‘The Case Against Adnan Syed’ Getting New Episode: What to Know

HBO is making a new installment of The Case Against Adnan Syed, and not a moment too soon. This docuseries is about Syed’s murder trial for the killing of his high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. Since Syed’s murder conviction was overturned in September, this story definitely warrants a fresh look.

After a decade-long legal battle, Syed’s conviction was overturned this year and HBO Documentary Films ordered a new special episode of The Case Against Adnan Syed the very next day. The network announced that filmmaker Amy Berg would return to direct this new episode, and that it would be released in 2023. Berg has reportedly continued to follow the case in Baltimore and has even filmed much of the material for it in anticipation of this job.

Featuring exclusive access to Adnan Syed leading up to and following his release from prison, the new episode, directed by Berg, will debut in 2023.

— Max PR (@MaxPR) September 21, 2022

“We knew the end of THE CASE AGAINST ADNAN SYED was not the end of this story, and we’ve been closely following every twist and turn in the case since the series premiered in March 2019,” Berg said in the press release. “It’s gratifying to see many of the questions and issues probed in the original episodes come to bear on the events of this week.”

Syed was still a teenager when he was convicted of murdering his high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. She disappeared in January of 1999 and her remains were found one month later in a local park. She was killed by manual strangulation. A decade and a half later, Syed’s case became the focus of the first season of Serial – a breakout podcast that helped make true crime one of the dominant genres in media it is today.

Serial brought the issues with Syed’s conviction to the public eye, and in the process brought to light many systemic issues in the criminal justice system. Enough doubt was cast on the evidence used against Syed that a legal team set out to earn him a new trial. After a few bumps in the road, they have done it.

Syed’s new trial will reportedly include a lot of new evidence, perhaps pinpointing some alternative suspects. In the meantime, Syed will be in home detention and will be required to wear a GPS monitor. A new trial date for Syed has not yet been set, as some belated DNA tests are still pending. If conclusive, the prosecution may decide to drop the charges against Syed altogether.

Serial is available now on most major podcast apps. The Cast Against Adnan Syed is streaming on HBO Max. A new episode is due out sometime in 2023.