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[Blader]

The talented, bespectacled people behind the widely popular podcast Serial and venerable radio program This American Life will expand their storytelling domain this March with the launch of a new production company and a podcast set in rural Alabama. S-Town, the first podcast to air under the new Serial Productions banner, will tell the story of real-life murder in a small Alabama town. Production for the new limited-run series began when a man contacted the producers of This American Life asking that its reporters investigate the son of a wealthy family who had allegedly been bragging about having gotten away with murder.

Unlike previous seasons of Serial, all episodes of S-Town will be released at once.

http://www.avclub.com/article/serial-and-american-life-creators-launch-productio-249490

And I think Serial season 3 will be coming this summer.

 

[Glass Shark]

Sounds interesting. Season 2 of Serial completely fell flat for me, but this sounds like it could be a return to form. Will definitely check it out.

 

[Regulus Tera]

I actually enjoyed Serial Season 2 a lot, but it makes sense if they spin off the real murder stuff considering the outcry they received.

 

[kennah]

I actually enjoyed Serial Season 2 a lot, but it makes sense if they spin off the real murder stuff considering the outcry they received.

What outcry? I didn't follow it very closely.

 

[ReAxion]

i hope this isn't the story of their goose chase again, but also, reuse the intro/outro music from s1 again.

 

[Vyse The Legend]

What outcry? I didn't follow it very closely.

The 2nd Season of Serial was about a kid that went AWOL from the US army and got captured by enemy combatants in Iraq, not a murder mystery.

The story was well-publicized in the news long before Serial did their coverage, and people had already decided the kid was an idiot for what he did. It was a far, far, far less compelling story, since it wasn't a whodunnit but rather a why-did-he-do-it.

 

[More_Badass]

A podcast releasing all episodes at once? That's a new model

 

[Risible]

A podcast releasing all episodes at once? That's a new model

Yeah, it seems odd. I wonder if it will be behind a paywall.

 

[Askherserenity]

Not only was season 2 completely different than what people were expecting, it also just wasn't anywhere near as good.

Thought the new podcast was out already. Darn :/

 

[DJ Lushious]

I actually enjoyed Serial Season 2 a lot

You're not alone, my fellow GAFfer. And having not had much exposure to the story Season 2 delved into made it even more engaging.

Nonetheless, I am stoked for anything this studio puts out. Their quality level never disappoints.

 

[Septimus Prime]

Cool. I need something to replace Undone.

 

[| Praxis |]

I actually enjoyed Serial Season 2 a lot, but it makes sense if they spin off the real murder stuff considering the outcry they received.

Yeah, I enjoyed it as well.

 

[MisterR]

Sounds interesting. Season 2 of Serial completely fell flat for me, but this sounds like it could be a return to form. Will definitely check it out.

Yep, I loved Season 1 or Serial, but I didn't even finish Season 2. Hopefully this will be much better.

 

[Kinyou]

A podcast releasing all episodes at once? That's a new model

I wonder why the would do that. A big draw of serial kind of was how people were spinning their theories while waiting for the next episode. Now it will be all "No spoilers plz"

It was also cool that parts of the story developed while the show was still running

 

[| Praxis |]

I wonder why the would do that. A big draw of serial kind of was how people were spinning their theories while waiting for the next episode. Now it will be all "No spoilers plz"

It was also cool that parts of the story developed while the show was still running

I can't stand all of the discussions and theories, give me all the episodes at once.

 

[smokeymicpot]

Season 2 airing every other week hurt a lot. Could not get invested into plus you can just google everything to get the full story.

 

[admiraltaftbar]

I saw a review of serial season 2 that said it was a perfect podcast for other journalists more than just your average listener. It may not have carried the riveting murder mystery draw of the first season but the investigative journalism on display in season 2 was immensely impressive and was one of the reasons I really enjoyed it.

This new podcast is a great idea. It lets serial do its own thing but offers people the experience they missed after season 1.

 

[Etzer]

I think releasing the episodes all at once is another instance of them misunderstanding what made Serial popular in the first place. Mystery + Weekly community discussion. That's it.

Quoting myself from the Season 2 thread:

I stopped listening a couple of episodes back. My problem with Season 2 isn't that the subject matter isn't as compelling as Season 1, it's that she's focusing on the worst aspects of the story. There are many times while I'm listening that it seems like she's on the verge of getting deeper into discussing the systemic issues I've heard of from people in the military, only for that to fizzle out and we go back to Bowe.

I still think season 2 would've been better had they used Bowe's story as a backdrop to a larger story about the inner workings of the U.S. millitary.

 

[SJurgenson]

I saw a review of serial season 2 that said it was a perfect podcast for other journalists more than just your average listener. It may not have carried the riveting murder mystery draw of the first season but the investigative journalism on display in season 2 was immensely impressive and was one of the reasons I really enjoyed it.

That makes a lot of sense actually.

Season 1 was interesting, as each episode made you question what the real truth was -- and because you could reasonably see a scenario where Adnan is 100% innocent. The difference between the two extreme possibilities -- Adnan did nothing vs Adnan is a murderer -- was where the drama and interest came from, as a listener.

However, I was one of the people who found Season 2 to be underwhelming, especially from the 'possibility difference' angle:

• Season 1:
  • Most generous interpretation is that Adnan is wholly innocent and justice was miscarried.
  • Lease generous interpretation is that Adnan is a murder and justice was served.
• Season 2:
  • Most generous interpretation is that Bowe Bergdahl is an idiot of the highest imaginable order and that he suffered greatly for his idiocy.
  • Lease generous interpretation is that Bowe Bergdahl is a traitor and deserves more punishment that he has so far received.

It's really hard to maintain interested in a show wondering about the innocence of someone, when the best case scenario of innocence is basically 'he is the stupidest person to have ever lived'.

I stopped listening a couple of episodes back. My problem with Season 2 isn't that the subject matter isn't as compelling as Season 1, it's that she's focusing on the worst aspects of the story. There are many times while I'm listening that it seems like she's on the verge of getting deeper into discussing the systemic issues I've heard of from people in the military, only for that to fizzle out and we go back to Bowe.

100% in agreement. That was the real story, not Bowe.