10. Serial (Top 10 of 2014)

Serial podcast

I have to admit, it took me a while to actually listen to this podcast. I just couldn't buy that lengthy audio-only episodes would be engaging enough to keep up with, but boy was I wrong. That's probably why I just now got around to it, but I only have to be halfway through the episodes to know that Serial is one of my favorite things of 2014.


The concept is simple. Host Sarah Koenig is looking back at a murder that took place in 1998 and looking into the trial that eventually locked up Adnan Syed. Koenig is so personable that it makes you interested in this case. You can feel her passion as you listen, and you are right there with the Serial team as they attempt to unravel this mystery. I don't want to say too much about it (which is funny really, because it's kind of like I don't want to spoil a real life event), but while listening to this podcast I find myself so focused on things like payphones, letters, and cell towers. I know, it sounds boring, but trust me, it's not.

Serial is so addicting, and I think it's so cool that it's a podcast. Podcasts have been on the bubble for a while now, but this one seems to have broken out, and if others follow suit, they could finally become the norm. Maybe that's why I'm so interested in Serial and its success, because it creates a new medium for us to consume entertainment! (Nerdy excitement!) I'm nervous about season two, because the next case will not, as Koenig puts it, "fall in her lap," but I'm even more excited to listen to it! Just give the first episode a try, and I promise, you'll be surprised (and obsessed).