Disappeared (2009–2023) User Reviews

Haunting and Riveting

[filmguyCI · 9/10 · 25 March 2016]

I can't believe that there is just one other review for this terrific show. And it's an unfairly negative one at that. A champagne glass?

This show profiles true life cases of people who have disappeared without a trace. Through interviews with family members and reenactments , we learn of the events that lead up to the person's disappearance. I have watched every episode of the show's 6 seasons and almost always, I am completely absorbed.

A person disappearing without a trace is disturbing and one can only imagine what the family members are going through as they search for answers. I have been so taken with some of these cases that years later I will think about someone I saw on an episode and do a search to see if there is any updated news on the case.

I'm not sure if this show has ever been responsible for someone being found as Unsolved Mysteries used to claim back in its day, however, it certainly doesn't hurt to have another forum to get the word out to help find these missing people.

I'm happy to learn that a 7th season is being produced due to viewer demand. Smart move by Investigation Discovery as it has been , in my opinion, their most important and highest quality show.

Compelling, and interesting, investigative show that searches for answers and ask questions about how and why those are missing.

[blanbrn · 8/10 · 9 June 2016]

For years now on "ID" Discovery channel this series called "Disappeared" has aired and I just recently watched some episodes while channel surfing, yet it's right for my taste because I love mystery and crime shows especially those that involve real life cases as I was always an "Unsolved Mysteries" addict. And you all know when you see news footage or the paper headlines it's panic and dread and doom for everyone when someone goes missing or they are abducted and the pain and drama sorrow for the families involved are tough to describe as they search for answers. Many of these cases are tough to solve as they have no witnesses and often the motive is robbery, sex, rape or even human trafficking. The series acts out each case recreating the story plus it shows actual news footage about each case and interviews law enforcement officials and family members of the missing. This program is a tough watch yet it's a program of hope that ask and searches for answers of those missing and it tries to find answers and closure of these hard to crack cold cases.

This Show Should NEVER Be Canceled!

[Foutainoflife · 9/10 · 29 April 2024]

Disappeared is one of, if not THE, best true crime shows out there. Too many people go missing leaving little to no trace behind them. It's hard to not leave a trace of yourself in our world today with the amount of technology we are exposed to and use on a daily basis. Dead or alive, the remains of these individuals are somewhere.

The heartbreak the families suffer from their loss is unthinkable. When someone passes, it's heartbreaking but you know what happened or how they passed and their remains are with you. All the questions and the not knowing must be torturous for those who never receive those answers.

There's no excuse to ever see this show canceled considering the number of people who go missing today. Every case is deserving of coverage and recognition. This show is a public service for the people left behind and should be offered to everyone. If it was your loved one, you'd want this coverage. NEVER CANCEL THIS SHOW!

Best Long-Running True Crime Show, Bar None

[hilaryjrp · 10/10 · 8 June 2016]

I discovered "Disappeared" in 2013 on Netflix. I didn't know what "binge-watching" meant at the time but learned fast. As another reviewer has said, this series is haunting and riveting. No other true crime show--maybe even including beloved Unsolved Mysteries-- comes close.

There are several reasons for its effectiveness. Early seasons had minimal musical background. Intrusive music in true crime shows often overwhelms, rivals, or trivializes stories of heartache and ongoing loss. What little music there is conveys the melancholy and ominousness of the "disappeared's" loved ones' lives. The narration likewise is not melodramatic; the single-camera interviews have often brought me to tears, because parents, siblings, police officers look straight into the camera as if they're appealing to you--and they are.

So many of these stories remain sincere mysteries. Tragically, a few have been solved with the discovery of remains. Fewer have been solved with the surprise reappearance of a person who consciously chose to disappear (and these stories are often as troubling, in their own way, as those of the poor souls whose fates we have to imagine). No matter what the outcome, "Disappeared" somehow has an unmatched sensitivity in approaching an awful subject. It plumbs the psychological background of any given missing person without being prurient or sensational. It is compassionate to those missing people--generally very young--whom the show freely admits never knew a level playing field in life.

I would not recommend that children younger than thirteen watch this show--especially in re-runs or on streaming online "channels." Two stories in particular concern missing children and are among the most disturbing I've ever seen. On the other hand, if I had teenage children, I would make "Disappeared" required viewing. So many of the stories deal with young people trying to rebuild lives ruined by substance abuse, or plain abuse--but who choose to befriend or become lovers of partners whose danger is almost written on their faces.

The word "modest" comes to mind when I think of "Disappeared." I know nothing about the producers or history of the series. All I know is that it has remained my "go-to" streaming crime series; I don't feel like a voyeur watching it. I often watch it and say prayers for the parents, the kid sister, the older brother, the bereaved wife or husband, still waiting for peace in the most awful of circumstances.

Blessings on every one of these folks still waiting, and on those whose worst fears have been realized. "Disappeared" honors victims; it doesn't glorify crime. Do not miss this superb program.

Brilliant

[sarah_lou_r13 · 10/10 · 15 October 2021]

Please bring out more seasons as this is the best crime documentary so far ! Also sheds light on cases which has helped towards solving a case i.e Michelle witaker !

Haunting

[KeepYourGoodHeart · 10/10 · 30 September 2016]

Being a big fan of Investigation Discovery, I thought I would tune into this show along with my usual other viewings of the programs on this network. This show is probably the best on ID and should be much more popular than it is! The cases are truly haunting because we know that these are the real stories of real people and what makes it very personal is seeing their friends and family tell their own stories in their own words on the show.

This show has a little bit of everything: people that were found dead but nobody knows what happened to them, those that are still missing seemingly without a trace, and those who were found alive and got a happy ending. Some cases have their obvious suspects (without enough proof to prosecute them most of the time) while others are true mysteries. Each story is so different from the other but all are equally captivating.

The show does a great job at attempting to present all the known facts in the most unbiased manner possible while looking at all the different perspectives offered by law enforcement, the friends and families, etc. Some cases I've been so drawn into that I periodically look online for updates and while I don't really know if the show has solved any cases, I definitely think that it is a powerful tool to bring the reality of disappearances and kidnappings to your average viewer.

I look forward to watching the rest of the new season!

One of the best true crime shows

[linda-glass · 10/10 · 25 March 2019]

It's amazing I think how people really do disappear and this show opened my eyes a lot. A must see!

The Best Show on the Subject

[deepkut · 10/10 · 21 November 2020]

There's something about the mystery of people going missing that has always intrigued me (for whatever reason). The unsolved cases are more exciting to me than the ones that end up with usually a young woman dying at the hands of a monster (I don't like those but unfortunately it happens more frequently than I had thought).

What's great about this show is that the violence (re-enacted or described) is kept to a minimum and even nonexistent in some episodes as the outcomes of most of these cases are unknown.

What moves me the most are the tireless efforts of the families and friends in trying to find their missing loved ones. I love it when they are found alive at the end. Some of the unsolved cases are heartbreaking and so I'll take to Twitter to share them because somebody out there knows something. This series has also prompted me to purchase pepper spray for and ingrain in my young nieces the need to know how to defend themselves.

Also, can we stop with the plea deals already ? Some of these animals need to be exterminated.

Excellent show !

Alakazam.

[ThunderKing6 · 10/10 · 6 August 2021]

This was a good show. There was a time when I binged crime shows, and Disappeared was one of the first that I binged the hell out of because I found them interesting yet sad.

The show is about investigating people and families who disappeared. Some were found 47'd, others were found having a new life and others well have not been found.

The whole quality of the show was awesome and engaging. You felt for the families and victims. Thoughout you get to make guesses of what may have happened and sometimes I was right.

Also, sad that a good, informative show that may help families had to come to an end while shows like the Bachelor remain on the television.

Last Words: Interesting and a sad show at the same time.

Interesting series

[mhubbard-54657 · 7/10 · 13 June 2017]

Too bad there are so many of these cases, that the producers have plenty of material. This is not feel good escapist television, other than perhaps it feels good to sit, safe in your living room and watch with growing terror what leads up to the disappearance of these mostly young women. Some were dabbling on the wrong side of the tracks, some weren't. Some had vulnerabilities, such as substance abuse, or mental illness, others were pursuing the American Dream. All were obviously in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Much spookier than any horror film, because this stuff really happened and continues to happen.The unsolved cases are particularly chilling.

The production quality is not always top notch, but worth watching if you "enjoy" this type of thing. Some of the stories may be hard to forget.

Must watch!

[kennyp-44177 · 10/10 · 27 April 2021]

Compelling true life series. What's more mysterious then missing loved ones? Only one small critism there are no updates as to where the case stands in present time 👍

starring: a champagne glass!

[marymorrissey · 3/10 · 28 November 2011]

this show is pretty meager in terms of production, very splashy and annoying in terms of post (incredibly over-dramatic titles used very very liberally. Anyway I'm watching a 2nd episode online, pausing just to make a review inspired by the fact that this character being profiled, this feller who went missing in Colorado evidently liked the company of pretty women and liked to pahr-tayy. OK, so that makes it easy oh hell actually though it starts way before that getting annoying. This guy would like to come to work early and make the coffee and have his ritual bowl of oat meal so we get umpteenthousand shots of the durned coffeepot and these really annoying shots of the bowl of oatmeal. Evidently either production team will not settle for the P-poor resemblances managed by such models for this kinda show as "Unsolved Mysteries" (Cosgrove-Muerer) or else they couldn't manage to find anyone even remotely looking like the subject of the two episodes I watched, thus we have all these absurd headless coverages of these doomed individuals. I had to laugh especially in the oatmeal sequence because the poor actor did try to put as much as he could into it, tapping the spoon on the side of the bowl to settle the oatmeal into the reservoir of the tea/tablespoon. Anyway we get many many many many shots of the coffeepot, the oatmeal-in-action and then later comes that marvelous festival champagne for a benefit.

The fact is this show ought to be doing 2 unsolved disappearances per episode and the sloth of taking on only one with the limited material they've captured to put it together results in quite deadly television from which I was doomed to disappear before the end of either of the two episodes I attempted to view!