but a very real experience that makes Dispatches from Elsewhere etched in the memory of the audience!Jason Segel's Dispatches from Elsewhere is not based on a book but on the 2013 documentary The Institute. The real-life inspiration behind Dispatches from Elsewhere View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe Dispatches from Elsewhere is an interactive ARG, inspired directly by the alternate reality game The Jejune Institute, and produced by a well-known artist, Jeff Hull. The members did not suspect that, but they were being sucked into a strange, fantastic world of innuendos, oblique messages, and code words, and this prompted them to explore the city and themselves.What makes Dispatches from Elsewhere a literary seriesThe show’s book-like traits belong to the creators’ way of narrating real-world experience as a story rather than any authorial source. The blend of suspense, philosophical pondering, and bizarre happenings creates a novel-like impression even though the base is a documentary and a real-world ARG.The process of creating fiction in Dispatches from ElsewhereThe series has a strong base in reality, but still, there are many portions in Dispatches from Elsewhere that are fictionalized. The main characters of the show, a shy office worker, an old man, and others, are imagined characters and not the actual ones who played the ARG. In the same way, the city and the events in the series are also modified to be more dramatic, not just by setting the location no longer in San Francisco but by broadening the plot of the game.This liberty in creativity allows the show not only to represent the issues of isolation, personal development, and relationships but also to be faithful to the nature of The Jejune Institute. The cult-like features and the founder of the institute, as narrated in the series, are, in reality, fictitious interpretations and not historical verities.The documentary that sparked the seriesThe Institute (2013) is the source of Dispatches from Elsewhere. The documentary narrates the tale of The Jejune Institute and depicts the ARG with the use of flyers, invitations, and phone calls, and it even involved city-wide puzzles. It is here that Segel got his idea and proceeded to adapt the real-world ARG into a TV drama.In spite of the fact that Dispatches from Elsewhere depends heavily on the documentary to feed its content, it does not attempt to be a verbatim re-enactment of reality. The show has been a composite of emotional plots, philosophical themes, and interpersonal relationships to tell the stories, and this is one of the reasons why some viewers may consider the show to be a literary adaptation.Ambiguity between reality and fictionIt should be pointed out that the documentary and accounts of The Jejune Institute show that the lines between reality and performance art are still very much blurred. Many participants were confused as to where reality ended and the game began. This particular facet of the play is transferred to Dispatches from Elsewhere as a result of which the narration becomes a mysteriously book-like one.The series illustrates real-life events to some extent but never claims that each scene or character is absolutely real. It is a creative reworking, a dramatization that keeps the essence of the original ARG but enhances it with imaginary characters and delves into philosophical issues.In conclusion, the series is not a book-inspired series. It is based on the real-life ARG of The Jejune Institute, and on the 2012 documentary titled The Institute. Jason Segel created a fictional story that, despite being fictional, emotionally resonated by depicting the same people, cities, and plot layers.Also Read: Dispatches from Elsewhere cast and characters: Here’s who brought the AMC series to life