American TV series or program
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 six seasons on the History network.
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. 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.
Episodes
Sources for the episode lists below can be found here.[9]
Series overview
Season 1 (2019–20)
Season 2 (2020–21)
Season 3 (2021–22)
Season 4 (2022–23)
Season 5 (2023)
Season 6 (2023)
Critical reception
Media reviews
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
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
The Lake Shawnee Amusement Park reported an increase in attendance after being featured on the show.[6]
