Unsolved Mysteries is an American documentary television show, that presents actual/non-fiction media segments. Mainly ranging from unsolved, cold, controversial, critical, disputed, or unexplained crimes and criminal cases; wanted fugitives who are at large; missing individuals; and paranormal occurrences. The program also occasionally features segments from individuals suffering from amnesia/memory loss; urban legends and myths; child abduction/kidnapping cases; accused parties of a crime who claim their innocence; deceased individuals in which their family/next of kin is yet to be located; and individuals looking to be reunited with lost connections/family members.[1]
It began with a series of television specials, airing on NBC from 1987 to 1988. These specials were each individually hosted by several different actors, such as Raymond Burr (in the pilot special), Karl Malden (in the following two specials), and Robert Stack (for the remaining specials, with Stack later becoming the permanent staple host of the franchise).
Due to the popularity of the specials, the program hosted by Stack, was picked up in 1988 and aired a total of nine seasons on NBC. The series was then acquired by CBS in 1997, adding actress Virginia Madsen (as a co-host alongside Stack, announcing special alerts, bulletins and updates), where it continued for a short run of 2 seasons. In 2001, Lifetime acquired the series, with Stack returning to acting as lone host, where it finished its original run in 2002, followed shortly by the death of Stack.
The series ran re-runs of NBC, CBS, and Lifetime episodes in syndication for a number of years until it was resurrected by Spike TV (Now known as the Paramount Network) in 2008. The new series featured actor Dennis Farina as host. However, the Spike TV series did not include any new cases or segments; and instead the program included digitally enhanced and edited older cases that were already featured on NBC, CBS and Lifetime, and if applicable, added updated information. This edition was discontinued in 2010.
In 2020, the series returned with all-new episodes and a new format on Netflix. This version of the program, contains no host or narrator, (although a portrait of Stack is featured at the end of the opening credits) and instead gives a more candid documentary/reality television/true crime/personal view of each case. Also graphic language is uncensored.
As of July 31, 2024,[update] 607 episodes of Unsolved Mysteries have been released.