10 Huge Unexplained TV Mysteries (That Were Totally Solved)

Want to know what happened to the "unkillable" Russian from The Sopranos?

My Name Is Earl
20th Century Fox

Writing a television show is a fluid, unpredictable process. The writers might carefully set up a storyline, only to realise it doesn’t work and they have to find something new to fill its place. An important character might suddenly disappear without being mentioned again, or a season may end on a cliffhanger that’s not addressed when the show returns.

There’s are plenty of famous examples of this, from the disappearance of Chuck Cunningham in Happy Days to Lost dropping Walt’s subplot like a hot brick. These mysteries are good fodder for fans to debate on forum boards, but a little bit of digging reveals some of these famous questions actually have an answer.

It might be the showrunner letting it slip during an interview years later, or the answer is given as part of spin-off media. Some of the answers are shocking, while other are a letdown after such a long build up. Here are ten famous “unsolved” TV mysteries that have totally been solved, and how the answer impacts the show.

10. What Happened Between Seasons Two And Three? - 24

My Name Is Earl
SCE Studio Cambridge

The Mystery

24 had a habit of breezing past certain cliffhangers and storylines from season to season, with the switch from season two to three being the most awkward. Season two ended with an assassination attempt on David Palmer – where his fate was left ambiguous – and the real villains of Day Two remaining free.

Season three opens a few years later and doesn’t bother explaining what happened in-between; Palmer is fine and no mention is made of the people behind Day Two.

The Answer

It wasn’t until the 24 game for PlayStation 2 that we got some answers, though they weren’t terribly interesting ones. We learn how Jack first met Chloe and Chase and that Palmer was still recovering from his attack months later.

We also learn the mysterious Max from Day Two was an arms dealer who wanted revenge on America for the death of his family. He causes more trouble during the game – including causing an earthquake – before Jack gives him a well-deserved bullet sandwich at the end.

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