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On this week’s episode: Ellen Wiebe is a physician who helps seriously ill patients end their lives in Canada, where assisted suicide is legal. Is death a human right? link.podtrac.com/9d8q7di3

The Economics of Fortune Cookies: Those tiny treats that predict your future may come free at the end of a Chinese meal, but they’re big business (and not Chinese). Zachary Crockett will go on a long journey. link.podtrac.com/zjew7dyc

A hit like “Hamilton” can come from nowhere while a sure bet can lose $20 million in a flash. We speak with some of the biggest producers in the game — Sonia Friedman, Jeffrey Seller, Hal Luftig — and learn that there is only one guarantee: the theater owners always win.

The economics of locksmiths: The ability to get into any home, car, or safe can be lucrative — but fixing locks is a tough business. Zachary Crockett gets the key information. link.podtrac.com/83ib8pyt

Is it a theater piece or a psychological experiment? In an episode from 2012, we looked at what “Sleep No More” and the Stanford Prison Experiment can tell us about who we really are. link.podtrac.com/r8fdi14t

Will “3 Summers of Lincoln” make it to Broadway? It’s been in development for five years and has at least a year to go. On the eve of its out-of-town debut, the actor playing Lincoln quit. And the producers still need to raise another $15 million to bring the show to New York.

Jens Ludwig has an idea for how to fix America’s gun violence problem — and it starts by rejecting conventional wisdom from both sides of the political aisle. link.podtrac.com/ie6vqtrm

The economics of closed captions: It takes a highly skilled stenographer — and some specialized equipment — to transcribe TV dialogue in real time at 300 words per minute. Will A.I. rewrite the script? Zachary Crockett tries to keep up. link.podtrac.com/0gtffqjz

A backstage conversation with Jeffrey Seller, producer of “Rent,” “Avenue Q,” and “Hamilton.” To get subscriber-only episodes, sign up for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts here: freak.ws/3yAvQh0, or on other apps here: siriusxm.supportingcast.fm.

It used to be that making documentary films meant taking a vow of poverty (and obscurity). The streaming revolution changed that. Award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler talks to Stephen Dubner about capturing Billie Eilish’s musical genius and Martha Stewart’s vulnerability — and

Abraham Verghese (Abraham Verghese) is a physician and a best-selling author. He explains the difference between curing and healing, and tells Steve Levitt why doctors should spend more time with patients and less with electronic health records. link.podtrac.com/n2jx3tid

The economics of roller coasters: A new thrill ride can cost an amusement park $20 million or more — but roller coasters attract customers like nothing else. link.podtrac.com/sajqxe1t

We tend to think of tragedies as a single terrible moment, rather than the result of multiple bad decisions. Can this pattern be reversed? We try — with stories about wildfires, school shootings, and love. link.podtrac.com/4nga6dop

John Green (🐢🐢🐢John Green🐢🐢🐢) returns to the show to talk about tuberculosis — a disease that kills more than a million people a year. Steve Levitt has an idea for a new way to get treatment to those in need. link.podtrac.com/0wz6ed2l

The economics of data centers: Where is “the cloud,” anyway? It’s in a bunch of nondescript warehouses all over the country. Zachary Crockett serves up the story. link.podtrac.com/raln79xg

In medicine, failure can be catastrophic. It can also produce discoveries that save millions of lives. Tales from the front line, the lab, and the I.T. department. link.podtrac.com/bujmbicg

Giving up can be painful. That's why we need to talk about it. Today: stories about glitchy apps, leaky paint cans, broken sculptures — and a quest for the perfect bowl of ramen. link.podtrac.com/ufpzoaxe

The economics of little league: Youth baseball — long a widely accessible American pastime — has become overrun by $10,000-per-year, for-profit travel leagues. Zachary Crockett peers inside the dugout. link.podtrac.com/clne7k0d

Everyone makes mistakes. How do we learn from them? Lessons from the classroom, the Air Force, and the world’s deadliest infectious disease. link.podtrac.com/5zx7ktt4

Just beneath the surface of the global economy, there is a hidden layer of dealmakers for whom war, chaos, and sanctions can be a great business opportunity. Javier Blas and Jack Farchy, the authors of “The World for Sale,” help us shine a light on the shadowy realm of commodity