Unsolved Mysteries - 6 Unsolved Mysteries DVD sets planned!

It's no mystery as to why the SitcomsOnline website features an Unsolved Mysteries section among their web pages. While the series is not exactly a situation comedy, SitcomsOnline webmaster Todd Fuller seems to have made an exception, due to the fact that he is a true long-time fan of the show.

So it didn't surprise us when Todd sent us an e-mail the other day, talking about Unsolved Mysteries on DVD. Todd told us that he had info from somebody claiming to be an insider at the company that owns the property: "They say they have plans to have box sets in September," Todd relayed to us. Even in his excitement, though, he was the first to agree that this tidbit needed verification before we posted it.

Video Business magazine saved us the trouble, however, because the very next day they posted this article (free registration required) that explains how "First Look tackles Unsolved Mysteries". Here is an excerpt from Simone Kaplan's story:

In its first foray into TV sell-through product, independent film supplier First Look Media has nabbed the DVD rights to the TV series Unsolved Mysteries and will begin distributing the show on DVD in September.

First Look plans to release Unsolved Mysteries in genre-specific box sets, beginning with "The UFO Files" on Sept. 7, "Scariest Ghost Stories" on Oct. 5 and "Astonishing Miracles" on Nov. 9. Three more sets, "Bizarre Murders," "Mysterious Legends," and "Incredible Psychics and ESP," are scheduled for release in 2005. Each 4-disc box set will comprise the best episodes from each genre in the series, which ran for 12 years on NBC and CBS, and will contain more than 6 hours of content.

Unsolved Mysteries, which still airs on Lifetime, tackled popular mysteries and urban myths such as the existence of UFOs, the reality of miracles, and the use of psychic power, often combining these explorations of paranormal mysteries with the search for answers to unsolved crimes.

Because the show has aired more than 2,500 episodes in its 15 years on the air, First Look is taking the genre-specific approach as opposed to selling each set by season.

"In order to give the DVD audience the best of the best, we felt breaking up the show by genre was the most effective way to go about it," said Bill Bromiley, SVP of First Look Home Entertainment. "We also feel packaging the show by genre makes the series more collectible."

First Look bid on the project with series creator John Cosgrove, who didn't get the DVD rights until October 2002. DVD extras are still on the drawing board, but Cosgrove said probable special features include updated news on past segments, director commentaries with himself and partner Terry Meurer, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and an expanded menu with a synopsis of each episode.

The move marks First Look's first foray into the TV on DVD market, a strategy the company plans to emphasize, though it will continue to focus primarily on DVD feature premieres and limited theatrical releases of features, Bromiley said. The company did just acquire the 1962 black-and-white animated series Queen for a Day, with other undisclosed TV deals in the pipeline, he said.

It sounds like First Look has some hot TV-on-DVD plans baking in the oven, and the ever-popular Unsolved Mysteries is the first batch of treats we'll get fresh from the stove! To recap their plans, you can expect:

• Sep. 7 - "The UFO Files" (to kick it all off)
• Oct. 5 - "Scariest Ghost Stories" (just in time for Halloween)
• Nov. 9 - "Astonishing Miracles" (to raise our spirits for the holiday season)
• 2005 will see "Bizarre Murders," "Mysterious Legends," and "Incredible Psychics and ESP".

Stay tuned, and we'll bring you details and cover art for each of these releases, just as soon as First Look makes them available.