Unsolved Mysteries

infobox television
show_name = Unsolved Mysteries


caption = Unsolved Mysteries Logo
format = Crime, Drama, Mystery
runtime = 44 minutes| creator =
starring = Robert Stack (1987-1999; 2001-2002)
Dennis Farina (2008-Present)
country = USA
network = NBC, CBS, Lifetime, HBO, Spike TV
first_aired = January 20, 1987 - September 20, 2002
October 13, 2008-Present on HBO and Spike TV [http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6492832.html?q=unsolved+mysteries]
last_aired =
num_episodes = 553 [http://www.tv.com/unsolved-mysteries/show/4540/episode_listings.html?tag=tabs;episodes] (plus 7 Specials)
imdb_id = 0094574
tv_com_id = 4540|

"Unsolved Mysteries" is an American television program that was hosted and narrated by television and film actor Robert Stack, until his death. It was broadcast from 1987 to 2002, first as specials in 1987, then as a regular series on NBC (1988-1997), then on CBS (1997-1999) and on Lifetime (2001-2002). On October 13, 2008, new episodes will be aired on HBO and Spike TV.

"Unsolved Mysteries" used a documentary format and featured reenactments of unsolved crimes, missing persons, and unexplained paranormal phenomena such as alien abductions, ghosts, UFOs, and "alternative history" theories.

The show was hosted by Stack and -- during its brief CBS run -- co-hosted by Virginia Madsen. Later episodes featured journalist Keely Shaye Smith and television host Lu Hanessian as correspondents in the show's telecenter, from where they provided information on updated stories. The show was known for its eerie theme song, which made use of a Phrygian mode, as well as Stack's unmistakable voice, which became synonymous with the show. The show, along with "The X-Files", is credited with the rise in popularity of Paranormal investigation.

Format

"Unsolved Mysteries" featured segments in documentary film style, with actors portraying the victims, perpetrators and witnesses. In most cases, however, victim's family members and police officials were also featured in interview segments that were interspersed throughout the dramatizations. In the earlier episodes, the following message was related to the audience at the beginning of the program: "This program is about unsolved mysteries. Whenever possible, the actual family members and police officials have participated in recreating the events. What you are about to see is "not" a news broadcast." For special episodes, like "Mysteries of the Psychic Mind" or "Mysteries of the Afterlife", the message is: "This program is about unsolved mysteries. The re-enactments and special effects are actual eyewitness accounts. What you are about to see is "not" a news broadcast." Each episode of "Unsolved Mysteries" usually featured three or four segments, each involving a different story. Stack offered voice over narration for each segment, and appeared on-screen to begin and end segments and to offer segues.

While the show was in production and even today, viewers are invited to telephone, write letters, or, in later episodes, use the Internet, to contact the program if they have information that might help solve a crime shown on the show. The toll-free number is 800-876-5353 (U.S.) and the official website is shown here under, "External Links."

"Unsolved Mysteries" segments, all of which involved actual events, generally fell into one of four categories:

*Criminal cases: Accounts of abductions, suspicious deaths, homicides, robberies, missing persons and other miscellaneous unsolved cases, where either the suspects were unknown or could not be located.
*Lost loves: Accounts of individuals trying to reunite with someone from their past; often involving closed adoption or people separated by circumstances.
*Unexplained/Alternative history: Alternative theories of history (among them the theories that outlaws such as Billy the Kid and Butch Cassidy did not die as history recorded it, that the Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov survived the 1918 regicide that killed her entire family, that the assassination of Louisiana senator Huey Long may have been an accident, and that the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr was in fact a conspiracy).
*Paranormal matters: Accounts of miracles, alleged UFO/alien encounters (including examination of the Roswell UFO Incident and the Phoenix UFO Incident, or scientific questions about life on Mars), ghosts, Bigfoot, or other inexplicable phenomena.

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

Broadcast history

NBC, 1987-1997

The show aired on NBC from 1987 – 1997. It was originally hosted by actor Raymond Burr as a television special. Karl Malden also hosted the show before Robert Stack took over full-time. "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 spin-off series called "Final Appeal: From the Files of Unsolved Mysteries", with Robert Stack as host also. The premise of this series was to try to give the unjustly accused a final appeal for help. The series was cancelled after only a few episodes due to poor ratings.

CBS, 1997-1999

By 1997, however, the show started to lose its audience, and NBC cancelled the show. Ratings declined when the program moved from its original Wednesday evening to Friday evening beginning in the Fall 1994 season. It was soon revived on CBS. In early 1999, Stack was joined by actress Virginia Madsen for hosting duties in hope to regain ground on the ratings, but to no avail. After two years, CBS removed the show from its Friday night lineup.

Lifetime, 2001-2002

"Unsolved Mysteries" slowly faded, but in 2001, the program regained some popularity with a somewhat new audience, when it was revived on the Lifetime cable television network, where new episodes aired sporadically until 2002, usually on weekdays between 11 A.M. and 3 P.M. Old episodes still run in syndication on several television networks (notably Lifetime) in the U.S., Canada, and Australia; but as of August 14, 2006, "Unsolved Mysteries" switched to airing on Lifetime Real Women, which is mostly on digital cable. In 2007, the show was yanked entirely from the schedule.

During some shows, callers gave tips to the telecenter. When the show aired on NBC and CBS, the number was displayed on the bottom of the screen. When it moved to Lifetime, the number was removed and an address was put in place. Strangely enough, Lifetime kept the telecenter segments in the broadcast, despite the fact that this wouldn't make sense to a viewer who had tuned in after the show was taken off NBC and CBS.

HBO and Spike TV, 2008-

According to "Broadcasting & Cable", in 2007, HBO Distribution announced plans to bring back "Unsolved Mysteries" when the cable channel Lifetime contract expires in 2008. The show will feature a new set, new logo, new music, recaps on old cases, as well as new cases, and a new host. The show will be on HBO and Spike TV on October 13, 2008. HBO and Spike TV have produced 175 episodes, [http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6454879.html] featuring new theme music and hosted by television and movie actor Dennis Farina. [http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20080407spiketv02]

"Unsolved Mysteries" will relaunch on Monday, October 13, at 5 p.m., and 6p.m., ET Time. [http://www.sitcomsonline.com/blog/2008/06/married-with-children-comes-to-tbs-this.html]

DVD releases

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.

External links

*imdb title|id=0094574|title=Unsolved Mysteries
*tv.com show|id=4540|title=Unsolved Mysteries
* [http://www.unsolved.com "Unsolved Mysteries" official site]
* [http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6492832.html "Broadcasting & Cable"] Spike announcement