'Serial' season three is being turned into a HBO series

The third season of Serial is being turned into a TV series. HBO is adapting the nine-episode run, which examined multiple cases handled by the Cleveland justice system. According to Deadline, writer and director Shola Amoo (The Last Tree) is involved, with Serial host Sarah Koenig, NBA superstar LeBron James and former HBO miniseries chief Kary Antholis as executive producers. The currently untitled drama will reportedly follow a young police officer and a man that he’s accused of beating. The case will be a lens for the court system and everything it touches, including lawyers and citizens that have been accused of and victimized by crimes.

The first season of Serial was a smash hit that pushed podcasts into mainstream pop culture. HBO turned that original run, which examined the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, into a documentary series called The Case Against Adnan Syed, which premiered in March 2019. The podcast’s second season debuted in December 2015 and focused on an American Army soldier charged with desertion. It wasn’t quite as successful as season one — the show didn’t have the same impact online, at least — and hasn’t been adapted for television yet. The team behind Serial was bought by The New York Times last summer. The pair have since released a podcast series called Nice White Parents, which is also being turned into a HBO series.