Cold Case Files

One of the best shows I have ever seen on tv! Its absolutely gripping. Sucks u in from the beginning and you just can't stop watching! I cant wait for more episodes! Bravo!

One of the few truly respectful pieces of true crime media. There are countless movies, TV shows, and podcasts that give undeserved focus to the murderer. Oftentimes to the point of exploitation of the victims' pain.

But Cold Case Files treats the tragedy as what it is, a tragedy. Enough time is spent on each victim's background so that you are forced to feel at least a SHRED of the hurt that the victims' loved ones felt.

That is not to say that Cold Case Files does not have dramatizations, because it does. It is an entertaining show, albeit quite slow and predictable given how nearly every case is solved by DNA. Still, the show's attention to detail and thoroughness is enough to hook me. Honestly I "watch" most of it as a podcast, and it does quite well in that function.

I enjoy this program for its intensity in mystery build-up; the cinematography is also stellar.

Albeit some cringeworthy elements; the cheesy over-dramatization, the snail-like "get to the point" pacing and Danny Glover's inordinately irritating and incomprehensible narration, the show is more than decent and worthy of any true crime lover.

I find this series exceptional in its treatment of each story. The interviewees are well spoken and seem to have been dealt with respect and dignity. We the viewers are also treated respectfully: the program doesn't resort to utilizing stock images from the case over and over or recycle pan shots to extend 10 minutes of info into a 30 minute film.

The one thing that has irked me: twice, in episode 1 and again in episode 6 of season 1, they clearly describe a particular make and model of a vehicle, and then proceed to use a completely different vehicle in the re-enactment. I'm not sure why it bothers me quite so much... perhaps it's that it now calls to mind a question as to the veracity of all the other visual re-enactments/information presented. The producers clearly didn't mind using photos: they couldn't be bothered to seek stock images of the actual vehicles involved in those cases?

A collection of solved cold cases as told by the families and investigating officers. Each episode tells the story of one case, from the time of the initial murder and the cause of the case to go cold, through the modern day solving. The cinematography and storytelling of each episode keeps you interested and has good flow. I really enjoyed that the cases were all solved eventually.