‘Serial’ Takes the Stand: How a Podcast Became a Character in Its Own Narrative

The post-conviction relief hearing for convicted Baltimore killer and “Serial” star Adnan Syed was supposed to last two days. It was then rescheduled for three, which then became four, or more — on Monday, it forged ahead — as the bailiff continued to prowl the aisle for illicit cellphonesand reporters doggedly exhausted their notebook reserves, and attorneys nitpicked and swanned their way through witness after witness in a big maroon courtroom, and it turned out that one of the players was not a person but the world’s most popular podcast, with 80 million downloads.

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