Sarah Koenig’s Serial (podcast) first season ends tonight; season 2 assured, thanks to donation from fans

Serial, a spinoff from the This American Life radio program, will be airing its 12th and last episode for Season I tonight, December 18. Titled "What We Know," show creator and host Sarah Koenig is expected to finally put a satisfying conclusion to the story that has been keeping the fans of the podcast series guessing since October 3 when the first episode was released on the Internet.

Serial's maiden season is an in-depth examination of an investigation into a 1999 Baltimore murder case. The victim was Hae Min Lee, an 18-year-old student at Woodland High School. The suspect was Adnan Musud Syed, Lee's ex-boyfriend, who was was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Following a six-week trial, the accused was found guilty of Lee's murder and given a sentence of life imprisonment. Syed to this day maintained that he was innocent of the crime charged against him.

In last Thursday's podcast episode, Koenig explored some of the rumors surrounding the case, including that Syed was "duplicitous" and was capable of committing the crime. That he stole money from his mosque was confirmed partially by four people to the host. Koenig also discussed with psychologist Charles Ewing whether or not the convicted murderer has true empathy or has anti-social characteristics. Finally, she tells the audience about an 18-page letter she got from Syed saying while he is concerned about being perceived as manipulative, it doesn't matter to him how the podcast portrays him.

Syed's mother Shamim and younger brother Yusuf in an interview with The Guardian said they both listened to the podcast and that people sent transcripts to Adnan in prison where he isn't allowed to listen to the Internet broadcast. Yusuf added: "I just hope there's a good ending, that's all."

On November 26, the Serial staff posted a message at the show's website announcing, "Today, we have good news: between the money you donated and sponsorship, we'll be able to make a second season. We don't know yet what the story will be or exactly when we'll be airing Season Two, but we'll be working on it as soon as this season ends.Thanks so much to everyone who gave."