The next season of the widely popular podcast "Serial" will reportedly tack the case of former prisoner of war Bowe Bergdahl, according to Maxim.
"Serial," a spinoff of "This American Life," became a viral hit during its first season as host Sarah Koenig investigated the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, a Baltimore area teenager who was sentenced to life in prison for supposedly killing his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 2009.
The "Serial" podcast investigates a single case during the duration of a season in a week-by-week format.
Sgt. Bergdahl disappeared from his post in eastern Afghanistan under "mysterious circumstances" back in 2009. He was captured and held captive by the Taliban for five years and was only released when the United States negotiated his release and was forced to free five Taliban detainees from Guantánamo Bay, reported Rolling Stone.
Last week, a preliminary hearing for Bergdahl's case was held at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. "Serial" host Koenig and one other producer from the podcast was in attendance at the hearing. Mark Boal, the screenwriter for "Zero Dark Thirty," who has been reportedly adapting the Bergdahl case along with director Kathryn Bigelow, was also in attendance, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
If charged, Bergdahl faces a dishonorable discharge, reduction in rank, total forfeiture of payment and imprisonment for up to five years for the desertion charge and confinement for life for the misbehavior charge.
NPR, the organization that produces "Serial" released a statement and said nothing was yet set in stone.
"We'd very much appreciate if fellow journalists would give us some room and not feel the need to attempt to dig into and try to figure out what you think we might be doing, especially since we're actively reporting stories, and having a bunch of wild speculation out there makes our job reporting harder. Doesn't feel very menschy," the statement said. "In any case, here's what I can tell you: The Serial staff is currently working on several things simultaneously: Season 2, Season 3, and some other podcast projects. For now we're not talking publicly about anything that we're working on."
An air date for the second and third season of "Serial" was not announced.
