True Detectives (partially found CBS docudrama specials; 1990-1991)
From The Lost Media Wiki
True Detectives (CBS series)
Status: Partially Found
True Detectives was a series of docudrama specials hosted by Gregory Harrison that aired intermittently on CBS from December 1990 to June 1991. It was similar in format to Rescue 911 and Unsolved Mysteries and presented re-enactments of professional and amateur sleuths solving real-life mysteries. The show was produced by Arnold Shapiro Productions (which also produced Rescue 911), with the potential to become a regular series if the specials performed well in the ratings.[1] However, CBS decided not to move forward with the series and cancelled it in May of 1991.[2]
Episodes
Episodes ran 30 to 60 minutes and featured two or three different cases. Much of the series is still missing, but individual segments from a few episodes have surfaced online.
| Episode #/ Air Date |
Cases | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 December 28, 1990[3] |
A California pharmacist goes undercover to help the DEA bust drug-dealing doctors. | Lost |
| A corpse is discovered inside of a burning car in West Virginia. | Lost | |
| In 1951, a mother and son immigrating to the United States are separated when the boy is mistakenly put up for adoption by the immigration office. He is finally located 39 years later when his sister enlists the help of a private investigator.[4] (TV promo) | Lost | |
| Episode 2 March 29, 1991[5] (TV promo) |
Police in Mansfield, Ohio investigate the disappearance of Noreen Boyle, who was later found murdered by her husband, Dr. John Boyle, and buried under the basement floor of their new house.[6] | Lost |
| Boston detectives discover a large stash of heroin hidden inside a beansprout washer imported from China. They track the shipment to its destination in hopes of catching the smugglers. | Lost | |
| Eight siblings are reunited 55 years after being separated following their mother's death in the 1930s. | Lost | |
| Episode 3 April 5, 1991[7] |
A California houseboat community is plagued by a strange humming sound. | Found |
| Two people in Washington are poisoned by cyanide-laced painkiller tablets as part of a murder plot.[8] | Lost | |
| A truck driver and a lost receipt may help exonerate a man wrongfully convicted of a Texas robbery.[9] (TV promo) | Lost | |
| Episode 4 April 12, 1991[10] |
Before entering prison, a convicted drug manufacturer kidnaps his 23-month-old daughter and sends her to live with another family, refusing to tell the mother where she is. | Found |
| A Colorado police detective investigates her first homicide case and solves a woman's brutal murder.[11] | Lost | |
| A Maine sheriff known as the "King of Stings" and his deputies use creative tactics (including posing as documentary producers, flower deliverymen, and pest exterminators) to catch suspects evading arrest warrants.[12] | Lost | |
| Episode 5 April 26, 1991[13] |
After his house is burglarized, a man is able to locate the thieves by tracking the frequency of hi-tech portable phones that they stole.[14] | Lost |
| A woman using a payphone overhears a plot to murder an undercover narcotics agent. | Lost | |
| In 1943, a boy was taken from his mother by his father, who refused ever to tell him anything about her. He and his mother were finally reunited after 44 years, thanks to the help of his daughter and a police officer. | Found | |
| Episode 6 June 21, 1991[15] |
A man searches for the hit-and-run driver who killed his sister. (TV Promo) | Lost |
| A burglar steals a family's pet cockatiel, which ends up getting him caught. | Lost | |
| Episode 7 June 28, 1991[16] |
When a Missouri toddler contracts a rare tropical illness, a communicable disease specialist tries to pinpoint its source.[17] (TV promo) | Lost |
| After a man's house is burglarized, he finds the thief's bite marks on a piece of cheese in the refrigerator. | Lost |
References
- ↑ Burlingame, Jon. 1990-12-28. "Kennedy Center honors the greats". The Missoulian. P. C2.
- ↑ Chapman, Art. 1991-05-25. "(F)all eyes focus on CBS". Fort-Worth Star-Telegram. P. G1.
- ↑ Storm, Jonathan. 1990-12-28. "CBS offerings: Gala honors and gumshoes". The Philadelphia Inquirer. P. 5E.
- ↑ Lauer-Williams, Kathy. 1990-09-08. "Area residents 'star' in pilot of TV mystery". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Pp. B1, B9.
- ↑ Zuckerman, Faye. 1991-03-29. "'True Detectives' deals with reality". The Courier-News. Bridgewater, NJ. P. C7
- ↑ Smith, Miriam. 1991-03-28. "'True Detectives' airs Boyle dramatization Friday". News-Journal. Mansfield, OH. P. 1B.
- ↑ "TV Friday". 1991-04-05. The San Francisco Examiner. P. C18.
- ↑ TV listings for re-run version of Episode 3 in the The Morning Call (Allentown, PA).
- ↑ "TV highlights". 1991-04-05. The Cincinnati Enquirer. P. C6.
- ↑ Zuckerman, Faye. 1991-04-12. "TV Tonight". The Manhattan Mercury. P. C8.
- ↑ "Friday April 12 TV Listings". 1991-04-06. The Times-Press TV Week. Streator, IL. P. 7
- ↑ Ferch, David. 1991-02-09. "Sting king: TV show to feature Kennebec County sheriff's style". Kennebec Journal. Pp. A1,A6.
- ↑ Burlingame, Jon. 1991-04-26. "'True Detectives' chronicles adventures of real private eyes". The Hartford Courant. P. B8.
- ↑ "Victim uses his 'toys' to track burglars". 1991-09-26. Northwest Herald. Woodstock, IL. P. 11.
- ↑ Burlingame, Jon. 1991-06-21. "New 'Verdict' series provides capsule look at real-life trials". The Hartford Courant. P. B8.
- ↑ "An ailing baby, teethmarks in cheese provide the clues for "True Detectives"". 1991-06-28. The Orlando Sentinel. P. E6.
- ↑ Horton, Barbara Ann. 1991-02-17. "Look who's in the news!". Daily American Republic. Popular Bluff, MO. P. 2C.