Serial (podcast)

Serial
Presentation
Hosted bySarah Koenig
Dana Chivvis (s. 4–)
Genre
LanguageEnglish
Updates
  • Thursday morning
  • Season one: weekly
  • Season two:
  •    Episodes 1–3: weekly
  •    Episodes 4–11: every other week
  • Season three: weekly
  • Season four: weekly
LengthVariable (16–65 minutes)
Country of originUnited States
Production
Production
  • Sarah Koenig
  • Julie Snyder
  • Dana Chivvis
  • Emily Condon
  • Jessica Weisberg
Audio formatPodcast (via streaming or downloadable MP3)
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes42
Publication
Original releaseOctober 3, 2014 (2014-10-03)
Cited for2015 Peabody Award
Cited as"an audio game-changer"
ProviderWBEZ
Related
AdaptationsThe Case Against Adnan Syed
Websiteserialpodcast.org Edit this at Wikidata
Serial host and producer Sarah Koenig

Serial is an investigative journalism podcast hosted by Sarah Koenig, narrating a nonfiction story over multiple episodes. The series was co-created and is co-produced by Koenig and Julie Snyder and developed by This American Life; as of July 2020, it is owned by The New York Times.

Season 1 investigated the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee (Hangul: 이해민), an 18-year-old student at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County. Season 2 focused on Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, an American Army soldier who was held for five years by the Taliban, and then charged with desertion. Season 3 explores cases within the Justice Center Complex in the Cleveland area. Season 4, covering the history of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, premiered in March 2024.

Serial ranked number one on iTunes even before its debut and remained there for several weeks.[1] Serial won a Peabody Award in April 2015 for its innovative telling of a long-form nonfiction story.[2] As of September 2018, episodes of seasons 1 and 2 have been downloaded over 340 million times, establishing an ongoing podcast world record.[3]

  1. ^ Larson, Sarah (October 9, 2014). "Serial: The Podcast We've Been Waiting For". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  2. ^ Gorelick, Richard. "'Serial' is first-ever podcast to win Peabody award; creator Sarah Koenig makes Time's 100 most influential people list [Updated]". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  3. ^ Spangler, Todd (September 5, 2018). "'Serial' Season 3 Podcast Premiere Date Set". Variety. Retrieved October 23, 2018.