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 |
Composer(s) | Al Kasha Mark Northam David E. Russo Tim Simonec |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 45(list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Barry Adelman Dick Clark Al Schwartz |
Running time | 44 minutes |
Release | |
Original network | Fox |
Original release | May 25, 1997 | – September 5, 2002
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction 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. Each episode featured five 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.
The stories told in the program all had some connection with the supernatural, ghosts, psychic phenomena, coincidences, destiny, and/or with 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.
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.
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction has gained a cult following. 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.