The Case Against Adnan Syed, airs Sundays on HBO. The four-part documentary is centered on the murder of Hae Min Lee, and questions the case against her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, who was convicted for the crime.
Syed is one of the nation’s most famous murder suspects, this is possibly a result of the 2014 podcast Serial, which took deep look into the case and questioned its reasonable doubt. The host Sarah Koenig went on to win a Peabody for the podcast series. Undisclosed, another podcast that investigates wrongful convictions and the U.S. criminal justice system, also had a season focused on Syed’s case. In 2016 Syed used his last appeal to make the case that he had negligent defense, suggesting the existence of more evidence that could exonerate him. He was successful in lower courts and was granted a retrial in 2018.
However, just days before the HBO documentary series aired, Syed’s conviction was reinstated for the 1999 murder of ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. Although this comes as a major setback for Syed, it may contextualize the story for those who choose to tune into HBO’s new documentary. “When you are working a case that you think is a wrongful conviction,” says Rabia Chaudry. She is one of Syed’s most consistent advocates and is featured throughout the documentary.
The documentary tries to expand on the podcast Serial, which was at the time the most viral podcast in history. The popularity of the podcast caused parodies on social media and huge public debate over the one gripping question: Did Adnan do it? The docuseries uses many sources and angles to present this story to viewers. The victim Hae Min Lee, is quoted by her diary entries with the attempt to bring her to life. It also uses phone conversations, interviews with friends and family and pictures to convey the story of Hae Min Lee and Adnan.
Despite the variety of components, the four-part documentary is predicted to present the same evidence and information as the Serial podcast limiting the possibility of different outcomes. The docuseries has only two episodes left to showcase the disecetion of Syed’s case.