‘Serial’ Leads Apple And Spotify Podcast Charts After Adnan Syed Freed From Prison

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Serial, the podcast that is largely credited with starting the podcast craze and popularizing the true-crime genre after it questioned the murder conviction of subject Adnan Syed, jumped to the top of charts Wednesday, two days after Syed was freed from prison.

Adnan Syed, center, leaves the Elijah E. Cummings Courthouse, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, in Baltimore.

Key Facts

Serial was the No. 1 podcast on Apple and the No. 2 podcast in the U.S. on Spotify, a day after Serial posted a new episode of Season 1, which focused on Syed’s conviction, for the first time since 2014.

The new Serial episode was the No. 2 episode on Apple, though the number of listeners it received were not made public.

The Daily, the New York Times’ daily news podcast, did an episode Tuesday on why Syed was freed from prison, which was the No. 1 episode on Apple.

The new Serial episode, which is about 17 minutes long, discusses the legal journey it took to get Syed’s conviction re-examined, including a new legal act, a new prosecutor and two new suspects which Syed’s team was not made aware of during the trial.

Host Sarah Koenig noted the state is not saying Syed is innocent, rather, “we didn’t investigate this case thoroughly enough. We relied on evidence we shouldn’t have, and we broke the rules when we prosecuted. This wasn’t an honest conviction,” she said in the episode.

Much of the other shows in the Top 10 of Spotify and Apple’s charts are true crime series, a show of Serial’s initial influence on the industry.

Key Background

Syed was convicted of first-degree murder in 2000 for killing his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. He spent 23 years in prison. Last week, prosecutors asked a Maryland judge to vacate his conviction and have a new trial, saying new evidence was found that pointed toward two other suspects. Prosecutors have 30 days to either drop the case or bring a new trial. Syed, 41, has maintained his innocence for decades. Serial became the first podcast ever to reach 5 million downloads in 2014. The show is believed to have 300 million downloads. It became the first podcast to receive a Peabody award. Serial has released two other seasons, focusing on U.S. soldier and former Taliban prisoner Bowe Bergdahl, and the Cleveland court system. In 2020, the New York Times purchased Serial Productions, the production company behind the show. Koenig was photographed at the courthouse, microphone in hand, when Syed was released.

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