Podcasts: Wondery Looking to Adapt ‘Over My Dead Body’ for TV
Matt Shaer has a knack for weaving an intriguing story. The writer turned podcaster took aim at a twisted tale of marriage, divorce, and revenge in Over My Dead Body in conjunction with the Wondery network. The six-part series ended its run at the top of Apple’s podcasting list, and now Wondery has a whole new set of plans for the story. The success of Dirty John’s adaptation to a TV series has buoyed the podcast production company’s confidence, and they are ready to take another stab at the television true crime genre. There may be no better series to adapt to television than this crazy tale!
When will fans see Over My Dead Body on television?
While fans are excited to see Over My Dead Body turned into a television series, it is going to be a rather long wait. The network is allegedly just in the planning phase of creating the show, and it will likely take more than a year to develop the story into a script.
The show will also have to wait for the legal battle to wrap up. The podcast focused in on the murder of Dan Markel, but the case is still active. In fact, a trial is currently ongoing. The production house will likely want to wait for all of the legal loose ends to be tied up before they move forward. Not only will it allow the story to be told in full, but it will ensure they don’t run into any problems with getting it on the air.
What is Over My Dead Body about?
Over My Dead Body is a six-episode podcast series that tells the story of Dan Markel and Wendi Adelson. Markel, then a 33-year-old successful lawyer met Wendi Adelson, a 26-year-old law student on JDate. From there the pair had a picture-perfect romance, including a lavish Boca Raton wedding in 2006. They went on to have two children together.
Cracks in the marriage appeared as soon as the family landed in Tallahassee for Markel’s newest career move. Wendi hated Tallahassee, but Dan was immersed in the city and his teaching career. Divorce proceedings were started, but a bitter custody battle and an overbearing family made the divorce particularly contentious.
Then one day, Markel turns up mortally wounded. Shot in his driveway in a quiet residential neighborhood, police set out to figure out exactly who would want the prominent lawyer and professor dead. Suddenly all eyes were on Adelson, but there is far more to the story than that.
Over My Dead Body takes listeners on a twisted journey that delves deep into family dynamics, cultural expectations, and what could have led to the demise of someone that is described as likable and spirited.
Over My Dead Body isn’t the only podcast being developed into a TV series
While Dirty John is being utilized as a blueprint for podcast-turned-TV show success, there is plenty of variety coming to television screens around the country. In fact, Business Wars, a podcast that chronicles the battle between Nike and Adidas is currently being adapted into a series. Janet Leahy is working on the script. She is one of the writers for Mad Men.
According to Refinery 29, Dr. Death is also being developed into a series. Dr. Death, produced by Wondery, was released in September 2018. The podcast told the story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, an unskilled surgeon whose bravado left a wake of injured, paralyzed and dead patients. The story is currently being developed by Universal Cable Productions, according to Deadline.
