Robert Stack, an American actor born on January 13, 1919, hosted a true crime series called Unsolved Mysteries. He is famous for his role in the ABC series The Untouchables and his supporting role in Written on the Wind.
Created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer, the show premiered on NBC on January 20, 1987. It went on to become one of America's most popular shows, inspiring a love for true crime in many viewers. Years later, many cases and segments still resonate with fans today. The show had different hosts before, but when the show came back for a fourth primetime special in episode 4, it brought in Robert Stack. People then best remembered Robert as Eliot Ness, the legendary lawman from the popular 1960s show The Untouchables.
Unsolved Mysteries is fondly remembered by many TV viewers. It used creepy music, spooky lighting, and sometimes questionable acting to explore puzzling cases, both legal and supernatural. What made Unsolved Mysteries memorable was Robert Stack's calm, serious hosting style. Although he wasn't the only host, he was the most popular.
Netflix has rebooted the super popular true-crime series Unsolved Mysteries. But here's the thing: the new show, which dropped on July 1, isn't exactly like the old one. Earlier episodes covered multiple investigations in an hour, but the new version slows down, focusing on one case at a time.
Why did Robert Stack stop hosting Unsolved Mysteries?
Robert Stack was one of the original hosts of Unsolved Mysteries when it started as a series of TV specials on NBC. He hosted alongside Karl Malden and Raymond Burr. When the show became a regular series in 1988, Stack became the solo host. The show aired on NBC for nine years, then moved to CBS for two more years. Actress Virginia Madsen joined Robert in the 11th season as a co-host for the show.
After CBS stopped airing the show, Lifetime picked it up and aired it for two more years. The show ended in 2002, which was when Stack was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He died a year later due to cardiac arrest.
Robert Stack remained the face of Unsolved Mysteries until his demise in 2002. Robert Stack's narration added an ominous tone to certain cases. He was known for his tough, no-nonsense attitude and sense of importance. The series he hosted used reenactments and interviews to retell mysteries, including crimes, lost love stories, unexplained historical events, and paranormal incidents.
Who took over for Robert Stack on Unsolved Mysteries?
After Robert Stack passed away, the show remained hostless for a few years. Finally, Dennis Farina took over as host after five years when the show returned to Spike TV on October 13, 2008, but was soon discontinued in 2010 after being negatively criticized for airing old episodes.
Fans of the show think Dennis Farina would've been a great fit as the new host for the Netflix reboot series, but unfortunately, he passed away in 2013. As of now, the reboot of the series on Netflix doesn't have a host.
Shawn Levy, the director of the new Netflix reboot series, explained the reason, saying,
“We have also opted for a hostless format because the late, legendary Robert Stack was a singular and irreplaceable presence,"
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With the fifth season on its way, four seasons of the show are now available for true crime lovers to stream on Netflix.
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