After a divisive second season, Serial is back — the first two episodes of season three dropped today.

It’s been two years since we last heard from Serial, and four since its first season became podcasting’s first mainstream hit. In that time, its been replicated ad nauseam, creating a genre of investigative podcasts — some excellent, some exploitative. Few have approached the heights of Serial‘s mass and critical appeal: understandably, there’s overwhelming hype for the new season.

Before you shove your headphones into those ear holes, here’s everything you need to know.

We’ll See (Well, Hear) You In Court

Let’s kick off with the biggest question: yes, this season has returned to Serial‘s roots.

Where last season dived deep into the circumstances surrounding disgraced US soldier Bowe Bergdhal, who in 2009 deserted his post in Afghanistan and was subsequently captured by the Taliban, season three returns to the courtroom.

But rather than follow one case à la season one with Adnan Syed’s murder trial, this time the Serial team spent a year at Cleveland’s Justice Centre — the only city to offer unvetted access.

Each episode will follow a new case. The idea is to create a patchwork quilt of America’s criminal justice system, gaps in the stitching and all, as one case can’t — and shouldn’t — be a synecdoche. Given the many threads of Syed’s case, that’s often how its been written about.

“Our first season was about a murder case in Baltimore,” the Serial team wrote in a recent statement. “Since then, people have asked us: What does that case tell us about the criminal justice system?

“The case of Adnan Syed wasn’t typical in any way—a defendant with no criminal record, a private defence attorney, a six-week trial. The vast majority of cases don’t even go to trial. You can’t really understand how the criminal justice system works by interrogating one extraordinary case. Ordinary cases are where you need to look.”

There is one big change: we won’t be hearing Sarah Koenig’s soothing voice quite as much, as she’s splitting hosting duties with This American Life‘s Emmanuel Dzotsi.

What Are The First Two Episodes About?

The opening episode focuses on a case surrounding a bar fight.

‘Anna’ visits a bar, and is repeatedly harassed and touched by male patrons — after she asks them to stop and they keep going, she defends herself. Two women, previously uninvolved, attack her — a cop arrives, and Anna, in the scuffle, accidentally hits the officer. She’s arrested and charged with assaulting a peace officer, as the only person involved who was charged.

In the scheme of things, it’s a tiny case. And while it may lack the moral complexities we’ve come to expect from Serial, it’s a perfect introduction to the Justice Centre: a world that struggles to be impartial as interpersonal relationships, bureaucratic power-plays and institutional racism constantly come into play.

The second focuses on controversial judge Daniel Gaul, who has been criticised for his harsh penalties towards African American defendants.

The most goading is a 2016 case which Koenig and Dztosi focus on. Gaul coerced Carlton Heard, a man accused of several heavy-penalty charges (including attempted murder and aggravated robbery) into a no contest plea in exchange for a 14 year prison sentence. He was later retried and found not guilty.

What Are The Critics Saying?

Vulture open their review by saying “it’s such a pleasure to listen to Serial again” and end it by saying the new season’s “off on a fantastic start” — and generally, that seems to be the sentiment all round.

Vox and the US Financial Times both centre Koenig’s natural inquisitiveness and somewhat dorky demeanour as a shining light — the latter says her “trademark humanity” serves as Serial‘s core. Meanwhile, Refinery29 are calling it “Serial’s most ambitious season yet”.

As more episodes come out, we’ll see whether that ambition reaches new heights.