The new episodes will focus on one mystery, whereas in the original series, there was a main “A case” which got the spotlight, often followed up by a pair of “B stories.” In the original, actors played the victims, criminals, and witnesses, although the real life people involved with the case were also interviewed. Hosted by actor Robert Stack, and with an eerie and iconic opening theme that we sure hope the new version keeps, Unsolved Mysteries originally ran on NBC between 1987 and 1997, after which CBS picked it up for after a couple more seasons. New episodes ran on various cable outlets until the show finally ended all together in 2010. Stack passed away in 2003.The original series had a lasting impact on pop culture, as they were perhaps the first big mainstream network show to spotlight the Roswell UFO incident of 1947, taking that story and bringing it to millions who had never heard of it, cementing its legend in the popular consciousness. They were also one of the first documentaries to focus on the Unabomber, years before he was caught. Unsolved Mysteries pretty much spawned a genre, so it will be interesting to see how it fares in an world where there are so many imitators.
Images: NBC/UniversalÂ