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Serial is a podcast from the creators of This American Life, hosted by Sarah Koenig. Serial unfolds one story - a true story - over the course of a whole season. The show follows the plot and characters wherever they lead, through many surprising twists and turns. Sarah won't know what happens at the end of the story until she gets there, not long before you get there with her. Each week she'll bring you the latest chapter, so it's important to listen in, starting with Episode 1. New episodes are released on Thursday mornings.
36 Episodes
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1,682It's Baltimore, 1999. Hae Min Lee, a popular high-school senior, disappears after school one day. Six weeks later detectives arrest her classmate and ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, for her murder. He says he's innocent - though he can't exactly remember what he was doing on that January afternoon. But someone can. A classmate at Woodlawn High School says she knows where Adnan was. The trouble is, she’s nowhere to be found.
Their relationship began like a storybook high-school romance: a prom date, love notes, sneaking off to be alone. But unlike other kids at school, they had to keep their dating secret, because their parents disapproved. Both of them, but especially Adnan, were under special pressure at home, and the stress of that spilled over into their relationship. Eventually Hae broke up with Adnan. And then, depending on who you ask, Adnan was either understandably sad and moping around, or full of rage and plotting to kill her.
It’s February 9, 1999. Hae has been missing for three weeks. A man on his lunch break pulls off a road to pee, and stumbles on her body in a city forest. His odd recounting of the discovery makes Detectives Ritz and MacGillivary suspicious. For instance, why did he walk so far into the woods - 127 feet - to relieve himself? And that’s just the start. A look into the man’s past reveals some bizarre behavior.
A few days after Hae’s body is found, the detectives get a lead that opens the case up for them. They find Jay at work late one night and bring him down to Homicide. At first, he insists he doesn’t know anything about the murder. But eventually he comes clean. He tells them what happened on January 13th. A few weeks later, he’s back at Homicide and his story has changed. In some ways, these changes are small and understandable. In other ways, they’re big and confounding.
Adnan once issued a challenge to Sarah. He told her to test the state’s timeline of the murder by driving from Woodlawn High School to Best Buy in 21 minutes. It can’t be done, he said. So Sarah and Dana take up the challenge, and raise him one: They try to recreate the entire route that Jay said he and Adnan took on January 13th, 1999.
The physical evidence against Adnan Syed was scant - a few underwhelming fingerprints. So aside from cell records, what did the prosecutors bring to the jury, to shore up Jay's testimony? Sarah weighs all the other circumstantial evidence they had against Adnan, including curious behavior, a disconcerting note, and an unexplained mid-afternoon phone call.
Adnan told Sarah about a case in Virginia that had striking similarities to his own: one key witness, incriminating cell phone records, young people, drugs - and a defendant who has always maintained his innocence. Sarah called up one of the defense attorneys on that case to see if she could offer any insight into Adnan’s case, and got much more than she bargained for.
The state’s case against Adnan Syed hinged on Jay’s credibility; he was their star witness and also, because of his changing statements to police, their chief liability. Naturally, Adnan’s lawyer tried hard to make Jay look untrustworthy at trial. So, how did the jurors make sense of Jay? For that matter, how did the cops make sense of Jay? How are we supposed to make sense of Jay?
New information is coming in about what maybe didn’t happen on January 13, 1999. And while Adnan’s memory of that day is foggy at best, he does remember what happened next: being questioned, being arrested and, a little more than a year later, being sentenced to life in prison.
Adnan’s trial lawyer was M. Cristina Gutierrez, a renowned defense attorney in Maryland – tough and savvy and smart. Other lawyers said she was exactly the kind of person you’d want defending you on a first-degree murder charge. But Adnan was convicted, and a year later, Gutierrez was disbarred. What happened?
Almost everyone describes the 17-year-old Adnan the same way: good kid, helpful at the mosque, respectful to his elders. But a couple of months ago, Sarah started getting phone calls from people who knew Adnan back then, and told her stories of a different kind of boy.
On January 13, 1999, Adnan Syed was a hurt and vengeful ex-boyfriend who carried out a premeditated murder. Or he was a bewildered bystander, framed for a crime he could never have committed. After 15 months of reporting, we take out everything we’ve got - interviews and documents and police reports - we shake it all out, and we see what sticks.
February 2016: Sarah Koenig ducks back into the Adnan Syed case for a few days. There’s a hearing in Baltimore—a court proceeding that’s been nearly sixteen years in the making. Syed’s attorney will introduce new evidence, and present a case for why his conviction should be overturned. Sarah and producer Dana Chivvis will discuss what happens, day by day.
February 2016: Sarah Koenig ducks back into the Adnan Syed case for a few days. There’s a hearing in Baltimore—a court proceeding that’s been nearly sixteen years in the making. Syed’s attorney will introduce new evidence, and present a case for why his conviction should be overturned. Sarah and producer Dana Chivvis will discuss what happens, day by day.
February 2016: Sarah Koenig ducks back into the Adnan Syed case for a few days. There’s a hearing in Baltimore—a court proceeding that’s been nearly sixteen years in the making. Syed’s attorney will introduce new evidence, and present a case for why his conviction should be overturned. Sarah and producer Dana Chivvis will discuss what happens, day by day.
In the middle of the night, Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl grabs a notebook, snacks, water, some cash. Then he quietly slips off a remote U.S. Army outpost in eastern Afghanistan and into the dark, open desert. About 20 minutes later, it occurs to him: he’s in over his head.
On the move with Bergdahl, the Taliban slip past the U.S. Army’s massive effort to find him. During those days and weeks, each side is asking, what is Bergdahl worth to us?
Bergdahl’s first year in captivity starts with an escape and ends with an escape. In between, he learns necessary, twisted lessons of survival.
What's happening on the other side of the door?
CIA, FBI, YouTube, the Portland PD? There was no handbook for getting Bergdahl back.
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Dude's still not looking even remotely innocent.
So is the whole point of this season to make this guy look innocent? So far the cell phone records, fingerprints, and testimony of a guy who says he helped the suspect bury the body have just been glossed over, and the entire episode focuses on an unreliable witness that contradicts the suspects aliby, changed her story multiple times, and doesn't even know exactly when she claims to have seen him at the library. Yeah, it's hard to remember what you did on a random day six weeks ago, but this isn't a random day. It's the day his ex girlfriend / close friend disappeared and was later found murdered. She really goes out of her way to make excuses for him. Maybe next few episodes will have some actual evidence to contradict his conviction?
to me seems like maybe this Jay guy did it.
Ye
I believe Mr S and Jay were in it together on killing Her!
So, in the first episode you look to the color of people as a division between us and overlook the clear differences that actually should be talked about.: different cultures. It isn't the color of our skin that separates us, but the values we have. For example, the loud "shared" music in the elevator. Educated lawyers (black or white) would look at that and see a cultural faux pas while the uneducated (again black or white) would see this as an extension of the club scene beyond last night. See, a difference in culture. It is ridiculous to think that the glances between the "white" people means they are thinking about race. What if, just what if, they are looking at each other thinking that "this is culturally inappropriate to assume that I like this kind of music or that I want to hear it right now?" This podcast is edging on the side of being a race-baiting diatribe.
I absolutely love this podcast! I really want them to come out with new season/episodes!!!
I don't trust this Jay guy as far as I can throw him. He knows waaaaayyy more than what he is letting on.
kathy has the worst vocal fry on the planet, holy shit. I almost had to fast forward because I wanted to give her a cough drop so bad
That's really good
Is no one considering Stephanie? It's so odd she refused to even talk to her closest friends about it both then and still after all this time. I can definitely see Jay covering for her... If he himself didn't do it. Or they were in on it together.
This series is reminding me of the Chamberlain case in Australia. There are still people who'd say Lindy was guilty, even if God himself told them they were wrong. Can't stand people making jokes or flippant remarks about real people when it's a real life at stake. Poor Hae Min Lee. Why on earth was she killed? That story seems buried with her. Its also blindingly obvious Adnan shouldn't be in jail. How can a man actually be in jail for life on such flimsy, crocked up evidence???
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I'm hooked on this series
I don't understand what's going on. is there not an introduction to what this story is about???
Sooo...if I assume a rich, powerful, white guy is a sexual predator based on modern stereotypes, that's cool right?
Heard the whole season 1 today. Enthralling is all I can say. But the one thing I can't wrapnly head around is Jay. He admitted to digging the hole, and helping dispose of the body. So, this should narrow down the guilty parties ( Jay and ?) scratch out Mr S., unless he knew Jay. wouldn't that be something! It's either Adnan and Jay equally guilty. Or just Jay. and Jay being the smartest to get away with it. Regardless, Jay getting 2 years probation is laughable. I'm sorry but even at that age you know right from wrong. IDC how street you are. the second you're asked to help with that you run away , call the police and tell them everything ASAP. I don't buy his BS reasons. Adnan is a charming dude, has the gift of gab. but I believe he's a sociopath and to some extent a narcissist. He sells it very well. He even convinces himself he's innocent. I wanted to believe he's innocent, but in the end I think he's where he needs to be. However, Jay? man, how in the hell did he get 2 years probation only? because he cried? And showed remorse? and was cooperative? I mean anyone would in that position would do ,and act the same way if they knew it would help them get that kind of sentence! Anyways, great show! I am addicted to it! can't wait to hear season 2!
Jay is so guilty also this Jen person is kind of dodgy too. So many people who could be guilty where are they only focussing on the boyfriends????? like if your listening after Jan 2020
started alright, but this series is moving way too slow and the end is disappointing
Just wondering are uou guys doing any more podcasts?