Ira Glass writes:

Hello everyone! The second series from This American Life is now officially not a dream but a thing that exists in the world. We have a spinoff! In fact, there are already four episodes, ready for you to hear.

To reiterate the facts in case you’ve missed them till now: The new show is called Serial and it’s hosted by Sarah Koenig, who’s done some of the most memorable stories ever on our show.

What’s different about Serial is that it’s a story that takes a dozen episodes to tell. So each new episode brings you the next chapter of this amazing, unfolding story. Serial’s a podcast, not a radio show, because a podcast seems like a better place for a long story that you need to hear from the beginning. With podcasts, you can download everything and binge listen. Not sure how to get a podcast? We've prepared simple instructions.

We’re all super-excited to finally be premiering our new show. It’s been in the works for a year. Sarah is just fantastic in this new role. We truly and sincerely hope you like it.

- Ira