# Cold Case Files (2017)

> Cold Case Files revisits unsolved American murders, using new forensic science and the persistence of victims' families to crack cases that had gone nowhere for years.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/76859

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 60
- Episode runtime: 43 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: documentary, crime
- Network: A&E
- Cast: Danny Glover, Bill Kurtis, David Snyder, Jojo Tua, Zilpha Lowery, Jeremiah Pittman, Kevin Gutches
- TMDB rating: 7.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6459472/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: sober, measured, somber, humane, tense

## Synopsis

Cold Case Files (2017-present) is a US true crime docuseries on A&E, revived as a refreshed classic and built around one murder per episode. Narrated by Bill Kurtis and Danny Glover, it follows the families, friends, and detectives tied to cases that stalled for years, asking what finally broke them open. Each hour is a self-contained investigation: the engine is the single critical element, often a new forensic result such as DNA testing or a reexamined witness account, that turns a dead file into an arrest. Across four seasons and roughly sixty episodes, the show moves through many cases rather than one continuing story, so viewers can dip in at any point. Its tone is sober and humane, with interviews that give victims a voice and treat unsolved killings as ongoing wounds rather than spectacle. Fans of The Jinx, Making a Murderer, and The Staircase will find the same blend of forensic detail, patient interviewing, and attention to the people left behind. The format suits anyone who wants real case files explained carefully, one murder at a time.

## Shows like Cold Case Files

- [This Is the Zodiac Speaking (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/179262)
- [See No Evil (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/58111)
- [Cold Case (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/2059)
- [Deadly Women (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/14837)
- [Unsolved Mysteries (1988)](https://ember.film/tv/113)
- [Catching Killers (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/113148)
- [On the Case with Paula Zahn (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/23205)
- [CSI: Vegas (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/101460)
- [Making a Murderer (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/57018)
- [Forensic Files (1996)](https://ember.film/tv/10335)

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