Serial

By: Serial Productions & The New York Times
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  • Summary

  • Serial Productions makes narrative podcasts that have transformed the medium. Sign up for our newsletter at nytimes.com/serialnewsletter to find out about new shows, get behind the scenes stories, and see photos and videos you can’t see on a podcast. To get full access to Serial Productions shows, and to other New York Times podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, subscribe at nytimes.com/podcasts. Have a story pitch, a tip, or feedback on our shows? Email us at serialshows@nytimes.com "Serial" began in 2014 as a spinoff of the public radio show "This American Life." In 2017, we formed Serial Productions when we launched the podcast “S-Town.” Since then, Serial Productions has produced every season of “Serial” along with shows like “Nice White Parents,” “The Trojan Horse Affair,” “The Coldest Case in Laramie,” “The Retrievals” and more. In 2020, we joined the New York Times Company. Our shows have reached many millions of listeners and have won nearly every major journalism award for audio, including the first-ever Peabody Award given to a podcast.
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Episodes
  • Serial S01 - Ep. 1: The Alibi

    Serial S01 - Ep. 1: The Alibi
    Oct 3 2014

    It'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.

    To get full access to this show, and to other Serial Productions and New York Times podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, subscribe at nytimes.com/podcasts.

    To find out about new shows from Serial Productions, and get a look behind the scenes, sign up for our newsletter at nytimes.com/serialnewsletter.

    Have a story pitch, a tip, or feedback on our shows? Email us at serialshows@nytimes.com

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    54 mins
  • Serial S01 - Ep. 2: The Breakup

    Serial S01 - Ep. 2: The Breakup
    Oct 3 2014

    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.

    To get full access to this show, and to other Serial Productions and New York Times podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, subscribe at nytimes.com/podcasts.

    To find out about new shows from Serial Productions, and get a look behind the scenes, sign up for our newsletter at nytimes.com/serialnewsletter.

    Have a story pitch, a tip, or feedback on our shows? Email us at serialshows@nytimes.com

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    37 mins
  • Serial S01 - Ep. 3: Leakin Park

    Serial S01 - Ep. 3: Leakin Park
    Oct 9 2014

    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.

    To get full access to this show, and to other Serial Productions and New York Times podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, subscribe at nytimes.com/podcasts.

    To find out about new shows from Serial Productions, and get a look behind the scenes, sign up for our newsletter at nytimes.com/serialnewsletter.

    Have a story pitch, a tip, or feedback on our shows? Email us at serialshows@nytimes.com

    Show more Show less
    27 mins

Featured Article: The Best True Crime Podcasts of All Time


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Featured Article The Best True Crime Podcasts of All Time

What listeners say about Serial

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Good

titles and I will be a good day at work and I will be a good day at work

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for Antoinetta C. Parrish

The City Railroaded this Man

I worked for the courts and lived in Baltimore for all of my 46 years of my life unti i moved out of state, and this is a normacie for young black, Muslim, Hispanic men. Police due a bad investigation just to close a case. I have served on jury duty and the police always have done incorrect or bubbled paperwork, mistakes. Small details such as a birthdate should make a difference as to how to charge defendants. I have also worked in the Central Booking Facility where they first go when arrested and booked also to see the commissioners. I have read many police reports that made no sense 😐, miss spelling 😅, no checking alibis. They will never work to hard to find other suspects, they just go with he say, she say....DO SOME REAL POLICE WORK, INVESTIGATE, LEARN TO FILTER THRU LIERS( OH NO THATS RIGHT IM JUST TRYING TO GET A PROMOTION) CLOSE A BIG CASE GET PROMOTED AND HELP NUMBERS TO SAY CASES ARE SOLVED. Let me explain how this works murder rates are up. police are pushed to solved murder cases so they miss small details that are big details should I say. This leads to incarcerated the wrong person. most cases that are pushed are those of women or men who are not one of the black, Hispanic. or Muslim communities unless they have family or organizations applying pressure to the agency or detectives working the cases. Then if the person gets cleared or not convicted on the case the police harass that person. Now with that said most of those people become police informates (Jay) this is a pass or get out jail free card to not be charged on most or all charges for crimes that they are charged with.....I have seen this with my own eyes..... I'm just going sit this right here. I have been team Adan since hearing the first episode.

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Profile Image for Kelly L.

Delivery

What makes this story so powerful for me is the delivery. The voices were clear and spoken with great feeling and honeatt. I really appreciate Rachel for sharing her journey, it couldnt have been easy. I know exactly what she was doing with telling it. No more secrets, no more hiding. From one adult child to another, be easy on yourself and heal. It takes time. Surround yourself with people who will understand that.

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Profile Image for Arlington Pinchot

Enjoyed Most of Them

I will admit that the first podcast had me hook, line and sinker. Raw and compelling facts unfolding with a hint of doubt along the way for a tease. The second and third episodes were good, although the third seemed a little scattered with a lot to follow. Then we get to " Nice White Parents" perhaps if the others in the series were not legal or crime based it would be more digestible. The over all development was good but just not what I look for in a Serial Podcast piece. The only other criticism, is the amount of time in between seasons. I am hopeful now that they have been purchased, they will deliver more content regularly to an eager fan base.


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3 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for Jee

Solid Storytelling. Garbage narration, but still recommended

Serial is, hands down, one of the top 5 podcasts ever produced. The Trojan Horse is an amazing story that reflects the concept that there are always to sides to a coin/story. Albert Einstein once said, “There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” moral absolutism is what kicks this story off with a nice touch of Rashomon.

The unfortunate piece to this are the two young journalists who are driving the storyline through narrative and then being in it. Giving them any benefit of doubt, they are not voice actors and should not quit their day jobs; with that said, you find yourself cringing and distracted by one of them trying to keep his voice deep - maybe to sound mature? dunno - and to compound this irritation the audio bass is exaggerated making the who thing sound like a high school project, a very well done on TBH.

If one can get through the first few hours of this war garbage and process what is being said without distraction, what is processed is quite intriguing and very well told, just not told without pretense or security in the way one sounds when recorded.

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title

titles and I will be a good day at work and I will be a good day at work

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Profile Image for Resa

Excellent

Very well laid out case and story. The narration is perfect with a great balance of sound effects and music, and interview audio.

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Profile Image for spr1972

Fascinating and Diverse

I pick out the seasons/subject I want to listen to and have not been disappointed. Such a great series and great reporting.

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Good

titles and I will be a good day at work and I will be a good day at work

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Profile Image for >3i3<

more justice system mistrust

a solid reminder why you should never talk to or corporate with the cops when will we hold cops and prosecutors responsible for their actions

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