Further investing in the hope that soon we’ll all watch TV on Apple, Reese Witherspoon is developing a new series for the tech company turned Netflix rival. Octavia Spencer is set to star in a show about a book about a podcast. Stay with us now: Are You Sleeping is based on Kathleen Barber’s novel of the same name, which follows a murder case that’s reopened thanks to renewed interest in the mystery after a podcast about it goes viral. More broadly, it’s a story about our cultural true-crime-podcast obsession and what happens when the pursuit of justice becomes fodder for entertainment. If that description sounds extremely familiar, yes, Serial’s Sarah Koenig will be a consultant on the show.
Are You Sleeping is the first show Apple has chosen to develop, having previously ordered three other shows straight to series, including the morning-show drama we deserve starring Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston. Witherspoon, your new favorite TV mogul in the making, will also executive produce the show.