Forget cable: This fall’s most addictive new crime drama can be found on your smart phone.
Serial, a This American Life podcast spinoff, made its grand debut last weekend and listeners are already buzzing. The WBEZ production – Ira Glass is an editorial advisor – explores the details of a single crime case, telling the story over weekly, half hour-long episodes.
For its inaugural season, Serial investigates the mysterious 1999 disappearance and murder of high school senior Hae Min Lee. On February 9, Hae’s body was found in a city park outside Baltimore. Her ex-boyfriend, fellow high school student Adnan Syed, was convicted of the crime and sentenced to life in prison. He maintains his innocence to this day.
Show host Sarah Koenig delivers the kind of powerful storytelling listeners have come to expect from the her work on TAL. Revealing interviews are interspersed with fuzzy recordings from the original investigation; Koenig lets us listen in to her taped conversations with Adnan and even reads passages from Hae’s old diary.
With each episode, we’re given another piece to the puzzle. With each answer Koenig uncovers, three new questions pop up.
Hooked? We are too. Subscribe to Serial for free on iTunes or listen to the first two episodes via the show’s SoundCloud account. Be sure to explore Serial’s website for exclusive content.
And say goodbye to that quiet time on your morning commute – your ears are booked.
Update: Since the release of Serial, Adnan’s family friend Rabia Chaudry has written a book about his life in prison and key evidence she thinks could set him free. Download a summary of Adnan’s Story on Worth Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes.
Courtesy of This American Life
