The Case Against Adnan Syed

Last updated

The Case Against Adnan Syed
The Case Against Adnan Syed - Poster.jpg
Genre
Directed by Amy J. Berg
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Paul McGuire
  • Ruchi Mital
CinematographyThorsten Thielow
EditorAlex Keipper
Running time56–67 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network HBO
ReleaseMarch 10 (2019-03-10) –
March 31, 2019 (2019-03-31)
ReleaseSeptember 18, 2025 (2025-09-18)

The Case Against Adnan Syed is a 2019 true crime docuseries about Adnan Syed's (later vacated, [1] but subsequently reinstated) murder conviction for the killing of Hae Min Lee. It was directed by Amy J. Berg and produced by Working Title Television, among others. The first episode of the four-part series premiered March 10, 2019, on HBO. A follow-up episode is set to premiere on HBO on September 18, 2025. [2]

Contents

Background

After the success of Serial season 1, HBO green-lit a documentary series to recap the case along with new information about Syed's appeal process. HBO Documentary Films is in production on a follow-up episode to the series, featuring exclusive access to Syed leading up to and following his release from prison. [3]

The documentary was released in four parts and reviewed the case leading up to Syed's then-current status as of 2018. [4] It is revealed that Syed turned down a plea bargain in 2018 that would have required him to plead guilty in exchange for reducing his sentence. Subsequently, Syed's mother told him that she had leukemia. [5]

A follow-up fifth episode–which began filming in 2021 and originally planned for release in 2023–is set to premiere on September 18, 2025, on HBO. [6]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Forbidden Love" Amy J. Berg Amy J. BergMarch 10, 2019 (2019-03-10)
2"In Between the Truth"Amy J. BergAmy J. BergMarch 17, 2019 (2019-03-17)
3"Justice Is Arbitrary"Amy J. BergAmy J. BergMarch 24, 2019 (2019-03-24)
4"Time Is the Killer"Amy J. BergAmy J. BergMarch 31, 2019 (2019-03-31)
5"Part Five: The Tree Grew"Amy J. BergAmy J. BergSeptember 18, 2025 (2025-09-18)

Reception

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 81% based on 32 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "A worthy Serial supplement that isn't without flaws, The Case Against Adnan Syed fleshes out the life of Hae Min Lee and gives context to in the complicated boon of true crime entertainment." [7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 66 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [8]

Aja Romano of Vox argued that the docuseries has a "pro-Syed bias" and is "armed with an agenda", though its creators billed it as an objective view of the case. [9]

Serial, the 2014 podcast which first popularized the case, released a follow-up episode detailing the reasons for Syed’s release. [10]

Accolades

The series was nominated for a 2019 Primetime Emmy Award in Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program for the episode "Forbidden Love". It was also a nominee for Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Series for Broadcast by Cinema Eye Honors. [11] [12]

References

  1. ↑ Witte, Brian (September 19, 2022). "'Serial's' case: Adnan Syed to be released, conviction tossed". AP News. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  2. ↑ White, Peter (September 3, 2025). "'The Case Against Adnan Syed' Explores New Evidence In Follow-Up Episode For HBO". Deadline. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  3. ↑ "HBO and Sky Announce Documentary Series "The Case Against Adnan Syed," Directed by Academy Award(R) Nominee Amy Berg". The Futon Critic. May 16, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  4. ↑ Considine, Austin (March 8, 2019). "Here's What to Know Before Watching 'The Case Against Adnan Syed'". The New York Times. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  5. ↑ Reilly, Dan (April 1, 2019). "The 7 Biggest Takeaways From The Case Against Adnan Syed". Vulture. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  6. ↑ Maglio, Tony (September 3, 2025). "HBO's 'The Case Against Adnan Syed' Finally Sets 'Part Five' Premiere Date — Watch the Trailer". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  7. ↑ "The Case Against Adnan Syed: Miniseries". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  8. ↑ "The Case Against Adnan Syed". Metacritic . Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  9. ↑ Romano, Aja (March 11, 2019). "HBO's The Case Against Adnan Syed comes armed with an agenda and little else". Vox. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  10. ↑ Shanfeld, Ethan (September 21, 2022). "HBO's 'The Case Against Adnan Syed' Will Get Follow-Up Episode". Variety. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  11. ↑ "The Case Against Adnan Syed". Television Academy. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  12. ↑ "The Case Against Adnan Syed". The 2020 Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking. November 4, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
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