''The Unexplained Files'' is an American television series on

Science Channel Science Channel (often simply branded as Science; abbreviated to SCI) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel features programming focusing on science related to wilderness survival, engineering, manu ...

that investigates

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...

and other unexplained phenomena. According to a

King Features King Features Syndicate, Inc. is an American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editoria ...

spokesperson, it was the most watched series on the Science Channel during its first season in 2013 and had 8 episodes. The second season began July 29, 2014 and had 12 episodes planned.

Reception

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' critic Neil Genzlinger criticized the show as covering a subject that has "long been overworked, and shows that examine the unexplained tend to focus on the same old

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...

mysteries rather than the practical ones right under our noses." In a review for ''

Skeptical Inquirer ''Skeptical Inquirer'' (S.I.) is a bimonthly American general-audience magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) with the subtitle "The Magazine for Science and Reason". The magazine initially focused on investigating clai ...

'' Stephanie Kemmerer writes that she had expected that a show on ''The Science Channel'' would "reflect science, logic, and reason." She was disappointed saying the show "cleverly and sneakily led viewers to a single conclusion." The only expert in the

cattle mutilation Cattle mutilation is the killing and mutilation of cattle under supposedly unusual, usually bloodless circumstances. Reportedly removed parts often include an ear, eyeball, jaw flesh, tongue, lymph nodes, genitals and rectum. Reports began in t ...

episode, veterinarian Truman Smith was given 30 seconds to explain that the mutilations were made by

predators Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

, most of the show time was given to "outlandish theories". In conclusion Kemmerer writes that the show is biased and sensationalistic.

Episode list

Season 1 (2013 - 2014)

Season 2 (2014)

References

External links

The Unexplained Files
on

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

The Unexplained Files on the Science channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Unexplained Files Paranormal television 2013 American television series debuts Science Channel original programming Cattle mutilation