Trailblazer true crime show “Medical Detectives” is back with new episodes!

Feeding into our ever-growing obsession with true crime and the forensic tools used to solve them, “Medical Detectives”, which ran for 14 series and first aired over 20 years ago, is now back with new episodes, by popular demand. So, if you are an armchair detective and the world of forensic science and solving baffling crimes is your bag, then “Medical Detectives” is a compelling documentary series that you will not want to miss. 

For those who haven’t seen any of the original seasons before, “Medical Detectives” was the trailblazer in the true crime documentary genre. Debuting in the mid-90s, it has hooked fascinated viewers in with its dramatic storytelling and compelling forensics and built a cult following - broadcasting over 400 episodes during its 15-year run. 

Season 15 follows the same format as the original. You’ll meet the medical detectives at the forefront of homicidal investigation and watch detailed accounts of how investigators use science to solve violent, notable crimes and mysterious accidents as well as how diseases and outbreaks of illness were solved through forensic science. Featuring coroners, medical examiners, physicians, law enforcement personnel, journalists and legal experts at the top of their game, you’ll follow them as they delve into some of the worlds most intriguing crimes and watch as they put together pieces of the puzzle using cutting edge forensic science techniques combined with true-to-life re-enactments and profiles of the people who lived through the events in order to solve them.

For fans of the series, you’ll notice one big change in the revival of the show. Peter Thomas, the show’s long-time narrator, passed away, aged 91 in 2016. It is now narrated by acclaimed film, stage and television actor Bill Camp, who has starred in greats such as Lincoln, 12 years a Slave and Joker. Otherwise, the producers have kept the new series close to the original look and feel, with the same theme music and the same talking-head style interviews used to explain each case in the seasons before.  Animations, models, photographs and videos of the original crime scenes also help viewers visualize what happened during the crimes.

The first 30-minute episode of season 15 kicks off with “The Black Hole” which follows an investigation into a body found in a Florida river, showcasing how a single dog hair led them to the killer and how a rare forensic technique called “degloving” was employed by experts to identify the victim. Other episodes focus on investigations into a Yale student who mysteriously vanished days before her wedding, a small Texas town terrorised by a serial killer, an execution-style murder of an insurance agent, the brutal murder of a young couple on a road trip, and a suitcase which leads to the gruesome discovery of a nearly perfect crime, to name but a few. Every episode follows the case from initial investigation until it reaches its final conclusion.

Described as the godfather of true crime television, this engrossing American documentary-style programme, which is known as “Forensic Files” in the US, is the longest-running criminology show in TV history. So, while the true crime genre is at the peak of its popularity with a mass of brilliant shows for the many of us that are morbidly inclined to consume greedily, “Medical Detectives” is a pioneering, true crime classic that you will definitely want to add to your watch list. It premieres Thursday 10th September at 10pm on CBS Reality, with double bills every Thursday and Friday. The new season has 16 episodes in total, all presented in 30 minutes, so you can get your true crime hit in bite sized chunks. 

A must for anybody with an appetite for true crime and wants an intriguing peek into the enigmatic world of forensic science. 

You can find CBS Reality on Freeview (66), Sky (146), Virgin (148) and Freesat (135)