Secrets of the Dead, produced by WNET 13 New York, is an ongoing PBS television series which began in 2000. The show generally follows an investigator or team of investigators exploring what modern science can tell viewers about some of the great mysteries of history. Most programs incorporate primary source material, first-hand accounts, dramatic reenactments, and computer-generated imagery (CGI) to tell the story. The series originated in a series of the same name in the United Kingdom first shown by Channel 4 in 1999. The first two seasons for each country were broadly similar, but thereafter diverged. The US series includes some programs shown in other Channel 4 series (e.g. Secret History). In the case of original British episodes, PBS re-edited, re-branded and finally re-narrated them with various American voice artists.[1] PBS description: "Scientists seek to uncover celebrated mysteries of the past in this occasional British series."
The PBS series premiered on May 15, 2000, airing four programs in three days (the first episode, concerning the Extreme weather events of 535–536, was a two-parter).[2] Despite an irregular schedule, new episodes continue to air.[3]
Episodes — UK series
Season 1 (1999)
Ep. 1: "Blood Red Roses" (1999-06-29 — US S4#1)
Ep. 2: "What Happened to the Hindenburg?" (1999-07-06 — US S1#4)
Ep. 3: "The Lost Vikings" (1999-07-13 — US S1#3)
Ep. 4: "Cannibals of the Canyon" (1999-07-20 — US S1#5 "Cannibalism in the Canyon")
Ep. 5: "Catastrophe – The Day the Sun Went Out" (1999-07-27 — US S1#1)
Ep. 6: "Catastrophe – How the World Changed" (1999-08-03 — US S1#2)
Season 2 (2000)
Ep. 1: "Murder at Stonehenge" (2000-07-17 — US S2#2)
Ep. 2: "The Syphilis Enigma" (2000-07-24 — US S2#6)
Ep. 3: "Murder in Jamestown" (2000-07-31 — US S2#3 "Death at Jamestown")
Ep. 4: "Bewitched" (2000-08-07 — US S2#1 "Witches Curse")
Ep. 5: "Blood on the Altar" (2000-08-14)
Ep. 6: "What Sank the Mary Rose?" (2000-08-21)
Season 3 (2001)
Ep. 1: "The Riddle of Pompeii" (2001-02-01)
Ep. 2: "The Hidden Scrolls of Herculaneum" (2001-02-08)
Ep. 3: "Gladiator Girl" (2001-05-14)
Ep. 4: "Sounds from the Stone Age" (2001-11-12)
Ep. 5: "The First Human?" (2001-11-19 — US S3#1 "Search for the First Human")
Ep. 6: "Mystery of Zulu Dawn" (2001-12-03 — US S2#4 "Day of the Zulu")
Ep. 7: "Who Burnt Rome?" (2001-12-10 — US S3#4 "The Great Fire of Rome")
Ep. 8: "King Midas's Feast" (2001-12-30)
Season 4 (2002)
Ep. 1: "Riddle of the Plague Survivors" (2002-02-24)
Ep. 2: "The Birth of the Smart Bomber" (2002-03-03)
Ep. 3: "Quest for Noah's Flood" (2002-03-16)
Season 5 (2003–04)
Ep. 1: "Titanic's Ghost" (2003-03-13 — US S3#3)
Ep. 2: "The Coldest March" (2003-03-20 — US S3#5 "Tragedy at the Pole")
Ep. 3: "Plague on the Western Front" (2003-03-27)
Ep. 4: "Shroud of Christ?" (2004-03-29 — US S4#4)
Episodes — US series
Specials (2014-17)
Ep. 1: "Dick Cavett's Watergate" (2014-08-08)
Ep. 2: "Secrets of Spanish Florida" (2017-12-26)
Ep. 3: "America’s Untold Story - Struggle to Survive" (2017-12-26)
Ep. 4: "America’s Untold Story - Men of God, Men of Greed" (2018-01-02)
Ep. 5: "America’s Untold Story - The British Are Coming" (2018-01-09)
Ep. 6: "America’s Untold Story - The 14th and 15th Colonies" (2018-01-18)
Season 1 (2000)
No. in season
Title
Original release date
1
"Catastrophe! – The Day the Sun Went Out” Part 1 of 2"
Archaeologists map the underwater ruins of Baiae, ancient Rome's version of Las Vegas
4
"Leonardo, the Man Who Saved Science"
April 5, 2017 (2017-04-05)
1604
*Special
"Secrets of Spanish Florida"
December 26, 2017 (2017-12-26)
1604
AMFC — 2 hours
5
"The Woman in the Iron Coffin"
October 3, 2018 (2018-10-03)
1605
Forensic experts investigate the preserved remains of a young 19th century New York African American woman and reveal details of early America's free black communities.
6
"The Nero Files"
February 20, 2019 (2019-02-20)
1606
The life and legend of Nero are examined by a forensic profiler.
Season 17 (2018–20)
No. in season
Title
Original release date
Prod. code
1
"Scanning the Pyramids"
January 24, 2018 (2018-01-24)
1701
2
"Hannibal in the Alps"
April 10, 2018 (2018-04-10)
1702
A team of experts determines which of 4 possible routes was used by Hannibal
The discovery of a rare mass grave with the bones of nearly 60 people outside Luxor sends archaeologists on a quest to find out who the remains belong to, why they were buried the way they were and what was happening in ancient Egypt that would have led to a mass burial.
5
"World War Speed"
June 25, 2019 (2019-06-25)
1705
Historian James Holland, on his quest to understand how the use of amphetamines affected the course of World War II and unleashed “the world's first pharmacological arms race.”[4] Shown in the UK on BBC Four as a standalone, Aug 29, 2019.[5]
6
"Abandoning the Titanic"
November 4, 2020 (2020-11-04)
1706
Weighs the evidence concerning the "mystery" ship seen from the deck of the sinking Titanic[6]
Season 18 (2019–22)
No. in season
Title
Original release date
Prod. code
1
"Galileo's Moon"
July 2, 2019 (2019-07-02)
1801
When it was published in 1610, Galileo's Sidereus Nuncius (Starry Messenger set in motion a scientific revolution.[7]
2
"Bombing Auschwitz"
January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)
1802
On December 3, 1944, The Washington Post published an editorial on the atrocities in Auschwitz with the headline “Genocide,” marking the first time the word appeared in a national newspaper.[8]
3
"Building Notre Dame"
April 28, 2020 (2020-04-28)
1803
An in-depth investigation is made into the centuries-long construction of Notre Dame de Paris.
4
"Viking Warrior Queen"
July 7, 2020 (2020-07-07)
1804
An examination of Birka's grave Bj 581 reveals that the remains of the warrior buried inside are female.
