Serial producers announce new podcast S-Town

Focussing on a murder mystery set in a small Alabama town

Towards the end of 2014, it seemed all anyone could talk about was the mystery behind the murder of Hae Min Lee, thanks to This American Life spin-off Serial.

Despite reception to the second season not being quite as rabid, there’s still huge amounts of anticipation surrounding the third season.

However, rather than just releasing the third season of Serial, the crew behind the podcast has announced an all-new production company - fittingly titled Serial Productions - and revealed their upcoming project, S-Town.

This American Life producer Brian Reed will host the nonfiction series which is set in a rural Alabama town. Unlike Serial - which was released weekly and bi-weekly - all episodes of S-Town will be released at once come March.

The press release offers some clues towards the series’ subject. It reads: “Production of S-Town 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.

“Brian 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.”

A return to the murder-mystery solving that made the first season of Serial so popular. In the same release, Serial Productions also revealed that two as-yet unnamed projects are on the way: perhaps one could be season three?

Meanwhile, for those itching for another murder mystery, British series Untold: The Daniel Morgan Murder made waves last year.