Serial
165 episodes - English - Latest episode: 15 days ago - ★★★★★ - 72.9K ratingsSerial returns with a history of Guantánamo told by people who lived through key moments in Guantánamo’s evolution, who know things the rest of us don’t about what it’s like to be caught inside an improvised justice system.
Serial Productions makes narrative podcasts whose quality and innovation transformed the medium. “Serial” began in 2014 as a spinoff of the public radio show “This American Life.” In 2020, we joined the New York Times Company. Our shows have reached many millions of listeners and have won nearly every major journalism award for audio, including the first-ever Peabody Award given to a podcast.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest Serial Productions news: https://bit.ly/3FIOJj9
Have thoughts or feedback on our shows? Email us at [email protected]
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
S04 - Ep. 3: Ahmad the Iguana Feeder
April 04, 2024 10:00 - 1 hour - 55.7 MBAn Arabic-speaking airman is sent to Guantánamo to translate, and soon finds himself at the center of a major scandal. Part 1: Suspicion swallows evidence.
S04 - Ep. 2: The Special Project
March 28, 2024 10:05 - 47 minutes - 43.2 MBIn 2002, an elite interrogation team secretly staged Guantánamo’s most elaborate intel operation — to try to get a single detainee to talk.
S04 - Ep. 1: Poor Baby Raul
March 28, 2024 10:00 - 41 minutes - 37.7 MBMaybe you have an idea in your head about what it was like to work at Guantánamo, one of the most notorious prisons in the world. Think again.
S04 - Trailer
March 21, 2024 10:00 - 2 minutes - 2.17 MBFrom Serial Productions and The New York Times, Serial Season 4 is a history of Guantánamo told by people who lived through key moments in Guantánamo’s evolution, who know things the rest of us don’t about what it’s like to be caught inside an improvised justice system. Episodes 1 and 2 arrive Thursday, March 28.
The Coldest Case In Laramie - Episode 8
March 30, 2023 09:35 - 36 minutes - 47.9 MBKim interviews Fred Lamb and takes a fresh look at the case.
The Coldest Case In Laramie - Episode 7
March 30, 2023 09:30 - 34 minutes - 46.4 MBKim takes stock of the evidence against Fred Lamb and gets to the bottom of the stories she’s heard about him — including one from his wife of more than 30 years.
The Coldest Case In Laramie - Episode 6
March 30, 2023 09:25 - 31 minutes - 43.4 MBKim examines the bizarre interrogation that led to Fred Lamb’s arrest.
The Coldest Case In Laramie - Episode 5
March 30, 2023 09:20 - 32 minutes - 44.9 MBKim talks to someone who confessed to Shelli’s murder from a jail in Arizona.
The Coldest Case In Laramie - Episode 4
March 30, 2023 09:15 - 36 minutes - 47.8 MBKim digs into the early stages of the investigation into Shelli’s murder and follows up with old suspects.
The Coldest Case In Laramie - Episode 3
March 30, 2023 09:10 - 28 minutes - 40.5 MBKim heads to Laramie and hears two very different versions of the case against Fred Lamb.
The Coldest Case In Laramie - Episode 2
March 30, 2023 09:05 - 23 minutes - 35.9 MBKim talks to Shelli’s former roommate, who connects Kim with a man who was at the crime scene and has troubling memories about Fred Lamb and the police.
The Coldest Case In Laramie - Episode 1
March 30, 2023 09:00 - 23 minutes - 36.6 MBA Times investigative reporter, Kim Barker, revisits the murder of Shelli Wiley — a long-unsolved case from Kim’s time in high school. She reaches out to Shelli’s family to understand why the police arrested a man named Fred Lamb for Shelli’s murder in 2016, and why prosecutors abruptly dropped the charges against him.
The Coldest Case In Laramie - Trailer
February 16, 2023 05:00 - 4 minutes - 19 MBKim Barker, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times, revisits an unsolved murder that took place while she was in high school in Laramie, Wyoming, nearly 40 years ago. She confronts the conflicting stories people have told themselves about the crime because of an unexpected development: the arrest of a former Laramie police officer accused in the murder. All eight episodes of "The Coldest Case in Laramie," a new show from Serial Productions and The New York Tim...
We Were Three - Ep. 3: I Am All That Is Left. Amen.
October 13, 2022 06:10 - 44 minutes - 40.6 MBRachel goes back to California, to the place where she grew up and where her brother and father died, to find answers. For more information on 'We Were Three': https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/11/podcasts/we-were-three.html
We Were Three - Ep. 2: Assassin
October 13, 2022 06:05 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBRachel retraces how her family, over decades, fell apart and came back together. For more information on 'We Were Three': https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/11/podcasts/we-were-three.html
We Were Three - Ep. 1: Black Box
October 13, 2022 06:00 - 43 minutes - 40.3 MBRachel goes back to California, to the place where she grew up and where her brother and father died, to find answers. For more information on 'We Were Three': https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/11/podcasts/we-were-three.html
We Were Three - Trailer
October 13, 2022 05:55 - 3 minutes - 2.79 MBA three-part series from This American Life producer Nancy Updike. When Rachel McKibbens’s father and brother died suddenly last fall, two weeks apart, from Covid, she’d had no idea her father was sick, and no idea her brother was dying. They were unvaccinated, but the story of what happened started long before that. All three episodes of "We Were Three," a new show from Serial Productions and The New York Times, are available now wherever you get your podcasts.
The Trojan Horse Affair - Part 8
March 18, 2022 09:35 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBA man banned from working in education in the aftermath of the Trojan Horse letter inspires Brian and Hamza to track down one last witness with him – in Australia. And all three travelers find their faith tested.
The Trojan Horse Affair - Part 7
March 18, 2022 09:30 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MBBirmingham authorities struggle to explain why they disavowed their own findings about the Trojan Horse plot. But when Brian and Hamza make a discovery deep inside some court documents, everything suddenly makes sense.
The Trojan Horse Affair - Part 6
March 18, 2022 09:25 - 1 hour - 59.5 MBHamza takes a long, hard look at what the government found when it investigated more than 20 majority-Muslim schools in Birmingham. And our two reporters have a confrontation – with each other.
The Trojan Horse Affair - Part 5
March 18, 2022 09:20 - 1 hour - 55.1 MBHamza and Brian learn that the Trojan Horse letter wasn’t the only unsigned letter alleging an extremist operation was afoot in Birmingham. An interview with a couple who lodged complaints against their school starts out cordially, but six hours later, the atmosphere is so tense that not even an offer of tea can smooth things over. And Hamza stops pretending he’s not angry about what he’s hearing.
The Trojan Horse Affair - Part 4
March 18, 2022 09:15 - 45 minutes - 41.6 MBA series of frustrating interviews with Birmingham politicians leaves Brian and Hamza wondering if crucial information about the Trojan Horse letter was kept from officials in London. Then one rainy Friday afternoon, Brian hears back from a government source who wants to meet right away.
The Trojan Horse Affair - Part 3
March 18, 2022 09:10 - 38 minutes - 34.9 MBIn a state of surprise, Hamza and Brian leave a meeting with the man the Trojan Horse letter was first sent to. And they learn about an internal investigation report that local officials have kept hidden, but which they think could contain a bombshell.
The Trojan Horse Affair - Part 2
March 18, 2022 09:05 - 53 minutes - 48.9 MBHamza and Brian think the source of the Trojan Horse letter might be hiding in plain sight. After learning about the petty personnel dispute that probably gave rise to the letter, they’re even more bewildered about how it ever could have been taken seriously.
The Trojan Horse Affair - Part 1
March 18, 2022 09:00 - 59 minutes - 54.3 MBA strange letter appears outlining a plot by Islamic extremists to infiltrate Birmingham schools. Hamza and Brian visit the supposed mastermind of the plot, and he tells them he did take over a bunch of schools – just not for the reasons in the letter.
The Trojan Horse Affair - Trailer
February 03, 2022 10:00 - 4 minutes - 4.18 MBA mysterious letter detailing a supposed Islamist plot to take over schools shocked Britain in 2014. But who wrote it? From Serial Productions and The New York Times, “The Trojan Horse Affair,” an investigation that became bigger than we ever imagined. All eight parts are available now, wherever you get your podcasts. Search "The Trojan Horse Affair."
The Improvement Association - Chap 5
April 28, 2021 10:00 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBThe Improvement Association PAC’s power in the county is threatened when an unlikely candidate enters the race for county commissioner. Plenty of people outside the PAC now have their own ideas about how to build Black political power here. Zoe examines what this election could mean for the PAC’s future.
The Improvement Association - Ep. 5: ‘Democrat, Republican, White, Black, Green’
April 28, 2021 10:00 - 48 minutes - 44.8 MBThe Improvement Association PAC’s power in the county is threatened when an unlikely candidate enters the race for county commissioner. Plenty of people outside the PAC now have their own ideas about how to build Black political power here. Zoe examines what this election could mean for the PAC’s future.
The Improvement Association - Chap 4
April 28, 2021 10:00 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBWith the PAC’s reputation suffering because of years of cheating accusations and resentment stirring within its ranks, a prominent member turns against the leadership. Nevertheless, Horace and his closest allies make a bold move by supporting a political upset at the center of the county.
The Improvement Association - Ep. 4: ‘Let Them Pull the Red Wagon’
April 28, 2021 10:00 - 51 minutes - 46.8 MBWith the PAC’s reputation suffering because of years of cheating accusations and resentment stirring within its ranks, a prominent member turns against the leadership. Nevertheless, Horace and his closest allies make a bold move by supporting a political upset at the center of the county.
The Improvement Association - Ep. 3: ‘The Ballad of the Nursing Home Ballots’
April 28, 2021 10:00 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBZoe delves into one of the most serious allegations against the Bladen Improvement PAC: an accusation about stealing votes from vulnerable people that goes back 10 years. In trying to track down the veracity of this particularly persistent rumor, she comes to understand how and why election cheating allegations are so sticky.
The Improvement Association - Chap 3
April 28, 2021 10:00 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBZoe delves into one of the most serious allegations against the Bladen Improvement PAC: an accusation about stealing votes from vulnerable people that goes back 10 years. In trying to track down the veracity of this particularly persistent rumor, she comes to understand how and why election cheating allegations are so sticky.
The Improvement Association - Chap 2
April 28, 2021 10:00 - 44 minutes - 40.5 MBZoe talks to people in the county who believe the Bladen Improvement PAC has been cheating for years. She tries to get beyond the rumors and into specifics, and comes face to face with the intense suspicion and scrutiny leveled against the organization. In the middle of another election, Zoe goes out with members of the PAC to watch how they operate and try to make sense of all these allegations against them.
The Improvement Association - Ep. 2: ‘Where Is Your Choice?’
April 28, 2021 10:00 - 44 minutes - 40.5 MBZoe talks to people in the county who believe the Bladen Improvement PAC has been cheating for years. She tries to get beyond the rumors and into specifics, and comes face to face with the intense suspicion and scrutiny leveled against the organization. In the middle of another election, Zoe goes out with members of the PAC to watch how they operate and try to make sense of all these allegations against them.
The Improvement Association - Chap 1
April 28, 2021 10:00 - 44 minutes - 40.5 MBFollowing a notorious case of election fraud in Bladen County, North Carolina, in 2018, the reporter Zoe Chace gets an invitation from Horace Munn, the leader of the Bladen County Improvement Association PAC, a Black political advocacy group whose name was dragged into the scandal. Horace asks Zoe to come down and investigate for herself and find out who is really cheating.
The Improvement Association - Ep. 1: ‘The Big Shadoo’
April 28, 2021 10:00 - 44 minutes - 40.5 MBFollowing a notorious case of election fraud in Bladen County, North Carolina, in 2018, the reporter Zoe Chace gets an invitation from Horace Munn, the leader of the Bladen County Improvement Association PAC, a Black political advocacy group whose name was dragged into the scandal. Horace asks Zoe to come down and investigate for herself and find out who is really cheating.
The Improvement Association - Trailer
March 30, 2021 10:00 - 3 minutes - 3.32 MBListen to the trailer for our newest show, "The Improvement Association." From Serial Productions and The New York Times, hosted by Zoe Chace.
A new show from Serial!
March 30, 2021 10:00 - 3 minutes - 3.43 MBListen to the trailer for our newest show, "The Improvement Association." From Serial Productions and The New York Times, hosted by Zoe Chace.
Nice White Parents - Ep. 5: ‘We Know It When We See It’
August 20, 2020 09:00 - 52 minutes - 47.9 MBChana has traced the history of the school from its founding and come to the present. But now: One unexpected last chapter. Last year, the school district for BHS mandated a change in the zoning process to ensure all middle schools would be racially integrated. No longer can white families hoard resources in a few select schools. Black and Latino parents have been demanding this change since the late 1950s. The courts have mandated it. Chana asks: How did this happen? And is this a blueprint...
Nice White Parents - Ep. 5
August 20, 2020 09:00 - 52 minutes - 47.9 MBChana has traced the history of the school from its founding and come to the present. But now: One unexpected last chapter. Last year, the school district for BHS mandated a change in the zoning process to ensure all middle schools would be racially integrated. No longer can white families hoard resources in a few select schools. Black and Latino parents have been demanding this change since the late 1950s. The courts have mandated it. Chana asks: How did this happen? And is this a blueprint...
Nice White Parents - Ep. 4: ‘Here’s Another Fun Thing You Can Do’
August 20, 2020 08:59 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBPublic schools are inequitable because the school systems are maniacally loyal to white families. We can’t have equitable public education unless schools limit the disproportionate power of white parents. But is that even possible? Chana finds two schools that are trying to do just that, and both are actually inside the 293 building. One is downstairs in the basement, where a charter school called Success Academy opened about 7 years ago. The other is upstairs at BHS, the newly renamed SIS.
Nice White Parents - Ep. 4
August 20, 2020 08:59 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBPublic schools are inequitable because the school systems are maniacally loyal to white families. We can’t have equitable public education unless schools limit the disproportionate power of white parents. But is that even possible? Chana finds two schools that are trying to do just that, and both are actually inside the 293 building. One is downstairs in the basement, where a charter school called Success Academy opened about 7 years ago. The other is upstairs at BHS, the newly renamed SIS.
Nice White Parents - Ep. 3
August 20, 2020 08:58 - 45 minutes - 41.2 MBChana Joffe-Walt explores how white parents can shape a school — even when they aren’t there. She traces the history of I.S. 293, now the Boerum Hill School for International Studies, from the 1980s through the modern education reforms of the 2000s. In the process, Chana talks to alumni who loved their school and never questioned why it was on the edge of a white neighborhood. To them, it was just where everyone went. But she also speaks to some who watched the school change over the years ...
Nice White Parents - Ep. 3: ‘This Is Our School, How Dare You?’
August 20, 2020 08:58 - 45 minutes - 41.2 MBChana Joffe-Walt explores how white parents can shape a school — even when they aren’t there. She traces the history of I.S. 293, now the Boerum Hill School for International Studies, from the 1980s through the modern education reforms of the 2000s. In the process, Chana talks to alumni who loved their school and never questioned why it was on the edge of a white neighborhood. To them, it was just where everyone went. But she also speaks to some who watched the school change over the years ...
Nice White Parents - Ep. 2: ‘I Still Believe in It’
August 20, 2020 08:57 - 51 minutes - 47.4 MBChana Joffe-Walt searches the New York City Board of Education archives for more information about the School for International Studies, which was originally called I.S. 293. In the process, she finds a folder of letters written in 1963 by mostly white families in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. They are asking for the board to change the proposed construction of the school to a site where it would be more likely to be racially integrated. It’s less than a decade after Brown v. Board of Education, ...
Nice White Parents - Ep. 2
August 20, 2020 08:57 - 51 minutes - 47.4 MBChana Joffe-Walt searches the New York City Board of Education archives for more information about the School for International Studies, which was originally called I.S. 293. In the process, she finds a folder of letters written in 1963 by mostly white families in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. They are asking for the board to change the proposed construction of the school to a site where it would be more likely to be racially integrated. It’s less than a decade after Brown v. Board of Education, ...
Nice White Parents - Ep. 1
August 20, 2020 08:56 - 1 hour - 56 MBIt’s 2015 and one Brooklyn middle school is about to receive a huge influx of new students. Reporter Chana Joffe Walt follows what happens when the School for International Studies’s 6th grade class swells from 30 mostly Latino, Black and Middle Eastern students, to a class of 103 —an influx almost entirely driven by white families. Everyone wants “what’s best for the school” but it becomes clear that they don’t share the same vision of what “best” means. For more information about this...
Nice White Parents - Ep. 1: The Book of Statuses
August 20, 2020 08:56 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBIt’s 2015 and one Brooklyn middle school is about to receive a huge influx of new students. Reporter Chana Joffe Walt follows what happens when the School for International Studies’s 6th grade class swells from 30 mostly Latino, Black and Middle Eastern students, to a class of 103 —an influx almost entirely driven by white families. Everyone wants “what’s best for the school” but it becomes clear that they don’t share the same vision of what “best” means. For more information about this...
Introducing: Nice White Parents
July 23, 2020 12:15We have a new show! Here’s a sneak peek of Nice White Parents, a new limited series about building a better school system, and what gets in the way. Coming July 30 from Serial Productions, brought to you by The New York Times. Subscribe today.
S-Town - Chapter VII
November 20, 2018 10:30 - 1 hour - 58.1 MB“You’re beginning to figure it out now, aren’t you?”