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Unsolved Mysteries
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==Broadcast history== ===NBC (1987β1997)=== 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 effect]]s to enhance tales of the unexplained. In 1992, NBC aired a short-lived [[Court show#Dramatized court show|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 R. MacDonald|Jeffrey MacDonald]] case. The program was canceled after only a few episodes due to poor ratings. ===CBS (1997β1999)=== The ratings for ''Unsolved Mysteries'' had been steadily declining ever since it was moved from its original Wednesday evening timeslot to [[Friday night death slot|Friday evenings]] in the fall of 1994. At the end of the 1996β97 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 [[CBS Block Party|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://truecrimefactor.com/2017/02/10/true-crime-factor-interview-john-cosgrove/|title=True Crime Factor Interview: John Cosgrove|date=February 10, 2017|access-date=January 8, 2018|archive-date=January 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109180913/https://truecrimefactor.com/2017/02/10/true-crime-factor-interview-john-cosgrove/|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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 (2001β2002)=== [[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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2003-05-16-0305150373-story.html|title = Robert Stack Touched Success Many Times| date=May 16, 2003 }}</ref> 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, a [[Toll-free telephone number|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 (2008β2010)=== According to ''[[Broadcasting & Cable]]'', in 2007, [[HBO|HBO Distribution]] announced plans to bring back ''Unsolved Mysteries'' when the cable channel [[Lifetime Television|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 (TV channel)|Spike]] on October 13, 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sitcomsonline.com/blog/2008/06/married-with-children-comes-to-tbs-this.html |title=Married with Children Comes to TBS This Fall, In Addition to Spike TV; Spike TV Fall 2008 Update |publisher=Sitcomsonline.com |date=June 24, 2008 |access-date=2012-11-13}}</ref> 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 (2020βpresent)=== A 12-part [[Unsolved Mysteries (season 15)|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.<ref name="netflix"/> Cosgrove stated that the reboot would be "pure documentary style" and would have no host or narrator;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.channelnonfiction.com/interview-with-john-cosgrove-co-creator-of-unsolved-mysteries-series-a-show-headed-to-netflix/|title = Interview with John Cosgrove Co-Creator of 'Unsolved Mysteries,' Show with New Episodes on Netflix|date = January 28, 2019}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/unsolved-mysteries-reboot-netflix-robert-stack-narrator-homage-a9595576.html|title=Unsolved Mysteries fans in awe of 'spooky' Robert Stack homage in Netflix reboot|date=July 1, 2020|access-date=July 5, 2020|last=Stolworthy|first=Jacob|work=Independent}}</ref> The first six episodes of the new season became available to stream starting July 1, 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3619484/netflixs-unsolved-mysteries-reboot-premieres-july-six-brand-new-episodes/ |title=Netflix's "Unsolved Mysteries" Reboot Premieres in July With Six Brand New Episodes! |publisher=[[Bloody Disgusting]] |date=June 9, 2020 |access-date=2020-06-09}}</ref> In August 2020, it was reported that 13.7% of subscribers had watched the series over its first month.<ref>{{Cite web |title='Hamilton' Far Bigger Than Anything on Netflix in July, Audience Data Reveals |url=https://variety.com/vip/disney-hamilton-audience-nearly-3x-bigger-than-any-netflix-program-in-july-1234729439/ |last=Tran |first=Kevin |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=August 10, 2020 |access-date=August 14, 2020}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2021/09/unsolved-mysteries-renewed-volume-three-netflix-1234825260/|title='Unsolved Mysteries' Renewed For Third Run At Netflix|date=September 1, 2021|access-date=July 5, 2020|last=White|first=Peter|work=Deadline}}</ref> 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.<ref name="volume3"/> Netflix announced in February 2024 that a fourth volume of episodes would air sometime that same year.<ref name="volume4"/> On June 20, 2024, it was announced that the fourth volume would begin streaming on July 31, 2024.<ref name=":0" /> A fifth volume consisting of 4 episodes premiered in October 2024.<ref name="volume5"/>
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