Is the Unsolved Mysteries reboot as good as the original?

Here’s why the Unsolved Mysteries reboot stacks up to the original

One of the best ways to judge whether a Netflix Original offering is good or not is whether it’s binge-worthy, right? The Unsolved Mysteries reboot isn’t an “original” in the sense that it’s a brand new concept created by Netflix.

However, this incarnation of the series is exclusive to the streamer, and while there are some differences, I’ll save you the suspense: it’s every bit as good as the original and 100% binge-able.

Well, if your heart can stand it.

The Netflix reboot of Unsolved Mysteries is a bit more complex, intense and intimate than any of its previous versions. Mainly because one of the biggest differences is the length of the episodes. Rather than covering multiple cases in each episode, the Netflix series focuses on just one.

This change is an important one because it allows viewers a chance to get to know the victims like never before. Through in-depth interviews with those who knew and loved them best, you get a very good sense of the person who was murder or who has gone missing.

That’s the same reason you also connect with the people who loved them. You can’t help but care for them too and want to see these cases solved so they not only finally get some answers, but also justice and perhaps some peace.

One of the most perplexing and heartbreaking episodes was the first one: “Mystery on the Rooftop.”  It’s about the case of Rey Rivera, who vanished mysteriously and suddenly one day only to be found in Baltimore’s Belvedere Hotel eight days later.

But how he was found is haunting.

Search parties started scouring the area around where his car was eventually found in a parking lot not far from the hotel. By chance, people went to the top of another parking garage near the hotel and spotted a hole in the roof of part of the hotel’s lower building.

They called police, who went to investigate, and that’s when they discovered Rivera’s body. They ruled the death a possible suicide, but when you see the hole it makes no sense. It’s very unlikely he jumped from the roof. Heck, his widow and family members don’t believe he committed suicide at all.

But if he was murdered, who did it? And how? Because, again, back to that hole…it’s so small and in such an unusual position. The angle of it doesn’t seem possible it was created because he jumped or was pushed off of either the hotel’s roof or the parking garage’s.

As E! News put it, that’s just one of the unanswered questions in the Rey Rivera episode and it’s a doozy.

But that’s the beauty of a show like Unsolved Mysteries. It sheds light on stories like these and, hopefully, it’ll help turn up answers.

Other cases include:

• “13 Minutes” – When Patrice Enders suddenly went missing, she left behind a son and friends who knew she had met with foul play. Their fears were confirmed when her body was found 600 days later. But who killed the beloved hairdresser?
• “House of Terror” – This episode is based in France and is subtitled. It relates the case of a nobleman who killed his wife and four children before disappearing into a park, presumably to kill himself. But did he, or was it a ruse and he’s still alive?
• “No Ride Home” – One night Alonzo Brooks went to a party with friends, but he never came home. His body was found a month later with no clues how he died. Was it due to a hate crime?
• “Berkshires UFO” – For those who loved the paranormal stories Unsolved Mysteries sometimes covered, the reboot’s got you covered with this episode. Residents of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, recall their experiences with a UFO encounter on September 1, 1969.
• “Missing Witness” – Lena Chaplin’s sisters are convinced their mom is responsible for their sister’s disappearance. Especially because Lena was set to testify that her mom had killed her stepfather, Gary. But they never found Gary’s body, partly because Lena says she helped her mom burn it and scatter the remains. Did Lena meet the same fate?

It’s uncomfortable to say that a show like this is binge-able, and I don’t know what that says about me.

But I’m pretty sure true crime fans will understand. Not only are the episodes in the reboot of Unsolved Mysteries compelling, but the producers also did an excellent job conveying them with utmost heart and sensitivity.

They may not have update episodes, but I do hope they change their minds and create an update special episode if they receive enough tips to help them solve any of these mysteries. And I really hope by showcasing some of these stories they are able to solve some for the sake of the victims’ friends and families.