Serial and Making a Murderer seek redemption in sequels

SEASON 3 OF THE TRUE-CRIME PODCAST SERIAL doesn’t explore any brutal murders where the facts don’t add up. Its subjects aren’t famous. They can’t afford expensive defense attorneys who dramatically unearth DNA evidence. Instead, they’re bar brawlers, parole violators and people caught carrying a joint. These cases rarely make the news, though some should, like the story of an innocent man who was pulled over and beaten by a cop for—by the police officer’s own admission—no reason. They are simply the tales of ordinary people who pass through Cleveland’s courthouse.

It’s a conscious change for a podcast that became a pop-culture phenomenon in 2014 by examining the murder of Baltimore teen Hae Min Lee, allegedly at the hands of her classmate Adnan Syed. The podcast’s new direction