Serial podcast returns to the murder of Hae Min Lee after Adnan Syed released

You probably remember Serial, the true-crime podcast that turned scores of listeners into amateur sleuths as it investigated the killing of an 18-year-old high-school student, Hae Min Lee, in 1999. Debuting in 2014, it cast doubt on the conviction of her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, for her murder. Hosted by the This American Life producer Sarah Koenig, Serial was an unexpected smash, attracting more than 300mn downloads and helping to turn podcasting from a niche pursuit into a mainstream proposition.

Last week brought a twist in the tale in the form of Syed’s release from jail after 23 years, and a new explanatory episode from the original Serial team. The episode is simply called “Adnan Is Out” and runs through the chain of events that led to his release. Ex-Serial addicts may experience a rush of nostalgia at the tinkly soundtrack, copycat versions of which have since cropped up all over the audioverse, and at hearing Koenig, whose quizzical tones have largely been absent since she assumed a behind-the-scenes role at Serial Productions (now owned by the New York Times).

Koenig reveals she was in the courtroom for the Syed hearing — “More than 100 people at times shockingly quiet, as if no one was breathing,” she says. Surprisingly, the motion to overturn the conviction came from the prosecutor’s office. It was based on, among other things, new information about two potential suspects, renewed suspicion over the testimony of one of the key witnesses and loss of confidence in the original mobile phone evidence. “Adnan’s case was a mess — is a mess,” Koenig concludes. She adds that she isn’t one for predictions, but believes the chances of the state reprosecuting Syed are slim.

That Syed’s release has made headlines across the world is undoubtedly down to the Serial effect, which once again raises questions about true-crime podcasts and whether they can be a force for good. Koenig and co may have helped Syed’s cause by raising the profile of the case, but they also opened the floodgates for scores of podcasts devoted to reheating cold cases and hoping for a Serial-sized hit. All too often these stories of abuse and murder are packaged up like Hollywood thrillers and, in inviting us to speculate over case details, overlook the real lives at their core.

While, for the most part, Serial approached its subject with caution and care, the ongoing impact on the victim’s family is clear from Hae’s brother Young Lee’s statement to the court last week: “When I think it’s over it always comes back, a real-life living nightmare for 20-plus years.”

And so, in this new episode, it feels fitting that Koenig doesn’t so much celebrate Syed’s release as heave an exasperated sigh at a flawed justice system: “Even on a day when the government publicly recognises its own mistakes, it’s hard to feel cheered about a triumph of fairness. Because we’ve built a system that takes more than 20 years to self-correct — and that’s just this one case.”

serialpodcast.org