Serial

The logo of Serial, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

By Teal Scheffler

The podcast Serial is made up of two seasons, each consisting of 12 episodes. Each episode is about an hour long, but there’s never a dull minute. The first season is about more than solving a murder; it’s about freeing a (supposedly) innocent man from jail.

The podcast is made up of multiple interviews and narration. The background stories and transitions are told by the narrator. She does a great job at explaining the situation and keeping all of the information clear. The interviews get emotional, and the way they are conducted really draw the audience in. The whole story is incredibly intriguing, probably because it is such a sensitive topic. Music is used in Serial to set the mood and give listeners an idea of the kind of thing that will be said next. The music does a great job of foreshadowing the future events.

While the podcast completely revolves around the solving of a murder, I think the audience could really be anyone who is old enough to understand the content. There isn’t anything too gory about the story and it mostly focuses on the evidence aspect of the case in an effort to free Adnan Syed, the man who was charged with murder. The intended audience is most likely people over the age of 17 due to the content, although I think younger audiences would also find it very intriguing.