Unsolved_Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries
American true crime television series
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.
| Unsolved Mysteries | |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 16 |
| No. of episodes | 602 (list of episodes) |
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| Release | January 20, 1987 (1987-01-20) – April 27, 2010 (2010-04-27) |
| Network | Netflix (2020–present) |
| Release | August 1, 2020 (2020-08-01) – present (present) |
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] A fourth volume is expected sometime in 2024.[11]
Unsolved Mysteries used a documentary format to profile real-life mysteries[12] 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.[13] 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,[14][15] 1997, 1999, 2001, 2008, and 2020. The 2020 version of the theme was arranged, performed, and recorded by West Dylan Thordson.
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.[16]
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.[17] 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.[18]
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.[19]
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;[20] 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.[21] The first six episodes of the new season became available to stream starting July 1, 2020.[22] In August 2020, it was reported that 13.7% of subscribers had watched the series over its first month.[23] 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.[24] 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]
| 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) | ||
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.[25] 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.[26][27][28] 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.[29]
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[30] | 15.7 |
| 2 | 1989–90 | #11[31] | 16.6 |
| 3 | 1990–91 | #16[32] | 14.6 |
| 4 | 1991–92 | #13[33] | 15.2 |
| 5 | 1992–93 | #21[34] | 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[35] | 9.9 |
| 11 | 1998–99 | #75[36] | 9.7 |
The original NBC telecast was nominated six times for an Emmy Award for outstanding informational series in 1989–1993 and 1995.[37] 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.[38]
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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Wheatfields Visitations | United Kingdom Crop Circles | January 31, 1990 | ||||
| Life on Mars | November 1, 1996 | Life on Mars Commentary by David Vassar |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| General Wayne's Inn | The General Wayne Inn | October 26, 1988 | General Wayne's Inn Commentary by John Cosgrove & Keva Rosenfeld |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Rainboy | Don Decker | February 10, 1993 | Rainboy Commentary by David Vassar |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Dorothy AllisonDorothy Allison, Police Psychic | Dorothy Allison | May 6, 1988 | Dorothy Allison Commentary by John Cosgrove |
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| 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 |
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| Incredible Journeys | Nova; Lady | March 2, 1994 | Incredible Journeys Commentary by Jim Lindsay |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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.[39]
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.[40] The podcast is narrated by voice-over artist Steve French.[41]
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.[42]
- 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.
- 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[43]
- 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
- "'Unsolved Mysteries' Solved? Amazon to Stream Updated Episodes in 2017". The Wrap. December 15, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
- "Pluto TV Just Added a 24/7 Channel That Streams "Unsolved Mysteries" Nonstop". September 20, 2018.
- "Unsolved Mysteries: Ghosts / Hauntings / The Unexplained Single LP Version". Terror Vision Records and Video.
- Rayne, Elizabeth (August 22, 2017). "Unsolved Mysteries could be creeping up on you shockingly soon".
- White, Peter (January 18, 2019). "Netflix Reboots True Crime & Paranormal Series 'Unsolved Mysteries' With 'Stranger Things' EP Shawn Levy". Deadline.
- "Season 2 of 'Unsolved Mysteries' Coming to Netflix in October 2020". What's on Netflix. August 19, 2020.
- Squires, John (February 1, 2024). ""Unsolved Mysteries: Volume 4" Coming to Netflix in 2024". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- "Unsolved Mysteries". Unsolved.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
- Cathy Scott (March 14, 1997). "Behind the scenes of 'Unsolved' Shakur mystery – Las Vegas Sun News". Lasvegassun.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
- Commercials on YouTube aired during 1995 World Series, including an Unsolved Mysteries promo featuring a revamped theme song
- http://www.televisiontunes.com/Unsolved_Mysteries_-_Update.doc Unsolved Mysteries theme song from 1995
- "Suspected videotape arsonists arrested". UPI. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
- "True Crime Factor Interview: John Cosgrove". February 10, 2017.
- "Robert Stack Touched Success Many Times". May 16, 2003.
- "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.
- Stolworthy, Jacob (July 1, 2020). "Unsolved Mysteries fans in awe of 'spooky' Robert Stack homage in Netflix reboot". Independent. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
- "Netflix's "Unsolved Mysteries" Reboot Premieres in July With Six Brand New Episodes!". Bloody Disgusting. June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- Tran, Kevin (August 10, 2020). "'Hamilton' Far Bigger Than Anything on Netflix in July, Audience Data Reveals". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- White, Peter (September 1, 2021). "'Unsolved Mysteries' Renewed For Third Run At Netflix". Deadline. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
- "Before They Were Stars: Matthew McConaughey on "Unsolved Mysteries"". the-back-row.com. August 31, 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
- "Before They Were Stars: Cheryl Hines on "Unsolved Mysteries"". the-back-row.com. February 22, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
- "Unsolved Mysteries celebrity trivia contest - Unsolved Mysteries". Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
- "27 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Unsolved Mysteries". September 20, 2017.
- "The Mysterious Death of Katherine Korzilius". Unsolved Mysteries. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- "TV Ratings > 1980's". ClassicTVHits.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
- "TV Ratings > 1980's". ClassicTVHits.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
- "TV Ratings > 1990's". ClassicTVHits.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
- "TV Ratings > 1990's". ClassicTVHits.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
- "TV Ratings > 1990's". ClassicTVHits.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
- "The Final Countdown". EW.com. May 29, 1998. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
- "Final ratings for the 1998–1999 TV season". Archived from the original on October 29, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
- "Unsolved Mysteries". Emmys.com. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
- "Unsolved Mysteries Volume Two: Bizarre Murders/UFOs/The Unknown". Terror Vision Records and Video.
- White, Peter (October 21, 2020). "'Unsolved Mysteries' Moves Into Podcasting With Cadence13 Deal". Deadline. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
- Luchies, Adam (September 7, 2023). "'Unsolved Mysteries' 35th Anniversary Special Coming to Alamo Drafthouse Theaters". Collider. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
- "TnT Crime Watch". Archived from the original on May 29, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
