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Unsolved Mysteries is a 1988-2005 TV series that asked the public for help in unsolved crimes, catching lost fugitives, and finding lost people. Originating on NBC as a series of seven specials, it became an instant hit. It was first hosted by Perry Mason star Raymond Burr, then two more by Streets of San Francisco star Karl Malden, and the final four by The Untouchables star Robert Stack. Stack's voice narration, combined with the scary music, formulated the show to a great success when it aired as a regular series on NBC in 1988. During its 15-year run, the cases consisted ghost stories, mysterious legends, and lost treasures. Unsolved Mysteries possibly paved the way for other crime reality shows as America's Most Wanted and Forensic Files, even sharing a few cases in common with those shows. During its run, it covered four to five segments in each episode, running updates on segments in repeats. It solved and found answers in at least twenty to twenty-five percent of their featured cases, that is 300 to 350 cases solved out of about 1,200.
After its cancellation on NBC in 1997, Unsolved Mysteries ran for one season on CBS. It then ran on Lifetime from 2000-2002. In 2008, a new version of the series with Dennis Farina as its new host had a limited run on Spike TV before moving back to Lifetime in 2010.
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