The voice of and for USM students

SM2

The voice of and for USM students

SM2

The voice of and for USM students

SM2

‘Unsolved Mysteries’ gets a modern reboot

Photo courtesy of Netflix.
Photo courtesy of Netflix.

‘Unsolved Mysteries’ was rebooted by Netflix on July 1. The original series’ creators, John Cosgrove and Tyler Dunn Meurer, have come back to help produce the new episodes. The series will include a total of 12 50-minute episodes, with six now available to watch. 

The original series ran from 1987 to 2002, with a brief reboot on Spike in 2010. In 2017, Cosgrove and Meurer said they were interested in reviving the series, and successfully did so this year. 

Most episodes of the original ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ explored mysterious deaths or disappearances of people, sometimes relating to urban legends, UFOs, cold cases or hidden treasures. Viewers would then be able to go to the ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ website and provide any tips or information related to a case mentioned during the episode, as its ultimate goal was to help get these mysteries solved.

The new series keeps a lot of these same elements, although it now only focuses on one case per episode, going deep into topics such as UFOs in Massachusetts. The more documentary styled presentation of the new series also differs from the original, as well as there being no host or narration each episode.

The new episodes include interviews from family members, friends and witnesses relating to the episode’s case. The interviewees bring the show’s crew to locations related to the case, such as the last place where a vehicle was found, where the victim’s body was found and where the person was last seen. Then police and family are interviewed to bring the story of the whole case together. 

Despite seeming morbid to listen to, it is a good way for viewers to provide any tips or information they have about a certain case. One of the rebooted show’s producers said viewers had submitted over a dozen credible tips relating to three of the season’s cases only a week after the series premiered.

The original series helped solve a number of cases. According to the producers, the original ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ has helped solve over 260 cases, and may help solve more with its latest season.

‘Unsolved Mysteries’, no matter what series you watch, is truly unique, as viewers can help play a part in solving a case if they have any information. 
Viewers can go to Unsolved.com to find older episodes of the show and any news relating to any of the cases the show has covered.

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