Serial is a new podcast from the creators of This American Life.

One (true) Story, Told Week by Week

Serial is one of the first, well, serial podcasts. While most podcasts are episodic in nature (meaning they can be listened to as standalone episodes without any background knowledge), Serial tells one story from week to week. The podcast comes from the creators of This American Life, the popular public radio program hosted by Ira Glass. Serial, however, is hosted by Sarah Koenig, a staff producer at This American Life. The podcast can be streamed via Serial’s site or downloaded from one of the many podcast apps on both iOS and Android. If you’re new to podcasts in general this might be an unusual one to check out, but it’s an example of the ways in which the medium is quickly growing and evolving.

A New, Inventive Approach to Podcasting

Because Serial builds upon the same story each week, it’s designed to be listened to in order. All of the episodes are, thankfully, available for streaming, so you can catch up any time. The podcast’s website claims that the story explained in Serial is a true one, and it follows the 1999 disappearance of a Baltimore student named Hae Min Lee. It’s a true crime detective case, and the radio-style format of the podcast allows for inventive storytelling techniques that aren’t typically seen on television or other more visual forms of media. The Serial website also offers additional content relating to the story, such as letters written by the characters that are being discussed. It’s an incredibly cool project, and an interesting story that’s definitely worth listening to.