How long does it take to listen to Serial season one?

Serial's first season is twelve episodes and about eight and a half hours — a single long day, or a week of commutes. It was the first podcast to reach five million downloads and is generally credited with turning podcasting from a niche format into a mainstream one. Episodes range from 27 to 55 minutes, because the series was still being reported while it was being released and the length followed the material. The case it covered was reopened partly as a result.

The numbers

Total

8 hours 30 minutes

In hours

8.5 hours

Non-stop

0.4 days without sleeping

Covers

12 episodes

At a realistic pace

an episode a day

That works out as

about 13 days

What this assumes

12 episodes averaging about 42 minutes, across a 27-55 minute spread.

Other podcasts and audio