| The FBI Files | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Created by | Tom Naughton |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 120 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 49–51 minutes |
| Production company | New Dominion Pictures |
| Original release | |
| Network | Discovery Channel |
| Release | October 20, 1998 (1998-10-20) – March 24, 2006 (2006-03-24) |
The FBI Files is an American televisiondocudrama series that originally ran from 1998 to 2006 on theDiscovery Channel and produced byNew Dominion Pictures.[1] The show was cancelled in 2006. However,Court TV Mystery, Discovery, and its sister network,Investigation Discovery, aired re-runs until October 2012. Investigation Discovery only showed episodes from seasons 5,6, and 7. As of October 2012, the network now airs episodes from the earlier seasons (although not necessarily in chronological order), with updated information about the cases at the end of most episodes. Up to late September 2012,WE tv showed episodes from seasons 1-4, but the network had removed the episode introductions byJim Kallstrom. In the UK onQuest Red,The FBI Files airs every weeknight. It has also been shown on TV Denmark, Discovery Australia, and Netflix in Canada.
More recently, New Dominion Pictures made all episodes ofThe FBI Files available onYouTube and all episodes can be watched onHulu.[2]
The show described actualFBI cases, with dramatic reenactments and interviews with agents andforensic scientists who worked in the investigations. The show premiered on October 20, 1998, and 120 episodes were executive produced by Tom Naughton before the final episode aired on March 24, 2006. The series covered thekidnapping andmurder ofPolly Klaas, the investigation and conviction ofJohn Gotti, theUnabomber case, theWorld Trade Center Bombing, the Sara Tokars murder case, the several prison escapes byChristopher Jeburk,John Birges's biggest bomb in history (Harvey's Casino inStateline, Nevada), The murder ofChristina Long, and many other well-known and less well-knowntrue crime stories. UnlikeThe New Detectives, a somewhat similar true crime show,The FBI Files centers onmurders,narcotics,bank robberies,kidnappings, etc., where the FBI is called in to assist police departments.
James Kallstrom, a former head of the FBI'sNew York City office, hosted the show. Among other high-profile cases, he investigated the crash ofTWA Flight 800. Allison Erkelens was head writer for the series production company,New Dominion Pictures, from 2000 to 2005.
Anthony Call, an actor known for roles on the daytime soap operasThe Guiding Light andOne Life to Live, co-hosted/narrated all the United States episodes and some international ones.Susan Rae and Stephen Kemble were the narrators on several international versions of the show.
Lucy Longhurst narrated the international version of the episodes"Murdering Cowboy" that was about the convicted felonClaude Dallas and"Deadly Paradise" about the "Sea Wind Murders" onPalmyra Atoll.
Peter Dickson narrated season 2 of the international version of the show. Among those were the episodes"A Model Killer" that was about the slain serial killerChristopher Wilder (aka- "The Beauty Queen Killer") and"Cat and Mouse" about the 1985 search for South Carolina's convicted serial killerLarry Gene Bell.
Among thoseSusan Rae did was"Dishonoured" about the 1989 disappearance of USMC Capt. Shirley Russell, and the jointFBI –NIS investigation of her husband, formerUSMC Capt. Robert Russell and"When Seconds Count" about when a 12-year-old girl was abducted from her home inLodi, California.
Among those Stephen Kemble did was"The Price of Greed" about the 1997Los AngelesDunbar Armored robbery.
Among those international versions Anthony Call did was"Omega 7" about theOmega 7 group and"Dangerous Cause" about theFuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional Puertorriqueña group.
Ben Ando also did some voice overs in the UK.
| Season | Episodes | Season premiere | Season finale | DVD Release | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | October 20, 1998 | February 23, 1999 | January 6, 2009 | |
| 2 | 18 | September 28, 1999 | May 30, 2000 | April 21, 2009 | |
| 3 | 18 | September 12, 2000 | September 18, 2001 | June 19, 2009 | |
| 4 | 18 | October 2, 2001 | May 2002 | September 15, 2009 | |
| 5 | 18 | October 15, 2002 | May 27, 2003 | February 6, 2015 | |
| 6 | 20 | September 20, 2003 | May 7, 2004 | February 6, 2015 | |
| 7 | 18 | December 8, 2004 | March 24, 2006 | January 29, 2015 | |
Timeless Media Group has released the all seven seasons ofThe FBI Files on DVD in Region 1.
| DVD Name | Ep# | Release dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
| The Complete First Season | 13 | January 6, 2009 | NBA | April 7, 2011 |
| The Complete Second Season | 18 | April 21, 2009 | NBA | October 6, 2011 |
| The Complete Third Season | 18 | June 19, 2009 | NBA | 2014 |
| The Complete Fourth Season | 18 | September 15, 2009 | NBA | August 21, 2015 |
| The Complete Fifth Season | 18 | February 6, 2015[3] | NBA | Unreleased |
| The Complete Sixth Season | 20 | February 6, 2015[4] | NBA | Unreleased |
| The Complete Seventh Season | 18 | January 29, 2015[5] | NBA | Unreleased |