Unsolved Mysteries premiered on NBC in January of 1987, and is one of the longest running programs in the history of television. It was the first series to introduce an audience-interactive “call-to-action” that requested viewer tips to help solve real cases. Of the more than 1,300 mysteries profiled in over 230 episodes, half the cases featuring wanted fugitives have been solved, more than 100 families have been reunited with lost loved ones, and seven individuals who were wrongly convicted of crimes, have been exonerated and released. Cases involving missing persons, missing heirs, murder, fraud, and amnesia have also been solved following UM broadcasts. That adds up to over 260 solved cases.
Each original Unsolved Mysteries episode features four or five real-life mysteries and often an update about a case which was solved. Segment categories include murders and unexplained deaths, missing persons, wanted fugitives, UFOs, ghosts, mysterious creatures, missing heirs, lost loves, amnesia, fraud, arson, and treasure.
Unsolved Mysteries, produced by Cosgrove/Meurer Productions, was created by Executive Producers John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. It aired for nine seasons on NBC and two seasons on CBS. The series has received six Emmy nominations and numerous commendations from law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service.
Before Unsolved Mysteries received a full NBC series order in 1988, CMP produced seven stand-alone specials. The host of the first episode/special was Raymond Burr. Karl Malden hosted the next two specials. Then Robert Stack became the iconic host for four additional specials plus 11 seasons on NBC and CBS. In Seasons 8 and 9, Stack was joined by Telecenter co-host, Keely Shaye Smith, and in Season 11, Virginia Madsen joined the UM team as Stack’s co-host. In 2008, the original Robert Stack episodes were re-packaged for Spike TV with host and narrator, Dennis Farina. Unsolved Mysteries has aired in over 35 countries worldwide.
In 2020, Netflix released 12 new episodes of Unsolved Mysteries produced by Cosgrove/Meurer Productions and 21 Laps. On February 17, 2021, the Unsolved Mysteries podcast was launched. Episodes are available for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Radio.com or wherever you get your shows.
*Unsolved Mysteries episodes are currently streaming on Amazon Prime, Youtube, Peacock, and many more platforms. For a full list, please go to unsolved.com/watch.