‘Serial’ Is Returning For Two More Series; Sarah Koenig Explains New Developments In Adnan Syed’s Case
"We are hard at work reporting not one, but two distinct new stories."
Since the first season of Serial finished up last December, leaving us somewhat predictably with more questions than answers, things have progressed in the Hae Min Lee murder case of 1999.
Jay Wild, the principal witness who was eerily missing from the podcast, gave an in depth interview to The Intercept which poured unflattering light over the reporting techniques of Koenig and her team; the chief prosecutor Kevin Urick also spoke to The Intercept, defending the guilty verdict of Adnan Syed, describing the proceedings of the case as “run-of-the-mill”, and claiming that the Serial team didn’t put nearly as much effort into contacting him as they’d claimed; The Maryland Court of Special Appeals began looking into whether Syed should be granted a new trial; and, after the mysterious alibi Asia McClain came forward to say she never recanted her testimony, the appeals court allowed Syed to ask the circuit court to re-open the post-conviction proceedings, so he can present the evidence provided by McClain’s affidavit.
Rabia Chaudry, the long-time legal advocate of Adnan Syed who was in part responsible for Serial‘s focus on his case, is continuing to drip-feed her own fortnightly podcast — and overnight, the team behind Serial finally announced details of what’s coming next.
“We are hard at work reporting not one, but two distinct new stories,” wrote Sarah Koenig in an email to Serial subscribers. “This means we’re planning on a third season of Serial. And we hope it means we can reduce the amount of time between the end of Season Two and the beginning of Season Three.
“As it stands, we intend to launch Season Two this fall [fall begins in September] and Season Three next spring. Sorry — we can’t tell you details about the new stories yet. What we can say is that they’re very different from Season One, but no less interesting to us.”
She also discussed the recent developments in Syed’s case:
“The appeals court’s order does not mean Adnan will get a new trial. Nor does it mean that the circuit has to agree to hear Asia’s testimony. But with this order, the appeals court has certainly cracked open a door. And anytime a court opens a door to new testimony – new fact-finding – that’s a big deal for the appellee. In other words, good news for Adnan,” she wrote.
“I don’t presume to know the judges’ minds, or ascribe extra-judicial motives to their rulings. But clearly the appellate judges are aware the public is watching, and while I don’t imagine they’d order anything they didn’t think was just, I do think it’s possible that they’re being extra careful to make this process as transparent as they can, so that the public will fully understand their ultimate decision.”
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Read the full email here; visit the Serial website here; watch an excellent parody below: