I remember staying up late night watching reruns of Unsolved Mysteries, as host Robert Stack helped tell the stories of, well, REAL mysteries. As they say, truth is much stranger than fiction. And NOW a new generation will get to experience the show, as mega streaming giant Netflix has confirmed that they are indeed looking at a reboot.

But is this a good thing or a bad thing?

There are SO many reboots and relaunches of beloved franchises and content that one could (rightly) assess that maybe Hollywood just doesn’t like to try NEW things. Netflix started streaming the old Unsolved Mysteries back in 2017, and it was clear that there was a great interest in the classic show- so why not just keep showing the classic show?

According to Entertainment Weekly co- creators Terry Dunn Meurer and John Cosgrove, are back for the reboot, so that gives some hope that it will be in the same spirit as the original. YET, the description for the reboot says that Netflix will be developing 12 new episodes that “will focus on one mystery and will look to viewers to help aid investigators in closing the book on long outstanding cases.”

Hm.

Does that mean this will be interactive?

I don’t need them to BANDERSNATCH Unsolved Mysteries. For the uninitiated, Bandersnatch is a new interactive film on Netflix that allows the viewers to do a ‘choose your own adventure’ throughout the narrative. It’s fun to a degree, but in my opinion interaction on that level takes away from being able to just sit back and enjoy the story.

Yes, I’m aware the original show’s website allowed viewers to write in with tips, but I don’t think we need it on the actual episodes themselves.

There’s a reason why the classic is doing so well on the platform- because it’s GREAT as is. The old saying goes, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ and I think that holds true for this show.

I am curious who will be the new host. Stack, may he rest in peace, will be a hard act to follow.

I’m not always for reboots but, if done right, they can breathe new air into a great piece of work. Fingers crossed this reboot does exactly that.