The UnXplained
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 four seasons on the History network. The show has not yet been renewed for a fifth season.
| The UnXplained | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Non fiction Television documentary |
| Presented by | William Shatner |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 53 |
| Production | |
| Producers | William Shatner Ken Burns Susan Leventhal |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | Prometheus Entertainment |
| Distributor | History |
| Release | |
| Original network | History |
| Original release | July 19, 2019 – present |
Background
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. Ken 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 is rumored to be considering ordering season five of The UnXplained.[7]
Episodes
Sources for the episode lists below can be found here.[8]
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 16 | July 19, 2019 | April 25, 2020 | |
| 2 | 18 | July 11, 2020 | April 16, 2021 | |
| 3 | 7 | November 5, 2021 | December 17, 2021 | |
| 4 | 12 | April 1, 2022 | June 22, 2022 | |
Season 1 (2019–20)
Season 2 (2020–21)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 1 | "The Greatest Escapes" | July 11, 2020 |
| 18 | 2 | "Superhuman Senses" | July 18, 2020 |
| 19 | 3 | "Mysterious Curses" | July 25, 2020 |
| 20 | 4 | "The Truth About UFOs" | August 1, 2020 |
| 21 | 5 | "The Underground World" | August 8, 2020 |
| 22 | 6 | "Leading Double Lives" | August 15, 2020 |
| 23 | 7 | "Mysteries of the Bible" | January 1, 2021 |
| 24 | 8 | "Mysterious Mummies" | January 8, 2021 |
| 25 | 9 | "Secrets of America's Monuments" | January 15, 2021 |
| 26 | 10 | "The Search for Atlantis" | January 22, 2021 |
| 27 | 11 | "Extraordinary Engineering" | January 29, 2021 |
| 28 | 12 | "The Power Of Gold" | February 19, 2021 |
| 29 | 13 | "The Truth About Bigfoot" | February 26, 2021 |
| 30 | 14 | "Bizarre Vanishings" | March 5, 2021 |
| 31 | 15 | "Serial Killers" | March 12, 2021 |
| 32 | 16 | "The Mystery Of Plagues" | April 2, 2021 |
| 33 | 17 | "Mysteries Of The Moon" | April 9, 2021 |
| 34 | 18 | "Outrageous Robberies" | April 16, 2021 |
Season 3 (2021–22)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 1 | "The Hunt For Hidden Treasures" | November 5, 2021 |
| 36 | 2 | "Satanic Encounters" | November 12, 2021 |
| 37 | 3 | "The Search For The Ark Of The Covenant" | November 19, 2021 |
| 38 | 4 | "Apocalypse When?" | November 26, 2021 |
| 39 | 5 | "Secrets Of The Immortals" | December 3, 2021 |
| 40 | 6 | "Sacred Bones" | December 10, 2021 |
| 41 | 7 | "Mysteries Of Mars" | December 17, 2021 |
Season 4 (2022)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 1 | "Mysterious Ancient Ruins" | April 1, 2022 |
| 43 | 2 | "The Mystery of Genius" | April 1, 2022 |
| 44 | 3 | "What Lies Below?" | April 8, 2022 |
| 45 | 4 | "Secrets of Abandoned Places" | April 15, 2022 |
| 46 | 5 | "Acts of God" | April 22, 2022 |
| 47 | 6 | "Serial Killer Creatures" | May 6, 2022 |
| 48 | 7 | "Mysterious Tombs" | May 13, 2022 |
| 49 | 8 | "Uncanny Curses" | May 20, 2022 |
| 50 | 9 | "Superhuman Feats" | May 27, 2022 |
| 51 | 10 | "Mysteries of the Missing Link" | June 3, 2022 |
| 52 | 11 | "Surviving the Impossible" | June 10, 2022 |
| 53 | 12 | "The Search for King Arthur" | June 24, 2022 |
Critical reception
Writing in Irish Film Critic, Thomas Tunstall 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 – perhaps by design in order to retain the sense of mystery."[9]
Professor Sarah Parcak criticized the show's presentation of archaeology, writing "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.'"[10]
Effects on real world
The season one episode Evil Places included a segment on Lake Shawnee Amusement Park. After the episode's release on Netflix, the amusement park saw a substantial increase in visitors and tourists.[6]
References
- "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.
- 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.
- "Episode List - The UnXplained Full Episodes, Video & More | HISTORY". play.history.com. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- Tunstall, Thomas (March 19, 2020). "DVD Review: William Shatner Serves Up A Cornucopia Of Mysteries In "The UnXplained: Season 1"". Irish Film Critic. Irish Film Critic. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- Gore, Leada (April 5, 2022). "Controversial UAB professor gets in a Twitter spat with William Shatner". Al.com. Retrieved July 20, 2022.