Did anyone else geek out on Serial last year? I did.
In case you need a refresher, Sarah Koenig, in collaboration with This American Life and Chicago station WBEZ, introduced us to the case of Adnan Syed, who was convicted of murdering his girlfriend in January 1999. Koenig told his story in a series of long form podcasts that captivated fans. Syed has since been granted a new appeals hearing.
Now Koenig is back with a second season, this time investigating the case of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a US Army soldier who walked away from his post in 2009, was captured by the Taliban, and held captive for five years. The US got him back by in 2014 trading five Taliban prisoners for his safe return.
Season Two: Episode 01, called “Dustwun” went live this morning.
Bergdahl reportedly tells the story of his desertion and captivity from his point of view.
Last season, Koenig relied heavily on phone interviews she conducted with Syed from prison. In addition to her own reporting this season, Koenig also got access to some 25 hours of recorded interviews between Bergdahl and Mark Boal, who wrote and produced “The Hurt Locker” and “Zero Dark Thirty.” Boal made the tapes as background for an upcoming movie about Bergdahl’s captivity, according to this New Yorker article.
Season one was so good (and I was reminded this morning that there’s more investigative nerd-dom available on the “Undisclosed” podcast, which I’m planning to check out. Thanks Megan Burbank!) that it will be hard to beat, but I’m hopeful Koenig & Co. will do a great job with this season, as well.