The FBI Files
Encyclopedia
The FBI Files is an American
television
docudrama
series that originally ran from 1998 to 2006. It was carried by the Discovery Channel
cable network and produced by New Dominion Pictures of Suffolk, Virginia
. The show was canceled by the Discovery Channel
after it aired its final episode on March 24, 2006, however Discovery Channel
and its sister network, Investigation Discovery air re-runs of the show. In the UK on Channel 5, The FBI Files airs most Saturday nights before QuizCall. Versions of the show on DVD are now being released. So far, four seasons are available on DVD; it is not yet confirmed whether or not Season 5 will be released on DVD.
cases, with dramatic reenactments and interviews with agents and forensic scientists
who worked in the investigations. The show premiered on October 20, 1998, and 120 episodes were produced by Discovery Channel Producer Tom Golden before the final original episode shown on March 24, 2006. The series covered the kidnapping
and murder
of Polly Klaas
, the investigation and conviction of John Gotti
, the Unabomber
case, the World Trade Center Bombing, the Sara Tokars murder case, the several prison escapes by Christopher Jeburk
, John Birges's biggest bomb in history (Harvey's Casino -- Stateline NV), and many other well-known and not so well-known true crime
stories. Unlike The New Detectives
, a somewhat similar true crime show, The FBI Files centers around murders, bank robberies, kidnapping
s, etc., where the FBI is called in to assist police departments.
James Kallstrom, former head of the FBI's New York City
office, hosted the show. Among other high-profile cases, he investigated the crash of TWA Flight 800
. Allison Erkelens was head writer for the series' production company, New Dominion Pictures, from 2000-2005. Anthony Call co-hosted some episodes. Susan Rae
and Stephen Kemble were the hosts on some international versions of the show.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
series that originally ran from 1998 to 2006. It was carried by the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
cable network and produced by New Dominion Pictures of Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk is the largest city by area in Virginia, United States, and is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,585. Its median household income was $57,546.-History:...
. The show was canceled by the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
after it aired its final episode on March 24, 2006, however Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
and its sister network, Investigation Discovery air re-runs of the show. In the UK on Channel 5, The FBI Files airs most Saturday nights before QuizCall. Versions of the show on DVD are now being released. So far, four seasons are available on DVD; it is not yet confirmed whether or not Season 5 will be released on DVD.
Synopsis
The show described actual FBIFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
cases, with dramatic reenactments and interviews with agents and forensic scientists
Forensics
Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...
who worked in the investigations. The show premiered on October 20, 1998, and 120 episodes were produced by Discovery Channel Producer Tom Golden before the final original episode shown on March 24, 2006. The series covered the kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of Polly Klaas
Polly Klaas
Polly Hannah Klaas was an American murder victim whose case gained national attention. At the age of twelve, she was kidnapped at knife point from her mother's home during a slumber party in Petaluma, California, on October 1, 1993. She was later strangled...
, the investigation and conviction of John Gotti
John Gotti
John Joseph Gotti, Jr was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti grew up in poverty. He and his brothers turned to a life of crime at an early age...
, the Unabomber
Theodore Kaczynski
Theodore John "Ted" Kaczynski , also known as the "Unabomber" , is an American mathematician, social critic, anarcho-primitivist, and Neo-Luddite who engaged in a mail bombing campaign that spanned nearly 20 years, killing three people and injuring 23 others.Kaczynski was born in Chicago, Illinois,...
case, the World Trade Center Bombing, the Sara Tokars murder case, the several prison escapes by Christopher Jeburk
Christopher Jeburk
Christopher Lawrence Jeburk, born 1975, is a convicted felon, most infamous for the string of bank robberies he successfully pulled off along the East Coast of the United States. He escaped four times from prison, twice from a regional detention center and twice while in federal custody, to commit...
, John Birges's biggest bomb in history (Harvey's Casino -- Stateline NV), and many other well-known and not so well-known true crime
True crime (genre)
True crime is a non-fiction literary and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people.The crimes most commonly include murder, but true crime works have also touched on other legal cases. Depending on the writer, true crime can adhere strictly to...
stories. Unlike The New Detectives
The New Detectives
The New Detectives: Case Studies in Forensic Science is a documentary true crime television show that aired two to three different cases in forensic science per episode. Episode reruns currently air on the Discovery Channel, TLC and the Investigation Discovery network...
, a somewhat similar true crime show, The FBI Files centers around murders, bank robberies, kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
s, etc., where the FBI is called in to assist police departments.
James Kallstrom, former head of the FBI's New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
office, hosted the show. Among other high-profile cases, he investigated the crash of TWA Flight 800
TWA Flight 800
Trans World Airlines Flight 800 , a Boeing 747-131, exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on July 17, 1996, at about 20:31 EDT, 12 minutes after takeoff, killing all 230 persons on board. At the time, it was the second-deadliest U.S...
. Allison Erkelens was head writer for the series' production company, New Dominion Pictures, from 2000-2005. Anthony Call co-hosted some episodes. Susan Rae
Susan Rae
Susan Rae is a Scottish newsreader and continuity announcer on BBC Radio 4. She was born in Dundee, and now lives in Suffolk and works in London. She began work with D. C. Thomson newspapers in Dundee, Scotland before taking up work on BBC Radio Aberdeen. After three years there, she left to work...
and Stephen Kemble were the hosts on some international versions of the show.
DVD releases
Timeless Media Group has released the first four seasons of The FBI Files on DVD in Region 1.| DVD Name | Ep# | Release dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
| The Complete First Season | 13 | 2009 | NBA | NBA |
| The Complete Second Season | 18 | 2009 | NBA | NBA |
| The Complete Third Season | 18 | June 19, 2009 | NBA | NBA |
| The Complete Fourth Season | 18 | September 15, 2009 | NBA | NBA |