6 Podcasts Being Adapted To TV (And 5 More That Should Be)
10. Adapted: Serial (HBO)
The Case Against Adnan Syed is one of the bigger true crime documentaries that reignited interest in the genre in recent years, which isn't surprising, considering the enormous splashes made by the podcast Serial when they covered the case.
The way the podcast went viral after its release in 2014 resulted in the four-part HBO series in 2019, and though it didn't add much new information, it continued to spark interest in the case, coinciding with the push for a retrial for the incarcerated Syed happening in the same year.
Serial's format, with each season being a different case, as well as its record-holding number of downloads and Peabody Award, shows how truly innovative and impactful the genre can be. And while it didn't need the TV series to be one of the most talked-about pieces of media in the world, it fits the format beautifully, getting an even wider audience interested to the story.
And while the show's inherent bias needs to be addressed, it's important to note how media attention can bring light, and maybe even justice, to unsolved or disputed cases that otherwise would have remained in obscurity.