Unsolved Mysteries has recently been rebooted on Netflix, but only time will tell if it captures the originals' spirit.
The original Unsolved Mysteries aired on NBC from 1987 to 1997, on CBS from '97-'99, Lifetime between 2001 and 2002, and Spike TV from 2008 to 2010. As the title suggests, the show chronicled real-life mysteries, some of them grounded (like murders and missing persons cases), some of them more outlandish (like conspiracy theories and supposed alien abductions). As is often the case with a show like this, each season varies in quality. Luckily, ratingraph exists to show people the overall quality of a series based on its IMDb ratings. This is every season of Unsolved Mysteries (pre-Netflix) ranked according to IMDb.
14 Season 12 (5.4)
Season 12 was the first to be aired on Lifetime, and perhaps not so coincidentally, it is also the lowest-rated season of the entire series.
Season 12 contains many lowly-rated episodes, with Twisted Sisters at 4.8 and many others rated at 5.0. Many episodes are also rated well below the series' average.
13 Season 13 (5.5)
Rated just above season 12 is the other Lifetime season - season 13. Season 13 has a good episode in David Lee Kemp, but once again, many episodes are rated well below the series' average.
These include Child Prodigies at 4.8 and Boston Strangler/Mary Sullivan, which is the lowest-rated episode in the show's history at just 4.5.
12 Season 10 (5.6)
Season 10 aired between 1997 and 1998, and it was the first season to be aired on CBS. According to the IMDb ratings, Unsolved Mysteries really lost something when it left NBC. Season 10 was very short, containing just six episodes.
However, they are six of the show's weakest, including Episode 10.2, which sits at just 5.1. That episode contains the murder of Kathy Page and the mystery of the Bible code.
11 Season 14 (5.9)
Spike TV picked up Unsolved Mysteries for a fourteenth season, which aired on Spike TV between 2008 and 2010.
It was hosted by Dennis Farina, as long-time host Robert Stack had died from heart failure in 2003. Weirdly enough, IMDb jumps from season 13 to 15, but the episodes listed under season 15 aired in 2008, which means they were actually a part of season 14. The new Netflix reboot is technically the 15th season.
10 Season 9 (6.0)
Sitting at a cumulative 6.0 is the show's ninth season, which aired throughout 1996 and 1997. This was the final season to be aired on NBC, and the lower rating seemingly proves that it was losing its luster.
That said, the season still contains some solid episodes, including 9.12 and 9.17, the latter of which covers the murder of Tupac Shakur.
9 Season 8 (6.0)
Also sitting at a cumulative 6.0 is season 8. This season contains many episodes rated below the series average, including three at 5.5 and one at 5.4.
However, it also contains a high spot in episode seven, which is among the highest-rated of the entire series. It's primarily known for covering the mystery behind George Reeves, who famously portrayed Superman in the TV show Adventures of Superman.
8 Season 7 (6.2)
Sitting at a relatively solid if somewhat-still-low 6.2 is season 7. Season 7 contained a string of great episodes, including the highly-rated first, fifth, and sixth episodes.
The first covers the mystery of the Ice Man and the murder of Frank Olson, the fifth the legend of Wyrick House, and the sixth the legend of the Mexico City UFO.
7 Season 5 (6.3)
Season 5 is a mixed bag of quality, containing a handful of lowly-rated episodes. However, it also contains a shining spot in episode #5.12, which is tied for the highest-rated episode of the entire series (at 7.9).
The episode covers the murder of Eva Shoen, the wanted Edward Bell, and the missing Pamela June Ray. It also provides updates on the stories of Wendy Korioth and Becky Terry.
6 Season 4 (6.3)
Season 4 contains a solid block of episodes. Nothing is terrible, but nothing jumps out as being superb, either. But sometimes a solid string of quality is just what a television show needs to survive.
The lowest-rated episode is #4.34 at 5.7, and the highest-rated is #4.15 at 7.2. Everything else sits comfortably in the mid 6 range.
5 Season 3 (6.3)
Yet another season with a cumulative 6.3 average is season 3, airing on NBC between 1990 and 1991.
Like season 4, season 3 contains a strong block of episodes, most of which sit in the mid 6 range. However, season 3 is also notable for containing the highest-rated episode in the show's history (tied with #5.12 at 7.9). The episode is #3.1, and it concerns the mystery of the Stockton Arsonist and the legend of the Kecksburg UFO.
4 Season 11 (6.4)
Season 11 was the second to air on CBS, and with it, CBS aired one of the strongest seasons in the show's history.
This season contained the highly-rated #11.2, which contains the legend of the Skunk Ape and the mystery of Nicolai Levashov.
3 Season 6 (6.4)
Another very strong season is season 6, airing between 1993 and 1994.
Season 6 contains the very highly-rated #6.32, which updates the legend of the Shroud of Turin and tells of the missing Yves-Emmanuel Pain and Laurent Hernas.
2 Season 2 (6.6)
The show's second season is also its second strongest, according to IMDb ratings. Season 2 contains many strong episodes that are rated well above the series average, with #2.1 being particularly acclaimed.
This episode is known for covering the Roswell crash of 1947, which is one of the most popular UFO cases of all time.
1 Season 1 (7.2)
Averaging well above the other seasons, season 1 is clearly the best of Unsolved Mysteries. Season 1 contained a lot of great material, including the mystery of D.B. Cooper, the legend of the Queen Mary, and the rampage of Son of Sam.
When people think of Unsolved Mysteries, they most likely think of the excellent first season.
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July 05, 2020 at 08:30AM
