First broadcast in January of 1987, Unsolved Mysteries is one of the longest running programs in television and the inspiration for dozens of imitators. It is also the first television series with an audience interactive call-to-action requesting viewer tips to help solve actual cases.
Each episode consists of five segments profiling real-life mysteries and an update of a case which has been solved, often thanks to viewer tips. The segments are drawn from a variety of different categories: Murder, Missing Persons, Wanted Fugitives, UFOs, Ghosts, The Unexplained (Paranormal), Missing Heirs, Amnesia, Fraud, among others.
Viewers are urged to visit the series website, unsolved.com, if they have information that might help to solve a case. UM staff will forward the information to the appropriate authorities.
All of the segments have been updated with current information and will continue to be updated with new information resulting from the broadcasts on Spike TV. The host-narrator is Dennis Farina, star of Law and Order, Get Shorty, What Happens in Vegas, and many other film and television credits.
Over the years, Unsolved Mysteries has profiled more than one thousand cases in 260 episodes. 47% of the cases featuring wanted fugitives have been solved thanks to information from Unsolved Mysteries viewers. Also, over one hundred families have been reunited as a result of “Lost Love” segments featured on the show. In addition, several cases involving missing heirs, murder, fraud and amnesia have also been solved and, in several cases, individuals wrongly convicted of crimes have been released following UM broadcasts.
Unsolved Mysteries is produced by Cosgrove/Meurer Productions. The series was created by its Executive Producers, John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer, and ran for ten seasons on NBC and two seasons on CBS. Unsolved Mysteries has received six Emmy nominations, and received many commendations from law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and US Marshals Service. The host of the first pilot/special was Raymond Burr. Karl Malden hosted the next two specials and then Robert Stack hosted the remaining programs on NBC and CBS.
Through the years, Unsolved Mysteries has profiled more than one thousand cases in 260 episodes. Over half the cases featuring wanted fugitives have been solved, most as a result of viewer tips. Also, more than one hundred families have been reunited as a result of “Lost Love” segments on the show, and several cases involving missing heirs, murder, fraud and amnesia have also been solved. In seven cases, individuals wrongly convicted of crimes have been released following UM broadcasts.
Unsolved Mysteries is produced by Cosgrove/Meurer Productions. The series was created by its Executive Producers, John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer, and ran for ten seasons on NBC and two seasons on CBS. Unsolved Mysteries has received six Emmy nominations, and received many commendations from law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and US Marshals Service. The host of the first pilot/special was Raymond Burr. Karl Malden hosted the next two specials and then Robert Stack hosted the remaining programs on NBC and CBS.
