The UnXplained
| The UnXplained | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Non fiction Television documentary |
| Presented by | William Shatner |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 89 |
| Production | |
| Producers | William Shatner Kevin Burns Susan Levanthal Kim Egan Rob O'Brien |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | Prometheus Entertainment |
| Original release | |
| Network | History Channel |
| Release | July 19, 2019 (2019年07月19日) – present |
| Related | |
| Weird or What? The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd | |
The UnXplained is a television series on History that claims to "explore subjects that have mystified mankind for centuries".[1] The show is hosted and executive produced by William Shatner. It premiered on July 19, 2019, and has aired for seven seasons.
Background
[edit ]On March 27, 2019, History greenlit The UnXplained hosted and executive produced by William Shatner and ordered an initial six episodes. The show is produced by Prometheus Entertainment. Kevin Burns and Susan Leventhal also executive produced the first season.[2] History later increased the episode order to an eight episode first season. It premiered July 19, 2019.[1] After the first season History ordered another 20 episodes.[3] The show interviews scientists, historians, engineers, witnesses, and researchers about various "mysterious" topics.[4] [5]
Season one appeared on Netflix in June 2022.[6] Netflix was rumored to be considering ordering season five of The UnXplained,[7] but History Channel picked up the show for a fifth season.[8] The History Channel renewed the program for a 6th season on October 6, 2023. On October 4th, 2024, The History Channel started broadcasting a 7th season of the program.
Episodes
[edit ]Sources for the episode lists below can be found here.[9]
Series overview
[edit ]| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 16 | July 19, 2019 (2019年07月19日) | April 25, 2020 (2020年04月25日) | |
| 2 | 18 | July 11, 2020 (2020年07月11日) | April 16, 2021 (2021年04月16日) | |
| 3 | 7 | November 5, 2021 (2021年11月05日) | December 17, 2021 (2021年12月17日) | |
| 4 | 22 | April 1, 2022 (2022年04月01日) | December 16, 2022 (2022年12月16日) | |
| 5 | 10 | March 31, 2023 (2023年03月31日) | June 16, 2023 (2023年06月16日) | |
| 6 | 10 | October 6, 2023 (2023年10月06日) | December 22, 2023 (2023年12月22日) | |
| 7 | 6 | October 4, 2024 (2024年10月04日) | November 8, 2024 (2024年11月08日) | |
Season 1 (2019–20)
[edit ]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Evil Places" | July 19, 2019 (2019年07月19日) | |
|
Aokigahara forest, Dyatlov Pass incident, Lake Shawnee Amusement Park, Willow's Weep haunted house (Cayuga, Indiana), La Ciudad Blanca Notable Cast: David Ono, George Noory, Travis S. Taylor, Loyd Auerbach, Douglas Preston, Steve Elkins | ||||
| 2 | 2 | "Mysterious Structures" | July 26, 2019 (2019年07月26日) | |
| 3 | 3 | "Strange Creatures" | August 2, 2019 (2019年08月02日) | |
| 4 | 4 | "Unnatural Nature" | August 9, 2019 (2019年08月09日) | |
| 5 | 5 | "Bizarre Rituals" | August 16, 2019 (2019年08月16日) | |
|
San Pedro Manrique Firewalking, Voodoo, UFC 229, roman gladiators, bullfighting, exorcisms, 2018 Western Wall drought prayers, prayer, Torajan funeral rites | ||||
| 6 | 6 | "Life Beyond Death" | August 23, 2019 (2019年08月23日) | |
| 7 | 7 | "Mysteries of the Mind" | August 30, 2019 (2019年08月30日) | |
| 8 | 8 | "Incredible Survivors" | September 6, 2019 (2019年09月06日) | |
| 9 | 9 | "The Oak Island Curse" | February 29, 2020 (2020年02月29日) | |
| 10 | 10 | "Dark Prophecies" | March 7, 2020 (2020年03月07日) | |
| 11 | 11 | "Lost Civilizations" | March 14, 2020 (2020年03月14日) | |
| 12 | 12 | "Deadly Cults" | March 21, 2020 (2020年03月21日) | |
|
NXIVM, importance of the cult's charismatic leader, Jim Jones of Jonestown, James Arthur Ray, Marshall Applewhite of Heaven's Gate, Butoh and the death of Sharon Stern, Altamira child emasculations | ||||
| 13 | 13 | "Extreme Weather Mysteries" | March 28, 2020 (2020年03月28日) | |
| 14 | 14 | "Mysterious Stones" | April 11, 2020 (2020年04月11日) | |
|
Black Stone of Mecca, Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull, Koh-i-Noor, Stone of Scone, the sword in the stone of Galgano Guidotti, statue of Tlāloc | ||||
| 15 | 15 | "Vampires and Werewolves" | April 18, 2020 (2020年04月18日) | |
| 16 | 16 | "Amazing Animal Abilities" | April 25, 2020 (2020年04月25日) | |
|
Sergeant Reckless, equine-assisted therapy, canine cancer detection, Greyfriars Bobby, cetacean intelligence, birds detecting storms with infrasound, cat intelligence, machine olfaction | ||||
Season 2 (2020–21)
[edit ]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 1 | "The Greatest Escapes" | July 11, 2020 (2020年07月11日) |
| 18 | 2 | "Superhuman Senses" | July 18, 2020 (2020年07月18日) |
| 19 | 3 | "Mysterious Curses" | July 25, 2020 (2020年07月25日) |
| 20 | 4 | "The Truth About UFOs" | August 1, 2020 (2020年08月01日) |
| 21 | 5 | "The Underground World" | August 8, 2020 (2020年08月08日) |
| 22 | 6 | "Leading Double Lives" | August 15, 2020 (2020年08月15日) |
| 23 | 7 | "Mysteries of the Bible" | January 1, 2021 (2021年01月01日) |
| 24 | 8 | "Mysterious Mummies" | January 8, 2021 (2021年01月08日) |
| 25 | 9 | "Secrets of America's Monuments" | January 15, 2021 (2021年01月15日) |
| 26 | 10 | "The Search for Atlantis" | January 22, 2021 (2021年01月22日) |
| 27 | 11 | "Extraordinary Engineering" | January 29, 2021 (2021年01月29日) |
| 28 | 12 | "The Power of Gold" | February 19, 2021 (2021年02月19日) |
| 29 | 13 | "The Truth About Bigfoot" | February 26, 2021 (2021年02月26日) |
| 30 | 14 | "Bizarre Vanishings" | March 5, 2021 (2021年03月05日) |
| 31 | 15 | "Serial Killers" | March 12, 2021 (2021年03月12日) |
| 32 | 16 | "The Mystery of Plagues" | April 2, 2021 (2021年04月02日) |
| 33 | 17 | "Mysteries of the Moon" | April 9, 2021 (2021年04月09日) |
| 34 | 18 | "Outrageous Robberies" | April 16, 2021 (2021年04月16日) |
Season 3 (2021–22)
[edit ]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 1 | "The Hunt for Hidden Treasures" | November 5, 2021 (2021年11月05日) |
| 36 | 2 | "Satanic Encounters" | November 12, 2021 (2021年11月12日) |
| 37 | 3 | "The Search for the Ark of the Covenant" | November 19, 2021 (2021年11月19日) |
| 38 | 4 | "Apocalypse When?" | November 26, 2021 (2021年11月26日) |
| 39 | 5 | "Secrets of the Immortals" | December 3, 2021 (2021年12月03日) |
| 40 | 6 | "Sacred Bones" | December 10, 2021 (2021年12月10日) |
| 41 | 7 | "Mysteries of Mars" | December 17, 2021 (2021年12月17日) |
Season 4 (2022–23)
[edit ]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 1 | "Mysterious Ancient Ruins" | April 1, 2022 (2022年04月01日) |
| 43 | 2 | "The Mystery of Genius" | April 1, 2022 (2022年04月01日) |
| 44 | 3 | "What Lies Below?" | April 8, 2022 (2022年04月08日) |
| 45 | 4 | "Secrets of Abandoned Places" | April 15, 2022 (2022年04月15日) |
| 46 | 5 | "Acts of God" | April 22, 2022 (2022年04月22日) |
| 47 | 6 | "Serial Killer Creatures" | May 6, 2022 (2022年05月06日) |
| 48 | 7 | "Mysterious Tombs" | May 13, 2022 (2022年05月13日) |
| 49 | 8 | "Uncanny Curses" | May 20, 2022 (2022年05月20日) |
| 50 | 9 | "Superhuman Feats" | May 27, 2022 (2022年05月27日) |
| 51 | 10 | "Mysteries of the Missing Link" | June 3, 2022 (2022年06月03日) |
| 52 | 11 | "Surviving the Impossible" | June 10, 2022 (2022年06月10日) |
| 53 | 12 | "The Search for King Arthur" | June 24, 2022 (2022年06月24日) |
| 54 | 13 | "Wonders of the Ancient World" | October 7, 2022 (2022年10月07日) |
| 55 | 14 | "The Hunt for Jack the Ripper" | October 14, 2022 (2022年10月14日) |
| 56 | 15 | "The Search for Extraterrestrial Life" | October 21, 2022 (2022年10月21日) |
| 57 | 16 | "Real Life Monsters" | October 28, 2022 (2022年10月28日) |
| 58 | 17 | "America's Lost Treasures" | November 4, 2022 (2022年11月04日) |
| 59 | 18 | "The Bermuda Triangle and the Beyond" | November 18, 2022 (2022年11月18日) |
| 60 | 19 | "Secrets of the Founding Fathers" | November 25, 2022 (2022年11月25日) |
| 61 | 20 | "The Weird Wild West" | December 2, 2022 (2022年12月02日) |
| 62 | 21 | "Devastating Disasters" | December 9, 2022 (2022年12月09日) |
| 63 | 22 | "Mysterious Monoliths" | December 16, 2022 (2022年12月16日) |
Season 5 (2023)
[edit ]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | 1 | "Lost Cities" | March 31, 2023 (2023年03月31日) |
| 65 | 2 | "Tales of the Dearly Departed" | April 7, 2023 (2023年04月07日) |
| 66 | 3 | "Curses Unleashed" | April 14, 2023 (2023年04月14日) |
| 67 | 4 | "Earth's Unsolved Mysteries" | April 21, 2023 (2023年04月21日) |
| 68 | 5 | "The Power of Prophecy" | May 5, 2023 (2023年05月05日) |
| 69 | 6 | "Mysterious Monsters" | May 12, 2023 (2023年05月12日) |
| 70 | 7 | "Sacred Rituals" | May 19, 2023 (2023年05月19日) |
| 71 | 8 | "UFO Hotspots" | June 2, 2023 (2023年06月02日) |
| 72 | 9 | "Extraordinary Structures" | June 9, 2023 (2023年06月09日) |
| 73 | 10 | "Holy Relics" | June 16, 2023 (2023年06月16日) |
Season 6 (2023)
[edit ]| No. overall | No. in season | Title [10] | Original release date [10] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | 1 | "The World Beneath Our Feet" | October 6, 2023 (2023年10月06日) |
| 75 | 2 | "The Time Travelers" | October 13, 2023 (2023年10月13日) |
| 76 | 3 | "Secrets of Ancient Structures" | October 20, 2023 (2023年10月20日) |
| 77 | 4 | "Mysteries of the Vikings" | November 3, 2023 (2023年11月03日) |
| 78 | 5 | "Strange Stories of the Presidents" | November 10, 2023 (2023年11月10日) |
| 79 | 6 | "Bizarre Afflictions" | November 17, 2023 (2023年11月17日) |
| 80 | 7 | "Strange Technology" | December 1, 2023 (2023年12月01日) |
| 81 | 8 | "Unbreakable Codes" | December 8, 2023 (2023年12月08日) |
| 82 | 9 | "Strange Stories of WW II" | December 15, 2023 (2023年12月15日) |
| 83 | 10 | "Monsters Among Us" | December 22, 2023 (2023年12月22日) |
Season 7 (2024)
[edit ]| No. overall | No. in season | Title [10] | Original release date [10] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 84 | 1 | "The Golden Age of Pirates" | October 4, 2024 (2024年10月04日) |
| 85 | 2 | "Impossible Ancient Inventions" | October 11, 2024 (2024年10月11日) |
| 86 | 3 | "The Lost" | October 18, 2024 (2024年10月18日) |
| 87 | 4 | "Alien Contagion" | October 25, 2024 (2024年10月25日) |
| 88 | 5 | "Ancient Bible Relics" | November 1, 2024 (2024年11月01日) |
| 89 | 6 | "Islands of the Damned" | November 8, 2024 (2024年11月08日) |
Critical reception
[edit ]Media reviews
[edit ]Common Sense Media reviewer Melissa Camacho gave the show 3 out of 5 stars, saying, "The documentary series offers lots of intriguing narratives about peculiar practices, extraordinary moments, and fantastical events in history that may or may not be explained away by science". According to Camacho, explanations by spiritualists and paranormal believers are often presented in a way that is "much more captivating than the academic studies and objective evidence being offered", and that "skeptics will find much of what The UnXplained has to offer hard to take seriously".[11]
Rory Mellon of Tom's Guide wrote that the show had reached the top 10 streamed shows on Netflix. According to Mellon, "The UnXplained covers an awful lot of ground, some of it not particularly solid either". Mellon warned, "the show doesn’t really offer up a lot of concrete answers, but if you can just enjoy the sense of mystery, then you’ll likely be hooked by this strangely watchable series."[12]
Writing in Irish Film Critic, Thomas Tunstall gave the series 3.5 out of 5 stars, and reported that the show's "subject matter runs all over the board", as if designed for an audience with attention deficit disorder. Though Shatner enthusiastically poses many questions, he provides far fewer satisfactory answers than he should – perhaps by design in order to retain the sense of mystery." Despite feeling disjointed, Tunstall called Shatner's presentation of content "captivating" thanks to his "irrefutable acting chops and narrative gravitas".[13]
Stuff critic Sarah McMullan called the show "evil fun", writing that it only features opinions from experts and others "who believe in evil". McMullan reviewed the show's segments, saying they emphasized evil as a factor, ignored science, and became increasingly "sillier", quipping, "Honestly, you couldn't write this stuff".[14]
Academic reviews
[edit ]Professor Sarah Parcak criticized the show's presentation of archaeology. She labeled it as "horribly racist"; and wrote "as it turns out, 'A great archaeological mystery' is a code phrase for 'We are too lazy to read or even Google and honestly, racism is far easier than admitting non white people were/are brilliant innovators.'"[15]
Jason Colavito criticized the show, calling it "recycled material from Prometheus Entertainment’s other nonsense fake science shows" where the host "goes hunting for lost continents and sunken civilizations". According to Colavito, "Not a word is spoken about the many hoaxes and frauds that undergird the show’s claims".[16]
Popular culture
[edit ]The Lake Shawnee Amusement Park reported an increase in attendance after being featured on the show.[6]
References
[edit ]- ^ a b "History to Premiere New Anthology Series "The Unxplained" Hosted and Executive Produced by William Shatner Friday, July 19 at 10PM ET/PT". The Futon Critic. June 14, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ "History Greenlights New Nonfiction Series "The UnXplained" Hosted and Executive Produced by William Shatner and Orders Second Season of Hit Unscripted Series "In Search Of" Hosted and Executive Produced by Zachary Quinto". The Futon Critic. March 27, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ Thangevelo, Debashine (January 17, 2020). "William Shatner boldly goes where few have gone in 'The UnXplained'". IOL. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ Freeze, Kellie (July 18, 2019). "William Shatner Looks for Answers to Inexplicable Mysteries on 'The UnXplained'". TV Insider. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ "William Shatner talks about latest series The UnXplained". Wayback Machine: ATV Today. December 13, 2019. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ a b Brown, Kassidy (July 16, 2022). "Lake Shawnee attendance spikes in wake of Netflix show". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ Vijan, Natasha (July 8, 2022). "'Stranger Things' Fans Already Have a Show Lined Up in the Netflix Top 10 to Stream Next". Netflix Junkie. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ "The UnXplained Season 5". history.com. History Channel . Retrieved August 22, 2023.
- ^ "Episode List - The UnXplained Full Episodes, Video & More | HISTORY". play.history.com. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Shows A-Z – The UnXplained on History". The Futon Critic . Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ Camacho, Melissa. "Parents' Guide to The UnXplained with William Shatner". commonsensemedia.org. Common Sense Media. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ Mellon, Rory (June 27, 2022). "This strange show just crashed the Netflix Top 10 list". tomsguide.com. Tom's Guide. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ Tunstall, Thomas (March 19, 2020). "DVD Review: William Shatner Serves Up A Cornucopia Of Mysteries In "The UnXplained: Season 1"". Irish Film Critic. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- ^ McMullan, Sarah. "The UnXplained with William Shatner: The mad show that's the most evil fun on TVNZ". stuff.co.nz. Stuff . Retrieved August 22, 2023.
- ^ Gore, Leada (April 5, 2022). "Controversial UAB professor gets in a Twitter spat with William Shatner". Al.com. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ Colavito, Jason. "Review of The UnXplained S04E03: "What Lies Below"". jasoncolavito.com/. Jason Colavito. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
Shatner presides over recycled material from Prometheus Entertainment's other nonsense fake science shows goes hunting for lost continents and sunken civilizations. Not a word is spoken about the many hoaxes and frauds that undergird the show's claims, and if you think anyone involved will so much as whisper that the modern versions of Atlantis, Lemuria, and Mu were born in racism and celebrated a white master race that civilized the world, you don't know how propaganda works.