The 'Serial' podcast producers have a new show, and you can binge it
The crew behind the popular Serial podcast is launching another new true crime show -- and this time you can binge it.
S-Town -- which debuts in March -- follows an Alabama man asking for "a reporter to investigate the son of a wealthy family who had allegedly been bragging that he got away with murder," according to a news release. All episodes will be released at once.
The nonfiction limited series will be developed by Serial Productions, a newly announced production company from the Serial creators.
Longtime This American Life producer Brian Reed will host the show, which will be executive produced by Serial co-creators Julie Snyder and Sarah Koenig. This American Life alum Starlee Kine is also on board along with Ira Glass.
"Brian agreed to look into it [the murder]," the release said. "But then someone else ended up dead, and another story began to unfold -- about a nasty feud, a hunt for hidden treasure and the mysteries of one man’s life."
"Someone else ended up dead, and another story began to unfold."
Snyder said in a statement that she and Reed began working on S-Town three years ago, "before we'd even launched serial."
"Immediately I knew it was special," Snyder said in a statement. "I remember thinking, 'If this thing with Serial works -- telling one big story over several chapters -- then I definitely want to try it with Brian’s story next.'"
Serial -- a spinoff series of This American Life -- became a pop culture phenomenon after it debuted two years ago, with millions of people tuning in to Koenig's weekly audio series which aimed to find out whether a man named Adnan Syed truly murdered his former classmate, Hae Min Lee, in 1999.
It became so popular that it won a Peabody Award and was parodied on Saturday Night Live.
Season 2 -- though still well-listened to -- was less of a hit. It followed the story of Sgt. Bowe Bergdah and his alleged desertion from the U.S. Army, as well as his captivity by the Taliban.
There is still no news of whether there will be a season three of Serial. Though Serial Productions reportedly has two more projects in the works.
Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
