Unsolved Mysteries

This article is about a television show. For conjectures or open problems in various fields, see Unsolved problems.

Unsolved Mysteries
Genre	Documentary mystery paranormal
Created by	John Cosgrove Terry Dunn Meurer
Presented by	Raymond Burr Karl Malden Robert Stack Virginia Madsen Dennis Farina
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	17
No. of episodes	611 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	John Cosgrove Terry Dunn Meurer
Producers	Raymond Bridgers Stuart Schwartz Jim Lindsay
Running time	42 minutes (1987–2010) 36–53 minutes (2020–present)
Production companies	Cosgrove-Meurer Productions Lifetime Productions (2001–2002) 21 Laps Entertainment (2020–present)
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	January 20, 1987 (1987-01-20) – August 8, 1997 (1997-08-08)
Network	CBS
Release	November 13, 1997 (1997-11-13) – June 11, 1999 (1999-06-11)
Network	Lifetime
Release	July 2, 2001 (2001-07-02) – September 20, 2002 (2002-09-20)
Network	Spike
Release	October 13, 2008 (2008-10-13) – April 27, 2010 (2010-04-27)
Network	Netflix
Release	July 1, 2020 (2020-07-01) – present (present)

Unsolved Mysteries is an American mystery documentary television series, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Karl Malden, and Robert Stack, beginning on NBC on January 20, 1987, becoming a full-fledged series on October 5, 1988, hosted by Stack. After nine seasons on NBC, the series moved to CBS for its 10th season on November 13, 1997. After adding Virginia Madsen as a co-host during season 11 failed to boost slipping ratings, CBS canceled the series after only a two-season, 12-episode run on June 11, 1999. The series was revived by Lifetime in 2000, with season 12 beginning on July 2, 2001. Unsolved Mysteries aired 103 episodes on Lifetime, before ending on September 20, 2002, an end that coincided with Stack's illness and eventual death.

After a six-year absence, the series was resurrected by Spike in 2007, and began airing on October 13, 2008. This new, revived version was hosted by Dennis Farina, who mainly tied together repackaged segments from the original episodes. Farina hosted 175 episodes before the series ended again on April 27, 2010. Cosgrove-Meurer Productions maintains a website for the show, featuring popular accounts and ongoing cold cases (murder or missing persons), with a link to an online form should a viewer have information on an unsolved crime. As of 2017, the show maintains a YouTube page where viewers can submit their own mysteries. If accepted, Unsolved Mysteries posts a video of the viewer describing the mystery. That same year, FilmRise acquired worldwide digital distribution rights to the series and announced its intent to release updated versions of its episodes. These shows are currently streaming on Amazon Prime, Tubi TV, and on its own dedicated channel on Pluto TV in the United States and the United Kingdom. ^{[1] [2]} Since February 2017, the Spike episodes have been officially posted on YouTube, split into eight seasons. ^[3] In July 2017, the series began streaming on Hulu in the United States. ^[4] Between February and March 2019, FilmRise began posting digitally restored and re-edited episodes, hosted by Stack, on YouTube. ^[5]

On June 22, 2018, Terror Vision Records released the official soundtrack for the series. ^[6] In 2017, the show's creators expressed interest in reviving the series. ^[7] On January 18, 2019, Netflix picked up a reboot of the series ^[8] which premiered on July 1, 2020. The first season of the reboot was split into two volumes containing six episodes each. ^[9] In September 2022, Netflix announced that a third volume of new episodes would begin streaming in October 2022. ^[10] In February 2024, it was announced that a fourth volume would begin streaming in 2024. ^[11] It was confirmed that the fourth volume would begin streaming in July 2024. ^[12] A fifth volume, consisting of four episodes, was announced on July 31, 2024. It began streaming in October the same year. ^[13]

Overview

Host Robert Stack (left, waving) defined the tone of Unsolved Mysteries.

Unsolved Mysteries used a documentary format to profile real-life mysteries ^[14] and featured re-enactments of unsolved crimes, missing persons cases, conspiracy theories and unexplained paranormal phenomena (alien abductions, ghosts, UFOs, and "secret history" theories).

The concept was created in a series of three specials produced by John Cosgrove and Terry-Dunn Meurer, which were pitched to NBC in 1985 and shown in 1986 with the title, "Missing... Have You Seen This Person?" The success of the specials led Cosgrove and Meurer to broaden the series to include mysteries of all kinds.

The pilot of what eventually became Unsolved Mysteries was a special that aired on NBC on January 20, 1987, with Raymond Burr as host/narrator. Throughout the 1987–88 television season, six more specials aired, the first two hosted by Karl Malden and the final four by Robert Stack. Because of the incorporation of paranormal mysteries, NBC News disowned the series when the network aired on NBC and required that a disclaimer aired before each show clarify that it was "not a news broadcast."

In 1988, the show debuted as a weekly program on NBC. Ratings steadily dropped after the 1993–94 season. Until 2002, it was hosted by Stack. In its second season on CBS in 1999, Stack was joined by co-host Virginia Madsen. Episodes released between 1995 and 1997 featured journalist Keely Shaye Smith and television host Lu Hanessian as correspondents in the show's "phone center", where they provided updates on previous stories as information for "special bulletin" segments. A March 14, 1997, episode featured journalist Cathy Scott in the reenactment of rapper Tupac Shakur's 1996 unsolved murder. ^[15] This broadcast was one week after the murder of Biggie Smalls. In 2002, the series was canceled by Lifetime. In 2008, television network Spike revived the series with Dennis Farina as its host; the Spike revival ended in 2010.

The show was known for its eerie theme song composed by Michael Boyd and Gary Remal Malkin, and for Stack's grim presence and ominous narration. The theme music was changed seven times, in 1993, 1995, ^{[16] [17]} 1997, 1999, 2001, 2008, and 2020. The 2020 version of the theme was arranged, performed, and recorded by West Dylan Thordson.

Updates

Viewers were occasionally given updates on success stories, where suspects were brought to justice and loved ones were reunited.

The show itself has been credited for bringing increased attention to certain cases and thus allowing them to be solved. One episode featured a video of an arsonist filming an unidentified house being burned down while he was giving strange commentary. Once it had been featured on the show, viewers were able to identify the house involved, and two suspects were arrested. ^[18]

Broadcast history

NBC (1987–1997)

The show first aired on NBC from 1987 to 1997. The pilot episode was hosted by actor Raymond Burr. Karl Malden and Robert Stack were also hired to host further specials. When the series became a full-fledged television program in 1988, Stack became the full-time host. Unsolved Mysteries was also one of the few prime-time shows of its era to appeal to fans of the supernatural and used effective special effects to enhance tales of the unexplained. In 1992, NBC aired a short-lived dramatized court show spin-off program called Final Appeal: From the Files of Unsolved Mysteries, also hosted by Stack. The premise of this program was to try to give the unjustly accused a final appeal for help, with the debut episode taking an in-depth look at the Jeffrey MacDonald case. The program was canceled after only a few episodes due to poor ratings.

CBS (1997–1999)

The ratings for Unsolved Mysteries had been steadily declining ever since it was moved from its original Wednesday evening timeslot to Friday evenings in the fall of 1994. At the end of the 1996–97 season, it was canceled by NBC. Upon the cancelation from NBC, CBS picked up the series for a tenth season. The first episode aired in November 1997 as an Unsolved Mysteries special. When CBS canceled its Block Party line-up in the spring of 1998, the network moved the show to its Friday 9:00 pm timeslot. During the show's run on CBS, the series was limited to only six-episode seasons, and was airing only on a sporadic schedule. Reruns aired during the summer of 1998 with heavy promotion of the return of the NFL on CBS with the upcoming 1998 NFL season. When the series returned for its abbreviated 11th season in the spring of 1999, Stack was joined by actress Virginia Madsen for hosting duties in an attempt to boost its female audience. ^[19] The effort failed, and CBS canceled the show soon afterwards. Later cable reruns of segments originally narrated by Madsen were re-dubbed with Stack's voice.

Lifetime (2001–2002)

Lifetime Television, which had been airing re-runs of the NBC episodes since the early 1990s, had ordered a two-season run of new episodes which began airing in 2001. Consisting of a mixture of new and old cases, these episodes were produced between 2001 and 2002, and usually aired on weekdays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The program ceased producing new episodes when Stack was diagnosed with prostate cancer in late 2002. He died of heart failure in May 2003. ^[20]

After Stack's death, old episodes continued to run in syndication on several television networks in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. During some shows, callers gave tips to the telecenter. When the show was in active production, the Toll Free number was displayed on the bottom of the screen below the title logo at the end of each segment. When the show left active production following Stack's death and went into reruns, the number was removed and replaced with a P.O. box address.

Spike TV (2008–2010)

According to Broadcasting & Cable , in 2007, HBO Distribution announced plans to bring back Unsolved Mysteries when the cable channel Lifetime's contract expired in 2008. The show featured a new set, a new logo, new music, and updates on old cases. In addition, actor Dennis Farina became the new host, as Stack had died five years earlier. The show debuted on Spike on October 13, 2008. ^[21]

This repackaged series run was criticized by fans for its presentation of past cases only, with no new case segments being produced. The existing segments were also edited to be shorter so the show could be expanded to present five cases in an hour rather than the four of the original series. Because the majority of the cases were now between 20 and 40 years old, the re-edited segments usually did not reference the years in which the events presented originally occurred. When updates for solved cases aired, Dennis Farina's voiceover would refer to cases "in a recent broadcast...", when the case may have already been solved during the show's original run or during the series' hiatus from 2002 onward. Unsolved Mysteries ended its run on Spike on April 27, 2010.

Netflix (2020–present)

A 12-part reboot was announced by Deadline Hollywood on January 18, 2019. The series is being "refreshed" by Stranger Things executive producer Shawn Levy and his company 21 Laps Entertainment along with Cosgrove-Meurer Productions and Netflix. Cosgrove and Meurer are showrunners for the series, with Levy and Josh Barry being executive producers. Robert Wise is a co-executive producer, along with showrunner Dunn Meurer. Each episode focuses on a single mystery. ^[8] Cosgrove stated that the reboot would be "pure documentary style" and would have no host or narrator; ^[22] however, an image of longtime host Robert Stack can be seen in the title sequence for each episode as an homage to his impact on the show. ^[23] The first six episodes of the new season became available to stream starting July 1, 2020. ^[24] In August 2020, it was reported that 13.7% of subscribers had watched the series over its first month. ^[25] On September 1, 2021, Netflix formally announced that it had ordered an additional season of the series set to launch in the summer of 2022. ^[26] On September 6, 2022, Netflix announced a third volume of nine new episodes, billed as a "three-night event", would begin streaming October 18, October 25, and November 1, 2022. ^[10] Netflix announced in February 2024 that a fourth volume of episodes would air sometime that same year. ^[11] On June 20, 2024, it was announced that the fourth volume would begin streaming on July 31, 2024. ^[12] A fifth volume consisting of 4 episodes premiered in October 2024. ^[13]

Episodes

Main article: List of Unsolved Mysteries episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally released
			First released	Last released	Network
Specials	7		January 20, 1987 (1987-01-20)	May 18, 1988 (1988-05-18)	NBC
1	28		October 5, 1988 (1988-10-05)	September 13, 1989 (1989-09-13)
2	31		September 20, 1989 (1989-09-20)	September 12, 1990 (1990-09-12)
3	33		September 19, 1990 (1990-09-19)	September 11, 1991 (1991-09-11)
4	37		September 18, 1991 (1991-09-18)	September 9, 1992 (1992-09-09)
5	35		September 16, 1992 (1992-09-16)	September 15, 1993 (1993-09-15)
6	33		September 22, 1993 (1993-09-22)	September 18, 1994 (1994-09-18)
7	30		September 25, 1994 (1994-09-25)	August 30, 1995 (1995-08-30)
8	30		October 20, 1995 (1995-10-20)	September 13, 1996 (1996-09-13)
9	27		September 20, 1996 (1996-09-20)	August 8, 1997 (1997-08-08)
10	6		November 13, 1997 (1997-11-13)	May 29, 1998 (1998-05-29)	CBS
11	6		April 2, 1999 (1999-04-02)	June 11, 1999 (1999-06-11)
12	55		July 2, 2001 (2001-07-02)	April 29, 2002 (2002-04-29)	Lifetime
13	48		June 10, 2002 (2002-06-10)	September 20, 2002 (2002-09-20)
14	175		October 13, 2008 (2008-10-13)	April 27, 2010 (2010-04-27)	Spike
15	12		July 1, 2020 (2020-07-01)	October 19, 2020 (2020-10-19)	Netflix
16	9		October 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)	November 1, 2022 (2022-11-01)
17	9		July 31, 2024 (2024-07-31)	October 2, 2024 (2024-10-02)

Notable actors and celebrities

Famous actors and celebrities have appeared on the show, both as role actors (before finding stardom) and also in episodes where they had a connection with the events being portrayed.

As role actors

In 1992, Unsolved Mysteries filmed in Texas and cast Matthew McConaughey to play a murder victim. This was one of McConaughey's earliest on-screen roles. ^[27] Cheryl Hines, Stephnie Weir, Bill Moseley, Ned Bellamy, Scott Wilkinson, Daniel Dae Kim, David Ramsey, Diane Franklin, Steve Reevis, Donna Mitchell and Taran Killam also appeared on the program before receiving more notable work in Hollywood. ^{[28] [29] [30]} Hill Harper also appeared in an episode about a woman looking for a childhood friend whom she later discovered was indeed her sister.

Connections with episodes

• Comedian Blake Clark was interviewed in the "Comedy Store Ghosts" episode.
• Author James Ellroy appeared in an episode looking for the man who murdered his mother.
• Football player Reggie White appeared in an episode trying to find the arsonists who set fire to his church.
• Musical group New Kids on the Block appear in an episode about the disappearance of the teenager Kari Lynn Nixon; a girl resembling her was seen at one of their concerts.
• Musician Henry Rollins and actor Dennis Cole both appeared to find the people responsible for the murder of Cole's son, Joe.
• Musician Ron Bushy appeared in a story about the disappearance of fellow Iron Butterfly bandmate, Philip Taylor Kramer.
• Musician Jon Bon Jovi was interviewed about the death of his personal manager's daughter, Katherine Korzilius. ^[31]

U.S. television ratings and awards

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Unsolved Mysteries.

Note: U.S. network television seasons generally start in late September and end in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.

The figure reflected starting with the 1988–89 season and ending with the 1996–97 season represents the total number of households viewing the program. Starting with the 1997–98 season, the viewing figure is based on total number of viewers.

Season	TV Season	Rank	Viewers (in millions)
1	1988–89	#17 [32]	15.7
2	1989–90	#11 [33]	16.6
3	1990–91	#16 [34]	14.6
4	1991–92	#13 [35]	15.2
5	1992–93	#21 [36]	13.2
6	1993–94	#36	12.0
7	1994–95	#75	9.0
8	1995–96	#59	9.4
9	1996–97	#53	8.6
10	1997–98	#86 [37]	9.9
11	1998–99	#75 [38]	9.7

The original NBC telecast was nominated six times for an Emmy Award for outstanding informational series in 1989–1993 and 1995. ^[39] The series won the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Award for Top TV Series twice, in 1992 and 1993; both times, the recipients were Michael Boyd and Gary Malkin for their work on the show's music theme. ^[40]

Home media

First Look Studios released six theme-based DVD sets in Region 1 in 2004/2005. The sets were re-released on June 21, 2005 with a lower suggested retail price. On March 21, 2006, a compilation set called The Best of Unsolved Mysteries was released, which contained selected segments from each of the earlier DVD sets along with some previously unreleased-on-DVD content. A special boxed set featuring the first six sets along with the new content from the Best of collection was also produced.

DVD Name	No. of Ep. #	Release Date
Volume 1: UFOs	26	September 7, 2004
Volume 2: Ghosts	34	September 14, 2004
Volume 3: Miracles	33	October 26, 2004
Volume 4: Incredible Psychics	28	January 25, 2005
Volume 5: Bizarre Murders	32	January 25, 2005
Volume 6: Strange Legends	27	February 15, 2005
Special Volume: Treasures & Ghosts	10	September 14, 2004
The Best of Unsolved Mysteries	33	March 21, 2006
Unsolved Mysteries: The Ultimate Collection	190	April 25, 2006

DVD Title/Volume	Disc	Episode/Segment Title	Original Title	Original Air Date	Commentaries	Special Features
UFOs	1	Bentwaters UFO	Rendlesham Forest Incident	September 18, 1991		Creator Introduction
		Allagash Abductions	The Allagash Abductions	September 18, 1994	Allagash Abductions Commentary by John Cosgrove & Raymond Bridgers
		Crop Circles	Canada Crop Circles	August 8, 2002
		Phoenix UFO	Phoenix Lights	May 29, 1998	Phoenix UFO Commentary by David Vassar	Behind the Scenes the 150th Solve
		Nazca Lines		November 10, 1995
		Mexico UFO	Mexico City UFO	October 28, 1994		Robert Stack Tribute
		Vancouver Lights		December 12, 1990
UFOs	2	Roswell	Roswell Crash	September 20, 1989	Roswell Commentary by Raymond Bridgers
		Roswell/Area 51 Connection	Area 51	September 18, 1994
		Hudson Valley UFO	Hudson River UFO	September 16, 1992
		Belgian UFO	Belgium UFO	November 20, 1991	Belgian UFO Commentary by David Vassar
		Falcon Lake UFO		November 4, 1992
		UFO Healing	Lynne Plaskett	April 25, 1997
UFOs	3	Australian UFO	Frederick Valentich	September 29, 1993
		Missing Time	Robert Matthews; Kristina Florence	November 30, 1988	Missing Time Commentary by Raymond Bridgers
		Socorro Close Encounter	Lonnie Zamora UFO Sighting	December 1, 1995
		Kecksburg UFO		September 19, 1990
		Texas UFO	Betty Cash and Vickie Landrum	February 6, 1991	Texas UFO Commentary by John Cosgrove
		Face on Mars		February 1, 1989
UFOs	4	Men in Black		April 18, 1997
		Canadian UFO	Guardian UFO	February 3, 1993	Canadian UFO Commentary by Bob Wise
		Wheatfields Visitations	United Kingdom Crop Circles	January 31, 1990
		Life on Mars		November 1, 1996	Life on Mars Commentary by David Vassar
		Interceptors		March 2, 1994
		The Blob	Oakville Blobs	May 9, 1997
		UFO Odyssey	Wytheville UFO Sightings	February 19, 1992
Ghosts	1	Friendly Ghost	Pawley's Island	October 31, 1990		Creator Introduction
		Resurrection Mary	Resurrection Cemetery	February 9, 1994
		Matchmaker Ghost	Delta Queen Riverboat	April 9, 1999
		Queen Mary Ghosts	The Queen Mary	October 26, 1988	Queen Mary Ghosts Commentary by John Cosgrove & Keva Rosenfeld	Behind the Scenes the 200th Solve
		Grace's Ghost	Covewood Lodge	January 5, 1996
		Voice from the Grave	Teresita Basa	April 25, 1990
		Ghosts Go To Court	Loews Cottage	April 16, 1999	Ghosts Go To Court Commentary by David Vassar	Robert Stack Tribute
		The Entity	Three Partners Ranch	April 19, 1996
		Ghost Boy	Jones House	July 25, 2001
Ghosts	2	Black Hope Curse	Black Hope	July 17, 2002	Black Hope Curse Commentary by John Cosgrove
		Tallman's Ghost	Tallman House	October 26, 1988
		Ghost Blimp	The Crew of the L-8	May 19, 1993
		Gordy's Ghost	Wyrick House	October 21, 1994	Gordy's Ghost Commentary by Bob Wise
		Highway Vision	Highway 50 Phantom	February 21, 1997
		Civil War Ghosts	Drum Barracks	October 28, 1992
		Profiling the Paranormal	HOPE	June 11, 1999
		Ghost Lights	Marfa Lights	October 25, 1989
Ghosts	3	Lizzie Borden's House	Lizzie Borden House	July 23, 2001
		Tatum's Ghost	Tatum House	October 26, 1988
		Ghostly Attraction	Harden House	October 30, 1991
		Ghost Writer	Margaret Wilson	December 9, 1994
		Mary Celeste		December 2, 1994
		Comedy Store Ghosts	The Comedy Store	February 23, 1996
		Myrtles Plantation		August 1, 2001	Myrtles Plantation Commentary by David Vassar
		General Wayne's Inn	The General Wayne Inn	October 26, 1988	General Wayne's Inn Commentary by John Cosgrove & Keva Rosenfeld
		Devil's Backbone	The Devil's Backbone	January 12, 1996
Ghosts	4	Gettysburg Ghosts	Gettysburg National Military Park	March 15, 1996	Gettysburg Ghosts Commentary by John Cosgrove & Raymond Bridgers
		Frightened Family	Smith Home	April 4, 1997
		Moss Beach Ghost	Moss Beach Distillery	October 28, 1992
		Lady in Black	Robert Davidson	May 3, 1996
		Bullock Deadwood	Hotel Bullock	December 9, 1992
		Lake Wales Haunting	Mann House	October 27, 1993
		Mystery Hum	E.L.F.	May 19, 1995	Mystery Hum Commentary by Bob Wise
		Always, Karen	Karen Walker	October 21, 1994
Miracles	1	Lucky School	Cokeville Elementary School Explosion	December 13, 1996		Creator Introduction
		Miracle of Lourdes		February 16, 1994
		Fertility Statues		October 18, 1996
		Shroud of Turin	The Shroud of Turin	October 2, 1991
		Ice Woman	Jean Hilliard	February 9, 1996	Ice Woman Commentary by David Vassar	Robert Stack Tribute
		Lucky Choir	West End Baptist Church	January 3, 1990	Lucky Choir Commentary by John Cosgrove & Keva Rosenfeld
		Coma Healer	Audrey Santo	April 2, 1999
		Angels	Janie Halliday; Estela Vera	May 25, 1994
Miracles	2	Miracle of Fatima		November 3, 1993	Miracle of Fatima Commentary by Bob Wise
		Baby's Breath	Logan Carroll	November 3, 1995
		Healing from the Grave	Charlene Richard	June 11, 1999	Healing From The Grave Commentary by John Cosgrove
		Power of Prayer	Kathleen Burghardt; Eric Danowski	May 5, 1995
		Candy and Roxy		April 4, 1997
		Trisha's Miracle	Trisha Zemba	September 20, 1996
		Father Solanus Casey		October 9, 1994
		Christmas Miracle	Chucky McGivern	December 23, 1992
Miracles	3	Medjugorje Miracles		February 5, 1992
		Police Woman Savior	Saviors of Doris Smith	May 28, 1999
		Healing Touch	Michael Ziegler; George and Marie	April 13, 1994
		Miracle Staircase	Loretto Chapel	November 21, 1990	Miracle Staircase Commentary by John Cosgrove
		Miracle Child	Kristina Smith	April 4, 1990
		Kentucky Visions	Valley Hill Lights	October 27, 1995
		Life Saving Pets	Mia; Shadow	July 15, 2002	Life Saving Pets Commentary by David Vassar
		Miracle Buffalo	Miracle the White Buffalo	December 8, 1995
		Coma Recovery	Don Hamilton	November 15, 1989
Miracles	4	Image of Guadalupe		April 7, 1993
		Car Crash Lazarus	David Shublak	May 9, 1997
		MS Miracle	Mary Clamser	March 29, 1996	MS Miracle Commentary by David Vassar
		Padre Pio		January 20, 1995
		Christmas Miracle Baby	Teryn Hedlund	December 23, 1994
		Miracle Cross	Blinking Crucifix	September 27, 1989	Miracle Cross Commentary by Stuart Schwartz
		Signs from Heaven	Joe McCarthy; Herman Stegos; Michael Landon	November 13, 1997
		Money from Heaven	Matt and Wendy Jameson	April 26, 1996
Incredible Psychics	1	Life After Lightning	Dannion Brinkley	October 21, 1994
		Pix of the Dead	Coral Polge	November 28, 1990	Pix of the Dead Commentary by Mike Mathis
		Rainboy	Don Decker	February 10, 1993	Rainboy Commentary by David Vassar
		Reincarnated Submariner	Bruce Kelly	September 22, 1993
		James Van Praagh		February 3, 1995
		Epilepsy Pooches	Victoria Doroshenko	November 14, 1990
		Plateau Vision	Milly McGregor	May 17, 1996
Incredible Psychics	2	George Anderson		November 18, 1992
		Twins	Mark S. Newman and Gerald I. Levy; Donald M. and Louis G. Keith; Lavona and Lavelda Rowe-Richardson	May 2, 1990	Twins Commentary by David Vassar
		Suddenly Psychic	John Holland; Elizabeth Joyce	April 16, 1999
		Bible Code	Michael Drosnin	April 3, 1998
		Storm In Hell	Howard Storm	November 15, 1996
		POW Dream	Joe O' Brien	October 20, 1995	Gulf POW Dream Commentary by Mike Mathis
		Murder Premonition	Etta Smith	February 3, 1995
		Lottery Miracle	Sam Zelikson	October 25, 1996
Incredible Psychics	3	Electric Lady	Jeanine Price	February 3, 1995
		Reincarnation	Georgia Rudolph	February 14, 1990	Reincarnation Commentary by John Cosgrove & Raymond Bridgers
		Dorothy AllisonDorothy Allison, Police Psychic	Dorothy Allison	May 6, 1988	Dorothy Allison Commentary by John Cosgrove
		Mother's Instinct	Carolyn Hebert; Elaine Emmi; Linda Babb	March 23, 1994
		Twin ESP Connections	Karen and Kathy Mills	August 23, 2001
		After Death Visits	John and Patti Eggleston; Paige Roark	May 4, 1994
Incredible Psychics	4	Past Lives	Sharon Johnson	November 6, 1991	Past Lives Commentary by Mike Mathis
		Incredible Journeys	Nova; Lady	March 2, 1994	Incredible Journeys Commentary by Jim Lindsay
		Psychic Detective	John Catchings	November 10, 1991
		Life After Life	Kristle Merzlock; Thomas Sawyer	February 22, 1989
		Powers of Miss Katie	Katie	October 31, 1990
		Dreams Come True	Rhonda and Roxanne Anderson; Catherine Webb	October 21, 1992
		Silent Witness	Nancy Myer	December 2, 1994
Bizarre Murders	1	Colorado Cop Killers	Jason McVean and Alan Pilon	April 9, 1999
		Boston Strangler		May 11, 1994
		Texas Most Wanted	Edward Bell	April 21, 1993	Texas Most Wanted Commentary by David Vassar & John Cosgrove
		Trailer Terror	Danny and Kathy Freeman	July 3, 2001
		Bad Chief	Greg Webb	April 28, 1993
		Marie Hilley		November 3, 1991
		Journalist's Murder	Danny Casolaro	March 10, 1993	Journalist's Murder Commentary by David Vassar
Bizarre Murders	2	Scared To Death	Cindy James	February 13, 1991
		Murdered Heiress	Camilla Lyman	June 11, 1999	Murdered Heiress Commentary by John Cosgrove & Stuart Schwartz
		Unicorn's Secret	Ira Einhorn	January 5, 1996
		Women's Prison Killing	Jesslyn Rich	November 4, 1992
		Skull Duggery	Linda Sherman	July 2, 2001
		Backyard Bones	Monika Rizzo	November 13, 1997	Backyard Bones Commentary by John Cosgrove & Mike Mathis
		World Leaders	James Fox; Elliott Leyton; Reid Maloy	November 3, 1991
		Burning Bed	Megan Curl	December 10, 2001
Bizarre Murders	3	Mistake Hit	Charles Morgan	February 13, 1991	Mistake Hit Commentary by Jim Lindsay
		Friends To The End	Don Henry and Kevin Ives	October 12, 1988
		Whistle Blown	Dave Bocks	March 2, 1994
		Richard's Rampage	Richard Church	November 7, 1990
		Plane Crash Sabotage	Gander Plane Crash	May 5, 1993
		Burned Evidence	Eric Tamiyasu	July 26, 2002
		Jesse James Hollywood		August 2, 2002	Jesse James Hollywood Commentary by Bob Wise
		Two Mary Murders	Mary Morris and Mary Morris	June 17, 2002
Bizarre Murders	4	Bordello Murders	Candy Belt and Gloria Ross	November 13, 1997	Bordello Murders Commentary by Jim Lindsay
		Campus Murder	Brook Baker	April 2, 1999
		Dakota's Double	Arnold Archambeau and Ruby Bruguier	April 14, 1995	Dakota's Double Death Commentary by Bob Wise
		Margo Freshwater		August 26, 2002
		Zodiac Unabomber	Zodiac Killer	September 20, 1996
		The Other Intern	Chandra Levy and Joyce Chiang; Christine Mirzayan	June 10, 2002
		Social Security Murders	Julius Patterson and Paulette Hite	November 17, 1993
		Civil Rights Murders	O'Neal Moore	November 14, 1990
		Campus Calamity	Bryan Nisenfeld	July 4, 2001
Strange Legends	1	Elvis' Last Night	Elvis Presley	November 13, 1997
		Brandon Lee		October 20, 1995	Brandon Lee Commentary by John Cosgrove & Raymond Bridgers
		Eliot Ness	Butcher of Kingsbury Run	February 20, 1991
		Holy Grail	Nanteos Cup	April 10, 1998
		Amelia Earhart		November 7, 1990	Holy Grail Commentary by David Vassar
		Alcatraz	Frank Morris and the Anglin Brothers	February 8, 1989
Strange Legends	2	Noah's Ark		April 29, 1992	Noah's Ark Commentary by Stuart Schwartz
		Martin L. King	Dr. Martin Luther King	March 31, 1993
		Big Foot in Oregon	Bigfoot	May 25, 1994
		Sonny Liston		November 22, 1989
		Who Killed Superman?	George Reeves	December 8, 1995
		Billy The Kid	Brushy Bill Roberts	March 1, 1989
		BC Sea Monster	Caddy	December 15, 1995	BC Sea Monster Commentary by Bob Wise
Strange Legends	3	Elvis' Twin	Jessie Presley	February 9, 1996
		Yeti		February 12, 1992
		DB Cooper	D. B. Cooper	October 12, 1988
		Huey Long		September 30, 1992	Huey Long Commentary by David Vassar
		Who Plugged Bugsy	Bugsy Siegel	April 2, 1999	Who Plugged Bugsy Commentary by Bob Wise
		John Wilkes Booth		September 25, 1991
		Mona Lisa	The Mona Lisa	November 17, 1993
Strange Legends	4	Agatha Christie		November 11, 1994	Agatha Christie Commentary by John Cosgrove & Christine Lenig
		Skunk Ape	The Skunk Ape	April 9, 1999
		Chair of Death		May 22, 1998
		RFK Pix	Scott Enyart	May 3, 1996	RFK Pix Commentary by John Cosgrove
		Anastasia	Anna Anderson	October 6, 1993
		Bermuda Triangle		September 26, 1990
		Mothman		July 26, 2002
Treasures & Ghosts	1	Ghost-Fighters	La Posada Hotel	October 2, 1994		Behind the Scenes the 200th Solve
		Haunting on 37th Street	Woods Home	April 17, 1998
		Direct Contact	Michelle O'Malley	February 16, 1996
		Mummy's Curse	The Curse of King Tut	May 10, 1996
		Haunted Mansion	Beaty Castle	February 19, 1992
		Dutch Schultz Treasure		April 27, 1994		Robert Stack Tribute
		Marcos' Buddha & Update	Yamashita's Treasure	January 27, 1993
		Lost Dutchman's Mine	Lost Dutchman Mine	March 15, 1989
		Nazi War Treasure	Lunersee Lake Treasure	October 17, 1990
		Plummer's Booty	Bannack Treasure	May 2, 1990

Soundtrack

In 2018, Terror Vision Records made a deal with program creator John Cosgrove to release the show's official score on vinyl, Unsolved Mysteries: Ghosts/Hauntings/The Unexplained. Two sets on color vinyl were released on June 22, 2018 – the first, a three vinyl set collecting the scores written for each of the show's ghost and missing/wanted segments along with three theme songs; the second, a 34 tracks single vinyl collection featuring the best cuts off the first three vinyl set. Segment cues were taken from the show's original DAT tapes. ^[6] A second collection entitled Unsolved Mysteries Volume Two: Bizarre Murders/UFOs/The Unknown was released in December 2019. ^[41]

Podcast

On October 21, 2020, it was announced that Cosgrove/Meurer Productions had struck a deal with Entercom-owned Cadence13 for an official Unsolved Mysteries weekly podcast. ^[42] The podcast is narrated by voice-over artist Steve French. ^[43]

Documentary

A 35th anniversary documentary special titled, Unsolved Mysteries: Behind the Legacy, was formally announced on September 7, 2023. The documentary, produced by FilmRise, hit Alamo Theaters nationwide on October 4, 2023. The AVOD premiere took place the following day, October 5. ^[44]

Spin-offs

• On September 18, 1992, NBC debuted a short-lived 6-episode spin-off series, hosted by Robert Stack himself, titled Final Appeal: From the Files of Unsolved Mysteries.
• In 1993, NBC aired a two-hour primetime movie called Victim of Love: The Shannon Mohr Story .
• On January 23, 1995, NBC aired a two-hour primetime movie called Escape from Terror: The Teresa Stamper Story .
• On April 22, 1996, NBC aired a two-hour primetime movie special titled, From the Files of Unsolved Mysteries: Voice from the Grave .
• On April 28, 1997, NBC aired a new primetime movie called From the Files of Unsolved Mysteries: The Sleepwalker Killing .

See also

• Aktenzeichen XY… ungelöst
• Corrupt Crimes
• Unsealed Files
• Traffic Cops (also called Car Wars)
• America's Most Wanted , a similar program
• Fugitive Watch , a similar program
• India's Most Wanted, an inspired program in India
• Police Report , a similar program in Hong Kong
• Linha Direta , a similar program in Brazil
• Efterlyst , a similar program in Sweden
• Crimecall , a similar program in Ireland
• Crime Watch , a similar program in Trinidad and Tobago ^[45]
• Police 5 , a similar program on ITV
• Crime Watch Daily , a similar syndicated program hosted by Chris Hansen
• Crimewatch , a similar program in the United Kingdom.
• Ten 7 Aotearoa , a similar program in New Zealand.
• The Hunt with John Walsh , a similar program
• BuzzFeed Unsolved

References

1. "'Unsolved Mysteries' Solved? Amazon to Stream Updated Episodes in 2017". The Wrap. December 15, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
2. "Pluto TV Just Added a 24/7 Channel That Streams "Unsolved Mysteries" Nonstop". September 20, 2018.
3. "Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina, Season 1 – YouTube". YouTube.
4. "season-1-hulu-robert-stack – Unsolved Mysteries".
5. "- YouTube". YouTube .
6. "Unsolved Mysteries: Ghosts / Hauntings / The Unexplained Single LP Version". Terror Vision Records and Video.
7. Rayne, Elizabeth (August 22, 2017). "Unsolved Mysteries could be creeping up on you shockingly soon".
8. White, Peter (January 18, 2019). "Netflix Reboots True Crime & Paranormal Series 'Unsolved Mysteries' With 'Stranger Things' EP Shawn Levy". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 18, 2019.
9. "Season 2 of 'Unsolved Mysteries' Coming to Netflix in October 2020". What's on Netflix. August 19, 2020.
10. ""Unsolved Mysteries" Will Return With a 3-Night Netflix Event This October". Bloody Disgusting . September 6, 2022.
11. Squires, John (February 1, 2024). ""Unsolved Mysteries: Volume 4" Coming to Netflix in 2024". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved February 2, 2024.
12. "Everything Coming To and Leaving Netflix in July 2024". Hypebeast. June 20, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
13. "'Unsolved Mysteries' Co-Creator Breaks Down Season 4's Severed Head Case and Teases 'Most Baffling Mystery' Ever as Netflix Renews Series (Exclusive)". Variety. July 31, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
14. "Unsolved Mysteries". Unsolved.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
15. Cathy Scott (March 14, 1997). "Behind the scenes of 'Unsolved' Shakur mystery – Las Vegas Sun News". Lasvegassun.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
16. Commercials on YouTube aired during 1995 World Series, including an Unsolved Mysteries promo featuring a revamped theme song
17. http://www.televisiontunes.com/Unsolved_Mysteries_-_Update.html Unsolved Mysteries theme song from 1995
18. "Suspected videotape arsonists arrested". UPI. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
19. "True Crime Factor Interview: John Cosgrove". February 10, 2017.
20. "Robert Stack Touched Success Many Times". May 16, 2003.
21. "Married with Children Comes to TBS This Fall, In Addition to Spike TV; Spike TV Fall 2008 Update". Sitcomsonline.com. June 24, 2008. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
22. "Interview with John Cosgrove Co-Creator of 'Unsolved Mysteries,' Show with New Episodes on Netflix". January 28, 2019.
23. Stolworthy, Jacob (July 1, 2020). "Unsolved Mysteries fans in awe of 'spooky' Robert Stack homage in Netflix reboot". Independent. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
24. "Netflix's "Unsolved Mysteries" Reboot Premieres in July With Six Brand New Episodes!". Bloody Disgusting. June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
25. Tran, Kevin (August 10, 2020). "'Hamilton' Far Bigger Than Anything on Netflix in July, Audience Data Reveals". Variety . Retrieved August 14, 2020.
26. White, Peter (September 1, 2021). "'Unsolved Mysteries' Renewed For Third Run At Netflix". Deadline. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
27. "Before They Were Stars: Matthew McConaughey on "Unsolved Mysteries"". the-back-row.com. August 31, 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
28. "Before They Were Stars: Cheryl Hines on "Unsolved Mysteries"". the-back-row.com. February 22, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
29. "Unsolved Mysteries celebrity trivia contest - Unsolved Mysteries". Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
30. "27 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Unsolved Mysteries". September 20, 2017.
31. "The Mysterious Death of Katherine Korzilius". Unsolved Mysteries. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
32. "TV Ratings > 1980's". ClassicTVHits.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
33. "TV Ratings > 1980's". ClassicTVHits.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
34. "TV Ratings > 1990's". ClassicTVHits.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
35. "TV Ratings > 1990's". ClassicTVHits.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
36. "TV Ratings > 1990's". ClassicTVHits.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
37. "The Final Countdown". EW.com. May 29, 1998. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
38. "Final ratings for the 1998–1999 TV season". Archived from the original on October 29, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
39. "Unsolved Mysteries". Emmys.com. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
40. "Unsolved Mysteries - IMDb". IMDb .
41. "Unsolved Mysteries Volume Two: Bizarre Murders/UFOs/The Unknown". Terror Vision Records and Video.
42. White, Peter (October 21, 2020). "'Unsolved Mysteries' Moves Into Podcasting With Cadence13 Deal". Deadline. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
43. "Unsolved Mysteries Podcast – Steve French Voice over".
44. Luchies, Adam (September 7, 2023). "'Unsolved Mysteries' 35th Anniversary Special Coming to Alamo Drafthouse Theaters". Collider . Retrieved September 7, 2023.
45. "TnT Crime Watch". Archived from the original on May 29, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2011.

External links

• Official website
• Unsolved Mysteries (1987–2010) at IMDb
• Unsolved Mysteries (2020–) at IMDb