The original run of Unsolved Mysteries explored all manner of cases, ranging from unresolved tales of murder and disappearances to more otherworldly experiences, including UFOs, ghosts, and mythical monsters. Netflix has launched its new reboot of the original series, with the first six episodes now being available on the service, though only one of these episodes focuses on anything out of this world. According to producer Terry Dunn Meurer, fans shouldn’t expect to see stories of the supernatural too often in the revival, as the number of mobile devices in the world means an abundance of bizarre evidence of such objects, in addition to such evidence being easier than ever to refute.
“We don’t have nearly as many ‘lost-love’ story submissions as we did, because people can find people (now) with Ancestry.com, 23andMe, and the internet,” she revealed to USA Today. “We don’t have as many UFO stories, because (with) cellphones, you figure if somebody saw (a UFO) a lot of people would be recording it, not just one person.”
Other than one episode focusing on a UFO sighting, the majority of the episodes currently available focus on mysterious deaths or disappearances. While the revival series quickly became one of Netflix’s most-watched series in the days since its debut, fans have been pointing out how they miss the vintage cases in which more bizarre events are explored.
Supernatural stories aren’t the only things missing from this revival, as it has also opted to avoid having any sort of host or narrator, instead allowing the interview subjects to drive the narrative forward. The original series had a handful of hosts throughout its run, the most iconic of which being Robert Stack. With Stack having passed away in 2003, Meurer knew how difficult it would be for any personality to attempt to capture Stack’s effectiveness.
“Everybody talks about how they hear that music from the original episodes and it sends a chill up their spine,” the producer admitted. “And then we had to make a tough decision: Should we have a host? We decided it would be impossible to fill Bob’s shoes.”
While the first six episodes are currently available on Netflix, six more episodes of Unsolved Mysteries will debut later this year.
Do you wish we got more UFO stories in the new reboot? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!
Tim M. Hill helped bring Digital-Overload from a weekly newsletter to a full-fledged news site by creating a new website and branding. He continues to assist in keeping the site responsive and well organized for the readers. As a writer to Digital-Overload, Tim mainly covers mobile news and gadgets.
