Something strange is going on. William Shatner is back on TV, but that’s hardly the oddity. The UneXplained is all about the weird, unusual, uncanny, and odd. It is sometimes spooky and sometimes just bizarre. With the larger than life personality of Shatner at the helm, it’s always a great time. He handles both the narrating and hosting for these unique tails of the misunderstood and confusing. From mummies who did cocaine to Bigfoot and so much more, The UneXplained has it all. If the kooky and mysterious delights you, then you’re either a fan already, or you’re about to be.
1. What You Won’t See
Most mysterious happenings style shows have one thing in common; The witnesses and experts tend to come to the answer that the mysteries must be paranormal, supernatural, or alien. If you’re looking for that sort of certainty to fuel your conspiracy theories, you’ll be disappointed. This show reports facts and ideas only. They’ll allow some bizarre theories to be offered, but they also provide what is known for sure and don’t jump to any conclusions.
2. Experts, Not “Experts”
Unfortunately, there are a whole lot of shows and other resources that pick and choose their specialists to support only their own ideas. While that sort of spin-doctoring can create a convincing and dynamic story, it doesn’t really give you much by way of facts. When Shatner goes looking for someone to speak on a topic, they know their stuff. The Voynich Manuscript, a mysterious book that no one can translate isn’t talked of by conspiracy theorists, but rather linguists and librarians. After all, who better to know about books? The way The UneXplained approaches presenting ideas instead of solving them as problems is refreshing and delightful.
3. Theories & Explanations
The show won’t just leave you hanging completely. While it certainly doesn’t come to any ultimate answers, they do explore several possible theories for most of the phenomena presented. It’s not always possible to answer a question utterly. The truth is that some things defy that sort of thinking. However, you can get some educated guesses and offer them up in a fascinating way, which is exactly what The UneXplained does for its audience.
4. A Star Trek Connection
Anyone who watches TV knows who William Shatner is. As a former Captain of Star Trek, he’s one of the most well known and beloved stars alive today. For those who don’t know Star Trek, we won’t judge you. Suffice it to say it was a sci-fi show about humans and humanoid aliens exploring the universe together. Leonard Nimoy, a friend of Shatner’s and a co-star on the show, played Mr. Spock. He was as well-loved as the star himself. In the ’70s Nimoy was a part of a show called In Search Of. Nimoy’s original unexplained mystery show was the inspiration for The UneXplained.
5. Shatner Seeking
William Shatner himself was asked by Fox News if he’d ever experienced one of these unexplained events. He says he has not, but the subject clearly fascinates him. Not only did he agree to host the show, but he has done his search for the mysteries of the universe, and not as a fictional starship captain. He’s traveled the world and even visited the Himalayas to seek enlightenment.
6. Masterminds
In addition to his hosting gig, Shatner is a producer for the show. He’s not alone, though. Kevin Burns is the other producer on the show. If you’re not as familiar with his name, it’s only because he was not one of the most famous sci-fi icons in TV history. What he has done is bring The Curse of Oak Island to TV among his other accomplishments. The duo makes for a superb team, and they’ve absolutely brought a different and enjoyable perspective to the mysterious.
7. Season Two
There will be a second season, in case you were wondering. However, William Shatner won’t be hosting. He says he’s not interested in being a full-time TV star anymore, but another Star-Trek connected face will be on screen. Zachary Quinto, also known from his role in Snowden, will be taking on the mysterious mantle for the second go-round. Doubtless, he’ll make an equally wonderful host.
8. Mysteries of History
The UneXplained isn’t the first show the History Channel has put out that’s a bit unusual. The Ancient Aliens series is one of the longest-running on History. People are enthralled by the odd, and History is all about giving their viewers what they want. We hear plenty of jokes about how much ‘history,’ they don’t have. We’d offer this alternate explanation; the history of the bizarre may not be what you expect given the name, but it is nevertheless a sort of history.
9. Original Release
In addition to the current version, The UneXplained had a previous run. In January of 1996, the first-ever episode aired featuring psychic detectives. That wasn’t the only psychic phenomenon they explored. Two years later in 1998 an episode about psychic spies doing distance viewing. Overall the show was successful, and it ran for four years.
10. Re-Explained
Some things are worth doing more than once. If it sounds like we’re repeating ourselves, you’re not suffering dejavu. The original ’96-2000 run and the current run of The UneXplained were not the only times this show was released. A fairly short run from 2011-2012 saw the second iteration of the show in front of audiences. This variation of the show had a lot more personal stories about miracle healings, psychics and past lives.
Final Thoughts
Without a doubt, the History Channel has hit on a winning combination of human curiosity and strange happenings. Whether you saw the original or you just learned about the loch ness monster and ghosts for the first time and want to know what else is out there to bend your mind this is a great show. William Shatner’s deep-toned seriousness and irreverent, yet well-timed jokes make the series even better. The UneXplained can give a little mystery to your life. Leave a comment and let us know what phenomenon you’d like to see them feature on the show.Leonard Nimoy
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