The fifteenth season of Unsolved Mysteries is a Netflix reboot revival of the long-running American television series, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. The show, which documents and seeks to solve cold cases and paranormal phenomena, originally ran from 1987–2010.
| Unsolved Mysteries | |
|---|---|
| Season 15 | |
 Promotional poster | |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Netflix |
| Original release | July 1 – October 19, 2020 |
| Season chronology | |
Unlike all previous seasons, there is no host or narrator in the Netflix reboot. However, an image of longtime host Robert Stack is shown in the title sequence of each episode.[1]
Background
editIn 2017, the film and television distribution company FilmRise acquired worldwide digital distribution rights to the original run of Unsolved Mysteries. The company announced its intention to release updated versions of the show's episodes through multiple streaming platforms.[2] This led to renewed interest in the series, with original creators, John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer, expressing interest in reviving the show.[3] On January 18, 2019, Netflix announced that it had picked up a 12-part reboot of the series.[4] It was further revealed that Stranger Things executive producer Shawn Levy and his company 21 Laps Entertainment, along with Cosgrove-Meurer Productions (and Netflix) would be producing the new episodes. Original creators, Cosgrove and Meurer are expected to showrun the series, along with Levy and Josh Barry acting as executive producers. Robert Wise is expected to act as co-executive producer, along with showrunner Dunn Meurer. The reboot's format will depart from the original series' multiple mysteries showcase and will instead feature one case per episode. Cosgrove has stated that the reboot will be "pure documentary style" and there will be no host or narrator.[5] The first six episodes are presented as Volume 1 on Netflix.[6] Netflix announced on August 19, 2020, that the first season's six remaining episodes would air (as Volume 2) on October 19, 2020.[7]
Episodes
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Mystery | Directed by | Original air date | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volume 1 | ||||||||||||
| 582 | 1 | Mystery on the Rooftop | Marcus A. Clarke | July 1, 2020 | ||||||||
|
The strange death of 32-year-old writer and videographer Rey Rivera in Baltimore is explored. | ||||||||||||
| 583 | 2 | 13 Minutes | Jimmy Goldblum | July 1, 2020 | ||||||||
|
38-year-old hair salon owner Patrice Endres vanishes in a 13-minute window of time, only for there to be a development in the case 600 days later. | ||||||||||||
| 584 | 3 | House of Terror | Clay Jeter | July 1, 2020 | ||||||||
|
The murders of the Dupont de Ligonnès family and the disappearance of Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès are investigated. | ||||||||||||
| 585 | 4 | No Ride Home | Marcus A. Clarke | July 1, 2020 | ||||||||
|
Alonzo Brooks goes missing after a party and is later found dead; some suspect a hate crime. | ||||||||||||
| 586 | 5 | Berkshires UFO | Marcus A. Clarke | July 1, 2020 | ||||||||
|
September 1, 1969 Berkshire UFO incident: Berkshire County residents recall their encounters with a UFO in 1969. | ||||||||||||
| 587 | 6 | Missing Witness | Clay Jeter | July 1, 2020 | ||||||||
|
Lena Chapin disappears after she claims to have knowledge of her missing stepfather's fate. | ||||||||||||
| Volume 2 | ||||||||||||
| 588 | 7 | Washington Insider Murder | Dan Argott | October 19, 2020 | ||||||||
|
The death of John P. Wheeler III is explored. | ||||||||||||
| 589 | 8 | Death in Oslo | Robert M. Wise | October 19, 2020 | ||||||||
|
The case of an unidentified woman who died in a hotel in Norway. | ||||||||||||
| 590 | 9 | Death Row Fugitive | Robert M. Wise & Clay Jeter | October 19, 2020 | ||||||||
|
Convicted murderer and sex offender Lester Eubanks’s escape from prison is chronicled. | ||||||||||||
| 591 | 10 | Tsunami Spirits | Clay Jeter | October 19, 2020 | ||||||||
|
People claim to see ghosts in Ishinomaki, Japan following a tsunami in 2011. | ||||||||||||
| 592 | 11 | Lady in the Lake | Skye Borgman | October 19, 2020 | ||||||||
|
The death of JoAnn Romain is profiled. | ||||||||||||
| 593 | 12 | Stolen Kids | Jessica Dimmock | October 19, 2020 | ||||||||
|
The story of two toddlers who went missing within months of each other in Harlem in 1989. | ||||||||||||
Response
editOn review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 74% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 6.92/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Unsolved Mysteries' latest reboot is slick and features compelling cases, but fails to live up to the original's spookiness and gets lost in the current sea of true crime offerings."[8] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, based on seven critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[9]
The show began getting "credible tips" following the release of the new season.[10] Viewers also began coming up with their own theories about the cases featured.[11][12] In August 2020, it was reported that 13.7% of subscribers had watched the series over its first month.[13]
References
edit- ^ Stolworthy, Jacob (July 1, 2020). "Unsolved Mysteries fans in awe of 'spooky' Robert Stack homage in Netflix reboot". Independent. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
- ^ "'Unsolved Mysteries' Solved? Amazon to Stream Updated Episodes in 2017". The Wrap. December 15, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
- ^ Rayne, Elizabeth (August 22, 2017). "Unsolved Mysteries could be creeping up on you shockingly soon".
- ^ White, Peter (January 18, 2019). "Netflix Reboots True Crime & Paranormal Series 'Unsolved Mysteries' With 'Stranger Things' EP Shawn Levy". Deadline.
- ^ "Interview With John Cosgrove Co-Creator of 'Unsolved Mysteries,' Show Now Headed to Netflix". Channel Nonfiction. January 28, 2019.
- ^ "Unsolved Mysteries". Netflix. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
- ^ "Season 2 of 'Unsolved Mysteries' Coming to Netflix in October 2020". What's on Netflix. August 19, 2020.
- ^ "Unsolved Mysteries: Season 1 (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ^ "Unsolved Mysteries (2020): Season 1 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ^ Castrodale, Jelisa (July 8, 2020). "'Unsolved Mysteries' Update: FBI Reopen One of the Netflix Show's Cases". Vice. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
- ^ "An 'Unsolved Mysteries' Reddit Fan Theory May Explain Rey Rivera's Note About 'The Game' Movie". Women's Health. July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
- ^ Shiffer, Emily (July 8, 2020). "Reddit Users Have A Ton Of Theories About 'Unsolved Mysteries' French Episode 'House Of Terrors'". Women's Health. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
- ^ Tran, Kevin (August 10, 2020). "'Hamilton' Far Bigger Than Anything on Netflix in July, Audience Data Reveals". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
