Like many a brand before them, Best Buy was forced to remove a tweet and apologize over its attempt at creating #content on Twitter.

The big box retailer that's featured prominently as the alleged location of a real-life murder in the insanely popular podcast Serial sent a tweet on Thursday that pokes fun at one of the underlying questions in the 15-year-old case.

Here's a screenshot:

Best Buy pulled the tweet — referencing the reported lack of a pay phone at a Maryland Best Buy, which is increasingly an attraction for fans of the show where prosecutors said 17-year-old high school student Hae Min Lee was strangled in 1999 — and apologized less than an hour later.

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. — Best Buy (@BestBuy) December 11, 2014

"We posted a tweet earlier that was clearly in poor taste," Best Buy spokesperson Jeff Shelman told Mashable. "We deeply apologize for the tweet about Serial. It lacked good judgment and doesn’t reflect the values of our company. We have tweeted an apology and taken down the offensive tweet."

Asked if there was an internal process in place to review content that is shared on the brand's social accounts, or if it was handled by an external agency, Shelman responded: "We’re not going to discuss our process."

The tweet had racked up over 500 favorites and 1,000 retweets — including to Serial's own Twitter account — before it was removed.

Much of the response to the joke, however, has been critical.

Corporate jokes about murder! LOLZ RT @BestBuy: We have everything you need. Unless you need a payphone. #Serial — Anthony L. Fisher (@anthonyLfisher) December 11, 2014

Hey guys you know someone actually was murdered right RT @BestBuy: We have everything you need. Unless you need a payphone. #Serial — Stephanie Haberman (@StephLauren) December 11, 2014

From murder case to branding opportunity. Very sensitive, guys RT @BestBuy We have everything you need. Unless you need a payphone. #Serial — Dan Stewart (@thatdanstewart) December 11, 2014

twitter apology in 3...2....1.... RT “@BestBuy: We have everything you need. Unless you need a payphone. #Serial” — Andrew Trotman (@TeleTrotman) December 11, 2014

HAY LET'S USE A REAL-LIFE MURDER CASE TO PROMOTE OUR BRAND. // RT @BestBuy: We have everything you need. Unless you need a payphone. #Serial — Edmond Tran (@EdmondTran) December 11, 2014

The podcast has gotten its share of criticism, highlighting the sensitivities over jokes about a real-life murder case.

In November, The Atlantic's Adrienne LaFrance pondered whether Serial offered an "important examination of the criminal justice system" or a journey "through a grieving family's pain as a form of entertainment." It's been accused of being voyeuristic. Of being "shamelessly exploitative." As Stephanie Van Schlit wrote in Spook, "Lee is real and she’s dead."