SerialSarah Koenig just pulled a Beyoncé with the surprise drop of Serial's first episode from its new season.
The popular NPR podcast has returned, this time to focus on the story of Bowe Bergdahl, a soldier in the U.S. Army who was held captive by the Taliban for 5 years.
His disappearance has sparked controversy, and cries of "desertion," and this new season features conversations between Bergdahl and filmmaker Mark Boal, known for films like The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty.
Bergdahl is still waiting on a ruling to learn if his case will go before a court-martial.
Beyond focusing on a current case, which has held more of the public's attention, other things that are a little different this season are the participation someone other than Koenig and her producers for interviews, Boal, and a new theme song.
Familiar elements like that "mail kimp" promo at the beginning of each episode and Sarah's dry quips are still there.
"That's me, calling the Taliban," Koenig says in a serious mic drop moment at the end of the episode. Because that's a sentence she can actually say. She can get the Taliban on the phone.
Based on the teasers, it sounds like it's going to be one heck of a season.
According to previous reports, the Serial team decided to work on two new seasons at once, with "two distinct new stories." That means listeners can likely expect the third season in the spring, with less time between Serial fixes.
The podcast has also had its rights optioned to come to TV, but with a catch, as the proposed cable series about Serial would be based on the experience of creating the podcast.
You can hear episode one of Serial's new season, "Dustwun," on Serial's website or via iTunes.