"Serial," the podcast the Internet has been obsessing about for months, has set its finale date for next week. Host Sarah Koenig revealed during this week's episode, "Rumors," that the Season 1's final episode would premiere online Thursday, Dec. 18.
Koenig ended "Rumors" by reading a letter from Syed. "'At this point,' he wrote, 'It doesn't matter to me how your story portrays me -- guilty or innocent -- I just want it to be over,'" she said. "It will be. Next time, final episode of 'Serial.'"
"Serial" has followed the case of Adnan Syed, who was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, in Maryland in 1999. They were both high schoolers at the time and Syed has been in jail ever since. Koenig investigated and re-reported the crime for the podcast, highlighting interviews with former friends, audio from the trial and recorded phone calls with Syed. She's said before that this story may not get a "Hollywood ending," but his case is now moving through the appeals process. A hearing is scheduled for January.
In a matter of weeks, "Serial" became a national sensation. The first season broke the iTunes record for fastest podcast to reach 5 million downloads and streams. Koenig and her team announced last month that "Serial" will have a second season with entirely new story unrelated to Syed's case.