Written by Shannon McGrew

The last year or so, I’ve found myself consumed with podcasts that focused on unsolved crimes and mysteries. As I listened to episodes from various podcasts about cold cases and disappearances I found myself wishing that the granddaddy that started it all, “Unsolved Mysteries“, was still on the air. I even posted the other days on social media how I wished it was streaming so that I could go down that dark, horrifying rabbit hole and consume myself with all of life’s terrifying mysteries. Well, the gods must have heard my prayers because today, as reported earlier here on iHorror, it was announced that FilmRise had acquired worldwide digital distribution rights to “Unsolved Mysteries“.

“Unsolved Mysteries” first appeared as a standalone TV special on NBC in 1987 and spent more than 20 years on the air. For the majority of that time it was hosted by the one and only Robert Stack until 2008, when Dennis Farina (Law and Order) took over. At that time, mysteries from the original run were re-examined to reflect new findings which led to original Robert Stack episodes being updated with crucial information. FilmRise plans to release all episodes from both runs of the show.

For those not familiar with “Unsolved Mysteries“, the show focused on examining cold cases, through interviews and reenactments, that ranged from bizarre crimes and missing persons’ reports to paranormal activity and historical events. Each episode included several segments on different topics and audiences were asked to call in with any new information that could help solve the cases presented on the show. This led to “Unsolved Mysteries” becoming one of the first television series to encourage viewer interaction which resulted in breakthroughs with many of the cases that fell in the category of “Missing”, “Lost Love”, and “Wanted Fugitive.”

Created and executive produced by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer, the show was the recipient of several Emmy nominations and won approval from the FBI, US Marshals Service, and others for its contributions to law enforcement. “We’re balancing two needs here,” Robert Stack told the LA Times in 1990. “We’re trying to produce theater and we’re trying to do a public service.”

Danny Fisher, CEO of Film Rise stated, “We’re pleased to be releasing this celebrated series to a large audience of fans both old and new. Unsolved Mysteries is an American tradition that FilmRise is excited to preserve.”

“Unsolved Mysteries has a long history of finding new audiences and we’re thrilled that the series is being given yet another life by FilmRise,” said Terry Meurer. “We know the series will expand even further with the help and expertise.”

The distributor will release episodes across digital and streaming platforms worldwide beginning this month, including Amazon Prime and Amazon Instant Video. So get ready to cut off all contact with the human race, stockpile enough food to last a few days, and binge watch the hell out of “Unsolved Mysteries.”