Sarah Koenig’s weekly podcast, from the makers of This American Life, Serial, follows the chilling story of an old Baltimore homicide. The twelve-episode podcast will take you through the cold case of Hae Min Lee in 1999. Adnan Syed was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend but has always protested his innocence. The podcast launched in 2014 and was a huge success with 200 million downloads. Lee was found buried in Leakin Park, strangled and lifeless. Sarah Koenig investigates this endless puzzle.
Like other cases, this podcast will pull you in wondering who was a part of this wrongdoing. Each “character” who participated in this podcast can be suspicious about the information they give to Koenig. Throughout the episodes, Koenig paced this series allowing listeners to follow along with the case in a particular order to solve the mystery together.
This unique podcast reminds people that murder cases aren’t simple and clear. People are so used to watching murder cases on TV thinking it must be simple. In reality, it takes time, effort, and patience. What is intriguing about Serial is you never know if Adnan is guilty or innocent. Each character has something to say which will change everyone else’s story.
Season one began with a prerecorded phone call from Adnan in prison, which makes listeners think and realize. Serial was about determining the fate of a 17-year old boy, who is now thirty-two-years old who might have been wrongfully convicted. People may have thought this was a simple romantic story gone wrong, but in reality, it’s much deeper than that. This podcast will leave you at the edge of your seat wanting to listen to more every day. You will be “going back and forth” between each character wondering if Adnan was truly innocent or guilty. There are 10 hours in total that are worth listening to.