Best Buy apologizes for tweet joking about ‘Serial’ murder mystery

Best Buy publicly apologized Thursday for a controversial tweet that referenced “Serial,” the popular podcast about a homicide that allegedly took place in the parking lot of one of the company’s stores.

Best Buy has since erased the tweet from its verified Twitter account, calling it a lapse in judgment.

“We deeply apologize for our earlier tweet about Serial. It lacked good judgment and doesn’t reflect the values of our company. We are sorry,” the company tweeted.

“Serial” is a hit podcast about a 1999 Baltimore murder mystery, produced by the creators of the popular radio program “This American Life.” The weekly podcast explores the killing of Hae Min Lee, a high school student. Her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was convicted and sentenced to prison -- though the podcast raises questions about his guilt.

A Best Buy in Maryland is mentioned several times in the series, so it appears the company was trying to capitalize on the podcast’s popularity when it tweeted: “We have everything you need. Unless you need a payphone. #Serial.”

A Best Buy payphone -- and whether it existed -- is a key plot point in the series.

“Serial” has jumped to the top of the iTunes charts since premiering this year.

Attempts to reach Best Buy for additional comment were unsuccessful.

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