Whether you spend your days/nights watching television, listening to music, or scrolling through endless posts on your timeline, you are always participating in storytelling of some kind. Humans have an extensive and forever evolving history of storytelling. With modern technology, humans now have thousands of ways to consume content. With Serial, a podcast reminiscent of television series such as Dateline and 20/20, the human race has been gifted with one of the most impressive displays of storytelling in the modern-day.

Narrator Sarah Koenig does a masterful job showcasing the events of a murder that occurred fifteen years previous, and manages to hold the listener’s attention for the duration of the audio-only podcast that lasts anywhere between thirty minutes and an hour. Over the course of 12 episodes, the audience is informed on nearly every detail of High School student Hae Min Lee’s unexpected death in 1999.

Koenig speaks multiple times with Adnan Syed, the alleged murderer of Hae, a well-spoken, seemingly kind individual. She uncovers and thoroughly examines each detail, and allows listeners to follow her almost in real time as she uncovers real, relevant information on a technically closed case. Koenig’s storytelling is so immersive and engaging that at times you feel like you are sitting directly across from her at a campfire. The only details that pull you out of this state of fireside daze are the riveting interviews with the individuals directly involved, and the real phone calls and interrogation tapes taken directly from the case files.

Serial is, without a doubt, a stunning, enlightening piece of journalism. Magnificently told and put together, everything from the music to the cast of multi-dimensional and intriguing characters will surely continue to pull in the masses. With over 5 million iTunes downloads and it’s own Saturday Night Live parody, Serial is making a big name for itself as a pioneer in the podcast community.

I would tell you that, because of it’s audio format and portability, Serial is the perfect type of long-form entertainment to have while doing other things (washing dishes, running, working out), but that would be misleading. Serial is the most engaging thing you will listen to all year, and you won’t want to focus on anything else until you have completely plowed your way through the first season.