A Plea to Investigation Discovery: Bring “Disappeared” Back.

I think it’s a safe bet to assume that most true crime fanatics have heard of Investigation Discovery; a television channel where you can watch true crime shows 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

 Some shows on the network are more dramatized than others—using actors to convey the events of a real crime through scripted dialogue. Other shows are more interview-based, where producers interview policemen, attorneys, and victims’ families to demonstrate to the viewers how the crime unfolded. The overlap, though, is that the crimes they investigate on these shows usually have an ending—an arrest, a trial, and some semblance of closure for the viewer

An ending may be satisfying to the viewer, but what about the cases that aren’t solved and could use national exposure?

Disappeared was a show that ran on Investigation Discovery from 2009-2018, spanning 9 seasons. Each episode focused on a missing person and explained the circumstances surrounding their disappearances through interviews with family members, friends, and investigators. What made Disappeared stand out was the twist endings of each episode. Sometimes the missing person was still alive and just wanted to start a new life. Other times, their remains were found years after the show aired. As of 2022, most of the subjects discussed in the episodes remain missing.

 Despite a long tenure on the network and above-average ratings, Investigation Discovery will not be making new episodes of Disappeared. With such a huge platform in the true crime community, I hope they produce more shows that shed light on unsolved cases. While it’s fascinating to watch shows about solved cases, most of the time it’s to quench the true crime consumer’s thirst for entertainment. We must remember that behind each crime, there are victims and families searching for answers.

 As Robert Stack used to say to viewers in the opening credits of Unsolved Mysteries: “perhaps you may be able to help solve a mystery.”

You can catch up on old episodes of Disappeared on Discovery Plus, Hulu, or Sling TV.