Unsolved Mysteries Season 4 hits Netflix on July 31, but the hit true crime anthology series has already come under fire for its length… or lack of.
Since 2020, the streaming service has delved into the world of ‘unsolvable’ true crime alongside its roster of hit documentaries.
A reboot of the widely successful 1987 series, Unsolved Mysteries has already featured cases like the 1969 Berkshire UFO incident, John P. Wheeler III, and the ghosts of Ishinomaki following the 2011 tsunami in Japan.
New episodes of the binge-worthy TV show are set to feature historic horror icons such as Jack the Ripper – though it turns out there will be less to watch, with Season 4 comprised of only five episodes.
Seasons 1 and 2 debuted with six apiece, followed by a much longer Season 3 at nine episodes. Falling short of all its previous installments, it’s safe to say that Unsolved Mysteries fans aren’t happy about this detail, which was revealed in the new trailer.
“Jack the Ripper? Seriously?? Only five episodes and you picked a topic that has been heavily researched and done by more comprehensive shows and channels,” one YouTube comment reads.
A second agreed, “Only five episodes? Come on that’s not enough, we want at least 10,” while a third weighed in, “Finally. But only five episodes? That will last me for two afternoons.”
At the height of its success – and before it became a streaming TV show – Unsolved Mysteries was released weekly, racking up a total of 15 seasons before it swapped to Netflix.
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Not only have fans remarked that they would rather the program returned to this format, but they’ve also raised another concern surrounding whether the mysteries are actually unsolved after all.
“Will they be withholding information to make the ‘mysteries’ more mysterious like they have in previous episodes? Like the girl on the train tracks and how they left out information that made suicide very obvious,” one fan posted on Reddit.
A second weighed in, “Good point. The last season in particular left out a ton of key info to make it look more mysterious than it was.”
Another complained, “Unsolved Mysteries in name only. It’s just a generic true crime program that misses the entire point of what made Unsolved Mysteries such a cultural phenomenon. Watching the original felt like being a kid, listening to camp fire stories being told.
“This one feels like flipping through TV channels attempting to find something to watch. There’s just no mystery and intrigue to it.”
Unsolved Mysteries Season 4 comes to Netflix on July 31. In the meantime, check out The Man With 1000 Kids, Worst Roommate Ever Season 2, and the Ashley Madison case.