Kayla Johnston  |  Contributing Writer

National Public Radio’s podcast series “This American Life” created a spinoff, “Serial,” that launched its first episode at serialpodcast.org in October. Now, nine episodes later, the podcast has reached 50 million downloads, and, according to BBC News, is the podcast reaching 5 million iTunes downloads the fastest.

So, what exactly is “Serial”? I’m glad you asked! As an avid fan, I’m determined to sell anyone on the show willing to listen.

The host and executive producer of the podcast, Sarah Koenig, is a journalist investigating a 15-year-old, real murder mystery. In 1999, a high-schooler named Adnan Syed was found guilty for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. Each episode unfolds more and more of the case as Koenig interviews suspects, finds new evidence, and ultimately tries to prove that the man in jail for the murder is innocent. Serialpodcast.org contains each episode, available for free streaming, as well as charts, letters, graphs and documents to assist listeners in keeping all the information straight.

Fans everywhere have taken to Reddit, Twitter and other social media sites to discuss theories, information, fact-check and develop conspiracies about the case. Since the murder case is real, and Syed is still in prison after being found guilty, the podcast’s creators have said that they frequently read what people are talking about in case anyone has any information to add that may help Syed’s case, which is under reconsideration and currently entering the appeal process.

As finals week approaches, rather than listening to music, catch up and tune into* “Serial” each Thursday. It’s a great way to have just enough distraction from homework and studying while still feeling more productive than if you were binge-watching “Gilmore Girls” on Netflix. After all, you could be helping solve a murder.

*Available for free download and streaming on iTunes and at serialpodcast.org