Unsolved Mysteries

I watched many an episode all alone only to suffer from nightmares and paranoia. We all remember the classic episodes: "Look at it burn, Omar!"(the kid who set fires and video-taped the carnage); and of course The Bunk Beds! And the composite sketches never failed to give me the heebie-jeebies. Oh, Robert Stack, how you will be missed. I found your authoritative monotone comforting but at the same time it never failed to give me the heebie-jeebies. I loved the trenchcoat, and how he would stand with this hands in the pockets, usually on some eerily misty road or perhaps on a foggy dockside. Did I mention the Bunk Beds? Freaked. Me. Out. I'll leave you with the theme music...doo doo doo DOO doo doo DOO, doo doo doo DOO doo doo DOO...

Excellent television series that went on for a decade on NBC, found a home for less than half a season on CBS (only completing six episodes for the network) and still living in syndication on the Lifetime Network. The series finally hit a brick wall for all intensive purposes by 2002 as nothing new was really being added to old episodes and new mysteries were only given a quick glimpse. The series is an intense study in crime, history, religion, the super-natural and seemingly everything in between. The show started slowly in the late-1980s with Karl Malden and Raymond Burr starting out as hosts (never hosting at the same time). It was not until Robert Stack took over very early in the series' run that the program found a permanent audience. His golden voice spooked and intrigued for over a decade. As the years passed the program struggled in spite of the fact that many bad people were caught and innumerable mysteries were solved. Gimmicks followed with co-hosts like Virginia Madsen and Keely Shaye Smith, but by that time "Unsolved Mysteries" had sadly become a Nielsen Ratings dog. All shot in a documentary style, the series was always endearing to me. However its purpose was never really to entertain and the sometimes dark and disturbing subject matter turned many in the viewing public away. Even in syndication it is fun to look back to a part of television history that will stand the test of time. 5 stars out of 5.

Unsolved Mysteries was one of the most intriguing shows ever on television, sometimes scary, sometimes funny, sometimes heartwarming, sometimes silly, and always interesting. Unsolved Mysteries was given great dignity and style by the late Robert Stack, whose presence and voice made it eminently watchable.

Given that this was a reality show, it's surprising to me that in the current reality show frenzy, this show hasn't been revived. In its prime-time years, it was canceled, then returned to the air with co-host Virginia Madsen for a season. The rest of the time on the air, it was hosted by only Stack. Lifetime has been running the series for some time now, but they really should produce new episodes. The only problem with that is, who would replace Stack? All that aside, the series was notable for all its reuniting of families, the criminals caught, and its inspirational stories of miracle healings. It also had its share of UFO sightings and ghost stories. With the show off of the air, it's very frustrating because one doesn't know if the unsolved cases were ever solved.

If you look closely, you'll see Matthew McConaughey as a murder victim.

You can't get any better than that.

Unsolved Mysteries was slammed by critics who just didn't get it. Sure, it featured stories involving ghosts and UFOs, but it served a greater and more valuable purpose: asking for help from viewers in unsolved cases, including: wanted fugitives, missing persons, lost loved ones, and unsolved homicides.

Thanks to this show, more than 280 cases have been solved, and the number just keeps growing (which is now probably past 300). In particular, the show was extremely effective in helping people get reunited with lost loved ones. Unsolved Mysteries helped people, especially when no one else could (or would). Therefore, it is a real shame that the primetime powers-that-be pulled the plug on the series in 1999. I miss this show a lot, and hold on to the hope that it will someday be revived so that it could resume helping the public in finding closure.

I miss this show. I consider it to be one of the best TV programs ever made. Robert Stack was perfect as host, and if you get a chance to see it reruns, do not pass it up.

The segments featuring an unsolved case were A-1. I loved every one of the episodes, and it was as close to perfect as a tv show will ever get.

**** out of ****