About This Episode
What is this episode about?
The episode "Special Preview: METRO with Sarah Koenig - Ep. 1" from Serial introduces a new spinoff podcast called METRO, in which Sarah goes on a whirlwind tour of New York City to find out what New Yorkers are actually worrying about. The topics range from crime and the new mayor to, as the episode puts it, people's weak, little handshakes.
This Special Preview runs 17 minutes and functions as an introduction to the tone and premise of METRO rather than a deep dive into a single story. It gives listeners a sense of the format: short, conversational, and built around what ordinary residents of the city bring up unprompted when asked what's on their minds.
Hosts and release
Serial itself is known for Sarah Koenig's investigation into the murder of Hae Min Lee and the controversial conviction of Adnan Syed in 1999, with Sarah Koenig and Dana Chivvis as the show's hosts. The show has run since 2014 and is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Amazon Music, and New York Times. This particular preview episode was released on October 22, 2026, and marks the first installment tied to the METRO format, hosted by Sarah Koenig as she walks New York City streets collecting impressions from the people she meets.
