Audible is cooking up something special with The Pearl and the Onion, a new scripted podcast that imagines an espionage adventure starring none other than Blindspotting’s Jasmine Cephas Jones and Veep’s Anna Chlumsky.
Produced by Fresh Produce Media—the team behind Jon Hamm’s The Big Lie—this latest project lands as part of their renewed first-look deal with Audible. And let’s just say, this one’s got all the ingredients for a wild ride.
Premiering March 20, 2025, The Pearl and the Onion takes a bold leap into a reimagined World War II, where culinary icon Julia Child (Chlumsky) and legendary entertainer-turned-spy Josephine Baker (Cephas Jones) cross paths in Nazi-occupied France. While both women played real roles in the war—Julia with the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and Josephine as a spy for the French Resistance—this fictionalized story weaves them into a high-stakes mission to intercept classified invasion intelligence for the Allied Powers.
As the unlikely duo navigates a world of secret codes, shadowy alliances, and underground networks, their connection becomes the key to shifting the tides of history. Think Inglourious Basterds meets The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, but with two powerhouse women at the helm.
The series is created by Julian Ambler, written by Brittney Allen, and directed by Kimberly Senior. It’s executive produced by Fresh Produce Media’s Colin Moore and Jason Ross. Ambler, who also serves as the company’s Head of Development, calls the series “a brilliant example of how fiction can breathe new life into real stories.”
“The creative team has taken these fascinating, complex figures from history and reimagined their world in a way that feels both deeply authentic and inventive,” Ambler shared. “It’s been an incredible experience bringing this series to life, and we can’t wait for listeners to discover these historical figures in a whole new way.”
Director Kimberly Senior adds, “Anna and Jasmine bring such depth and nuance to these characters, making this imagined adventure feel thrillingly real. While The Pearl and the Onion is a work of fiction, it celebrates the boldness and brilliance of two extraordinarily well-known women and their lesser-known true involvement in counterintelligence during the war.”
More from Fresh Produce Media
Alongside The Pearl and the Onion, Fresh Produce Media is also dropping two more Audible originals:
Chasing the Sound (March 27, 2025) – Hosted by Kirk Flash (This Is Gay), this four-part docuseries takes listeners on a global music deep dive, unpacking the hidden stories, misconceptions, and debates behind some of the world’s most iconic genres. From Mumbai to Marrakech, Johannesburg to London, Flash explores the roots and rhythms of music through conversations with musicians, DJs, authors, and industry insiders. Executive producers include Moore, Ross, Free Turn’s Jon Hamm, and Gemma Batterby.
Hit Singles (April 10, 2025) – A scripted romantic comedy following aspiring DJ Faith Adler (Evangeline Young) as she moves to Brooklyn for the summer, only to find herself tangled in a web of chaotic relationships, questionable choices, and late-night adventures. The series, created and directed by Gabriel Urbina, reunites the team behind Wolf 359—Sarah Shachat and Zachary Valenti—and features a cast including Simone Policano, Nicholas Podany, Juliah Rehwald, and Briggon Snow.
With these three new projects, Fresh Produce Media is proving that scripted audio storytelling is very much alive and thriving. Whether it’s espionage, music, or messy dating misadventures, there’s a little something for everyone to plug into.
Are you tuning in? Let’s talk in the comments!