Unsolved Mysteries shows true stories about abductions, suspicious deaths, murders, ghost appearings, robberies and other miscellaneous unsolved cases. The home television viewer is invited to call or write if they have information concerning the cases shown. According to the show, about 40 percent of the stories shown involving fugitives have helped capture those individuals.
The show began as a regular series on the NBC broadcast TV network in September, 1988. In September 1997, the show moved to the CBS broadcast network, where it was shown on a regular basis until August 1999. The show was picked up by the Lifetime cable network in July 2001 and has been carried by that network up to the present.