The trailer for HBO’s upcoming documentary series The Case Against Adnan Syed promises a “new chapter in the story that became a global sensation” after it was brought to attention by the hit podcast Serial. The four-part series will out in March.
Directed by Amy Berg, the true-crime show will delve deeper into the January 1999 murder of 18-year-old Korean-American high-school student Hae Min Lee and the charges against her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed, who was imprisoned in the case in 2000. The groundwork for the series was laid by the the massively successful first season of Serial (2014-15), hosted by Sarah Koenig, which pointed to alleged loopholes in Syed’s trial and spoke to him at length about the charges against him. Syed, now 38, has been in prison for 19 years and has maintained his innocence. In 2016, Syed was granted a retrial in the case, which is yet to take place.
The Case Against Adnan Syed “closely re-examines the events leading up to Hae Min Lee’s disappearance, from high school romance, forbidden love and cultural conflict, to the aftermath of her disappearance, the original police investigation and the present day”, according to HBO. The series will present “new discoveries as well as groundbreaking revelations that challenge the state’s case” and trace “how the rush to justice and Syed’s conviction in 2000 raised more questions than answers...underscoring the instability of memory and conflicting eyewitnesses”.
The Case Against Adnan Syed is the latest show based on a podcast. The list includes Amazon Prime Video’s Homecoming and Lore and Bravo’s Dirty John, which will be out on Netflix in February 14.
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