Monster Quest
Encyclopedia
MonsterQuest is an American television series that originally aired from October 31, 2007 to March 24, 2010 on the History channel. Produced by Whitewolf Entertainment, the program deals with the search for various cryptozoological
creatures (cryptids) and paranormal
entities reportedly witnessed around the world. A spin-off
show, MysteryQuest
, which focuses on unsolved mysteries, premiered on September 16, 2009.
The purpose of the show was best described by the narrator, Stan Benard, in the introduction:
Rich Rosell of Digitally Obsessed gave it a "B-", stating, "The good news is that this isn't a trashy reality show, eager to make everything overblown and sinister. Instead, it takes a seemingly well-researched approach, leaving viewers the opportunity to make up their own minds." He also believed that the "content is certainly nerd-worthy in an I-want-to-believe
/Mulder
kind of way".
Cinematic Happenings Under Development (CHUD) gave the show a 5.9/10 review, saying that the show is "basically a rehashing of the 1970s/1980s TV show, In Search Of..." and "it leaves you with a sense of either 'been there, done that' or just a feeling of incompleteness because it basically raises as many questions as it tries to answer."
Diablo Cody gave the show high praise in the October 24, 2008 issue of the magazine Entertainment Weekly
. She says, "I found a minotaur in that labyrinth of suck: MonsterQuest...on the History Channel."
Cryptozoology
Cryptozoology refers to the search for animals whose existence has not been proven...
creatures (cryptids) and paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
entities reportedly witnessed around the world. A spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
show, MysteryQuest
MysteryQuest
MysteryQuest is an American documentary television series that premiered on September 16, 2009 on the History channel. Produced by KPI Productions, the program is a spin-off of MonsterQuest...
, which focuses on unsolved mysteries, premiered on September 16, 2009.
The purpose of the show was best described by the narrator, Stan Benard, in the introduction:
Reception
Most critical reviews of MonsterQuest pertain to the season one DVD set which was released as a 4 DVD boxed collection on May 27, 2008.Rich Rosell of Digitally Obsessed gave it a "B-", stating, "The good news is that this isn't a trashy reality show, eager to make everything overblown and sinister. Instead, it takes a seemingly well-researched approach, leaving viewers the opportunity to make up their own minds." He also believed that the "content is certainly nerd-worthy in an I-want-to-believe
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
/Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
kind of way".
Cinematic Happenings Under Development (CHUD) gave the show a 5.9/10 review, saying that the show is "basically a rehashing of the 1970s/1980s TV show, In Search Of..." and "it leaves you with a sense of either 'been there, done that' or just a feeling of incompleteness because it basically raises as many questions as it tries to answer."
Diablo Cody gave the show high praise in the October 24, 2008 issue of the magazine Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
. She says, "I found a minotaur in that labyrinth of suck: MonsterQuest...on the History Channel."
Cancellation
In a statement made March 24, 2010 on the cryptozoological blog CryptoMundo, MonsterQuest producer Doug Hajicek announced that History Channel had canceled the series mid way through 4th season. Hajicek said, "The official end of MonsterQuest did not happen because of any lack of topics or for lack of viewers. The Network has decided to go another direction to assure their future as a powerful force in television."Episodes
| Season | No. episodes | Year(s) aired | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | 2007–2008 | |
| 2 | 20 | 2008 | |
| 3 | 25 | 2009 | |
| 4 | 9 | 2010 | |
Season one (2007–2008)
| Episode | Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|
Season two (2008)
| Episode | Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|
Season three (2009)
| Episode | Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|
Season four (2010)
| Episode | Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|
External links
- MonsterQuest production information on Cryptomundo