S-Town is better than Serial

When “Serial” came out a few years ago, it kicked off a new wave of true-crime obsession and proved the merit of podcasting. Both the true-crime genre and podcasting have continued to grow since then, but none have reached the high-water mark that “Serial” did. Now, the same team behind that mind-blowing show has released “S-Town,” a project that takes the strengths of its predecessor and folds into itself, building a world of decaying beauty, profound sorrow, and small town intrigue. You think you know where “S-Town” is going in the beginning, just another Southern crime whodunit, but a truly sad twist at the end of the second episode turns the conceit on its head, morphing into something completely new. It’s risky to give anything else away, but it’s worth seven hours of your time to dive into a piece of journalism that seeks to understand the impossible. Plus, all episodes are out now, which makes it a perfectly binge-able weekend listen. “S-Town” is available on iTunes.