Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
Genre	Science fiction Paranormal
Created by	Lynn Lehmann
Presented by	James Brolin (1997) Jonathan Frakes (1998–2002)
Narrated by	Don LaFontaine (1997–2000) Campbell Lane (2002)
Theme music composer	Al Kasha
Composers	Al Kasha Mark Northam David E. Russo Tim Simonec Steve Zuckerman Robert Alpert
Country of origin	United States (1997-2000) United States/Canada (2002)
Original language	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	45[1] (225 Segments) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Barry Adelman Dick Clark Al Schwartz
Running time	7-9 Minutes (Individual Segments) 44-45 minutes
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	May 25, 1997 (1997-05-25) – September 5, 2002 (2002-09-05)

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (originally called Strange Truth: Fact or Fiction during production) is an American television anthology series created by Lynn Lehmann, presented by Dick Clark Productions, and produced and aired by the Fox network from 1997 to 2002.^[2] Each episode featured stories, all of which appeared to defy logic, and some of which were allegedly based on actual events. The viewer was offered the challenge of determining which are true and which are false. At the end of the show, it was revealed to the viewer whether the tales were true or works of fiction.

The series was hosted by James Brolin in season one and by Jonathan Frakes in seasons two, three and four. The show was narrated by Don LaFontaine for the first three seasons and by Campbell Lane for the fourth and final season.

Format[]

The stories told in the program all had some connection with the supernatural, ghosts, psychic phenomena, coincidences, destiny, or other such unusual occurrences.

Each episode of the show, as well as all stories within, were introduced with a pun or some other form of witticism pertaining to the particular story and episode, and they all included the underlying moral that not everything we perceive as truth and falsehood is as such, and that it can often be difficult to truly separate fact from fiction, hence the show's title. In the Frakes era, the intros were filmed on a set resembling the interior of a Victorian mansion.

Each episode typically featured five stories, at least one of which was true and at least one of which was a complete fabrication. The majority of true stories on the show were based on first-hand research conducted by author Robert Tralins, while many of the ones that turned out to be fiction were simply modern-dressed re-telling of urban legends.

From season two onwards Jonathan Frakes would end each story with a pun related to the story, for comical effect.

Popularity and cancellation[]

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction has gained a cult following.^{[citation needed]} The show was often aired sporadically, sometimes going for weeks or even months between airings. There is a two-year lag between Don LaFontaine and Campbell Lane's stints as narrator for the show, during which time it was believed that it had been cancelled, only for it to be brought back for another season in the summer of 2002. It was eventually cancelled after its 2002 season. During his stint as narrator, Lane played the character John August in the Season 4 segment 'The Cigar Box'.

In Germany, where Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction is known as X-Factor: Das Unfassbare (The Unfathomable), the show was especially successful and still has a cult following. This led to the X-Factor brand being extended to other shows: The Paranormal Borderline became X-Factor: Die fünfte Dimension (The Fifth Dimension), X-Factor: Wahre Lügen (True Lies) is a German series, and Scariest Places on Earth became X-Factor: Die wahre Dimension der Angst (The Real Dimension of Fear).^[3][4]

Starting on 4 November 2018, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series' premiere in Germany, RTL II produced two special episodes under the name X-Factor: Das Unfassbare kehrt zurück (The Unfathomable Returns), hosted by Detlef Bothe. While directly copying much of the original's style and studio setup, this revival was heavily panned by audiences due to the much poorer quality in comparison to the original.^[5] The show was continued in 2019 and 2020 on RTL II and now has a total of six episodes, with the latest episodes receiving slightly more favourable reviews.

Episodes[]

Each episode featured five stories, all of which defied logic, but some of which were based on actual events. The viewer was offered the challenge of determining which were true and which were false. At the end of the show, it was revealed to the viewer which tales were true (the stories bolded on this list) and which ones were works of fiction.

Of the 225 stories told over the course of the 45 episodes, 132 (59%) were revealed to be "fact." Each episode of the series' run had at least one "fiction" story and at least two "fact" stories.

Series overview[]

Season 1 (1997)[]

Season 2 (1998)[]

Season 3 (2000)[]

This season premiered in Germany nearly a year before it aired on FOX; albeit, out of order.^[36]

Season 4 (2002)[]

This season premiered in Germany over two months before it aired on FOX.^[36] The episodes were filmed in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, unlike with previous seasons, which were filmed in California.

Syndication/Home media[]

During its final run of Fox, the series was picked up for reruns by the Sci-fi Channel, which ran from July 8, 2002^[64][65][66] to September 6, 2005.^[67] It would later air on the now defunct Chiller channel from 2009 to 2015.^[68][69]

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction Season One was released on DVD in Region 1 on August 28, 2007.^[70] In 2018, FilmRise obtained the rights to the series, and made it available for video streaming via Amazon Prime and other services,^[71][72] including their YouTube channel.^[73]

See also[]

• Urban Legends
• Mostly True Stories?: Urban Legends Revealed
• Penn & Teller Tell a Lie

References[]

External links[]

• Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction at IMDb