The "Night Stalker" TV show refers primarily to two related series centered on the character Carl Kolchak, a reporter investigating mysterious and supernatural crimes:
- Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974–1975) : This original American TV series aired on ABC for one season of 20 episodes. It followed wire service reporter Carl Kolchak (played by Darren McGavin) as he investigated unusual crimes involving supernatural or science fiction elements. The show was preceded by two TV movies, The Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973). Despite lasting only one season, it gained cult status and influenced later shows like The X-Files
- Night Stalker (2005) : A reboot of the original series, this version aired on ABC but was canceled after only six of the ten produced episodes were broadcast. It starred Stuart Townsend as a younger Carl Kolchak, now a reporter for the L.A. Beacon newspaper, investigating strange murders linked to his wife's murder. The show included characters like Perri Reed (Gabrielle Union) and was developed by Frank Spotnitz, a writer from The X-Files. The full series later aired on the Sci-Fi Channel and was released on DVD
Additionally, there is a separate true crime documentary series titled Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer on Netflix, which chronicles the investigation of the real-life serial killer known as the Night Stalker, but this is unrelated to the fictional Kolchak series
. In summary, the "Night Stalker" TV show most commonly refers to the cult 1970s supernatural crime drama Kolchak: The Night Stalker and its 2005 reboot.
