Hello, serial productions listeners. This is Sarah Koenig, and I am trying to keep my cool here,

but we have got such a great show coming next week. I can hardly contain myself. Even the title

fills me with Vicarious Pride. It's called The Idiot. The host is M. Gessen, which might be a surprise,

depending on your familiarity with their work. M is widely known for their writing about totalitarianism, terrorism, the erosion of human rights.

But in this show, M investigates a more personal topic, their cousin, Alan.

It is a shocking family story about a terrible crime that is also very funny because M is very funny.

I love this show and I hope you will too. The whole series, all five episodes are out March 26th,

wherever you get your podcasts. Here's the trailer.

In theory, I knew that this kind of thing can happen in any family.

Anyone's first cousin could be plotting murder.

This is UCE 473-5, and today is...

Upstanding citizens are always turning out to be secret criminals.

...with Alan Gessen.

And I wouldn't even call my cousin Alan, an upstanding citizen.

You know, my clients are in cartel-level guys.

They're all badass.

But it's one thing to know...

There's a more permanent way to do it.

Is it?

Yeah.

More and more definite.

Permanent.

...