‘Unsolved Mysteries’ documentary showcases Matthew McConaughey’s humble beginnings as a murder victim

His penchant for showing skin aside, a producer of Unsolved Mysteries says Matthew McConaughey‘s acting has come a long way since he got his first screen credit on the series.

Way before he won an Oscar and became a bestselling author — in 1992, in fact — an up-and-coming McConaughey played a murder victim called Larry Dickens in the season 5 “Texas Most Wanted” episode of the long-running series.

Now celebrating its 35th birthday, the series, which lives on thanks to Netflix, is center stage in a new documentary called Unsolved Mysteries: Behind the Legacy, and Entertainment Weekly got a sneak peek.

“Matthew McConaughey had to do a fairly robust death scene,” a producer says. “He was working in his garage and he was shot by a man who pulled up with a shotgun.”

The producer added, “Let’s just say … his acting has come a long way since then.”

Evidently McConaughey was allowed an ad-lib: The director let him perform with his sleeveless flannel shirt open, as his doomed character toiled on his lawn in the Texas heat.

However, having six-pack abs likely had more to do with that than the future star’s acting chops.

Unsolved Mysteries: Behind the Legacy takes a look behind the revolutionary series famously hosted by Robert Stack. According to the trailer, the show, which asked the public for help in bringing fugitives to justice and cracking cold cases, led to 260 such cases being solved and 180 arrests.

Unsolved Mysteries: Behind the Legacy premieres October 4 at Alamo Drafthouse locations nationwide and debuts exclusively on Pluto TV on October 5 before streaming on other platforms October 19.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.