For fans of This American Life podcast Serial—whose first season featured a 12-episode whodunit based in Baltimore, which quickly went viral—it appears that there will be more binge-listening on the horizon. On the heels of a lackluster second season of Serial, which covered the alleged desertion of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the brains behind the podcast have launched their own production company (Serial Productions, of course), and teased their first endeavor, S-Town. Here’s everything we know about it so far:
(1) S-Town is a nonfictional murder mystery set in a small, rural Alabama town, and will be hosted by This American Life producer Brian Reed.
(2) Producer Julie Snyder noted in a press release that the podcast took three years to report and produce—and the idea predates Serial.
(3) Last November, Snyder referred to the podcast as a seven-part series, which is “arty” and “novelistic.”
(4) Per the release, the chrysalis of the podcast:
“… began when a man reached out to This American Life bitterly complaining about his small Alabama town. He wanted a reporter to investigate the son of a wealthy family who had allegedly been bragging that he got away with murder. [Reed] agreed to look into it. 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.”
(5) Like a Netflix series, all of its episodes will be released at the same time (i.e. you won’t have to wait to binge them).
(6) Says This American Life‘s Ira Glass of the new podcast:
“This story takes so many unexpected turns….Every episode is a new surprise. And the story has this feeling and mood that’s different from anything else we’ve done. I don’t think people have heard a show like this.”
(7) Sarah Koenig, a familiar voice in the original Serial, will return as part of S-Town‘s editorial team
(8) S-Town‘s scheduled to launch in March 2017
Download both seasons of Serial here.
—RealClearLife Staff
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