''Cold Case Files'' is a reality legal show/documentary on the cable channel A&E Network and a rebooted series. It is hosted by Bill Kurtis and the original series produced by Tom Golden. The show documents the investigation of many long-unsolved murders (referred to as "

cold case ''Cold Case'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series. It ran on CBS from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized Philadelphia Police Department division that specializes in invest ...

s" in detectives' parlance) through the use of modern

forensic science Forensic science combines principles of law and science to investigate criminal activity. Through crime scene investigations and laboratory analysis, forensic scientists are able to link suspects to evidence. An example is determining the time and ...

(especially recent advances in

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

techniques), and criminal psychology, in addition to recent breakthroughs in the case(s) involving previously silent witnesses. On January 19, 2017, Blumhouse Television, AMPLE Entertainment and A&E revived the series for a ten-episode run. The well received reboot features highly cinematic recreations and music. The new episodes first began airing on February 27, 2017. Actor

Danny Glover Danny Glover ( ; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, producer, and political activist. Over his career he has received List of awards and nominations received by Danny Glover, numerous accolades including the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian A ...

took over for Kurtis as narrator for this new 10-episode series. Kurtis later returned. On August 20, 2021, after a four-year hiatus, the series returned with a new season on A&E, again with Kurtis as the host.

Overview

According to A&E, the show has been widely praised by

law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...

, and its investigative reports are commonly used in the training of detectives. ''Cold Case Files'' first aired as a sub-series of another A&E crime documentary program, '' Investigative Reports'', also hosted by Bill Kurtis, which ran from 1991 to 2011. Reruns of the original 1997 series currently air on

broadcast syndication Broadcast syndication is the practice of content owners leasing the right to broadcast their content to other television stations or radio stations, without having an official broadcast network to air it on. It is common in the United States whe ...

in the United States, usually in lower-profile time slots, and on many RTV stations. The Blumhouse Television, AMPLE Entertainment reboot aired its first episode on A&E on February 27, 2017. The complete first season was streamed on Hulu on January 1, 2018, and later on Netflix on September 15, 2019. Some episodes of the series have now been adapted into a podcast of the same name, "Cold Case Files," hosted by Brooke Gittings and featuring the voice of the original Cold Case files host, Bill Kurtis. The podcast is part of the

PodcastOne LiveOne (formerly known as LiveXLive) is a Los Angeles-based streaming platform that provides livestreams of concerts and festivals, curated radio stations, podcasts, and original artist video and audio content. History LiveXLive LiveXLive was ...

podcast network in conjunction with A&E.

Episode list

Season 1 (1999)

Season 2 (2000)

Season 3 (2001)

Season 4 (2002)

Season 5 (2005–06)

Season 6 (2017)

Season 7 (2021)

Season 8 (2022)

Season 9 (2024–2025)

The first ten episodes were made available to stream on Hulu on January 11, 2024. The episodes were later broadcast on A&E beginning with "Money Moguls and Murder" on November 15, 2024.

Specials

Cold Case Files: The Rifkin Murders (2023)

Cold Case Files: The Grim Sleeper (2024)

Spin-off series

Cold Case Files: DNA Speaks (2023)

Cold Case Files: Murder in the Bayou (2025)

The spin-off series is narrated by Keith David.

Cold Case Files: Dead West (2025)

The spin-off series is narrated by Dude Walker.

Awards and nominations

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

: * Outstanding Nonfiction Series (2005) nomination: Michael Harvey (executive producer), Laura Fleury (executive producer), Tania Lindsay (supervising producer), Michael West (supervising producer), Mary Frances O'Conner (producer), Bill Kurtis (host) * Outstanding Nonfiction Series (2004) nomination: Laura Fleury (executive producer), Michael Harvey (supervising producer), Mike West (producer), Bill Kurtis (host) Online Film & Television Association Awards: * Best Informational Program (2007) – nomination

References

External links

* * * {{A&ENetwork Shows 1999 American television series debuts 2002 American television series endings 2005 American television series debuts 2006 American television series endings 2017 American television series debuts 2017 American television series endings 2021 American television series debuts 1990s American crime television series 2000s American crime television series 2010s American crime television series 2020s American crime television series 1990s American documentary television series 2000s American documentary television series 2010s American documentary television series 2020s American documentary television series American television series revived after cancellation A&E (TV network) original programming American English-language television shows