So where do you go for actual unbelievable stories? Back to basics, my friends. Back to history. And who better to guide us through history’s odder corners than Dan Aykroyd? His History Channel series, “The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd,” continues its second season of stories that will make you question everything you thought you knew about human resilience.
This Friday’s episode, “Against All Odds,” focuses on individuals who stared death in the face and somehow blinked first. We’ll meet a man who survived what can only be described as an apocalyptic event (details are scant, but my money’s on a rogue Roomba uprising.) Then there’s the woman who survived not one, not two, but three maritime disasters. Move over, Molly Brown, there’s a new unsinkable in town. And because no anthology series about improbable survival is complete without a plucky animal companion, we’ll also hear the tale of a cat who apparently has more lives than a particularly indecisive deity and survived multiple sea battles. Seriously.
Aykroyd’s deadpan delivery adds just the right amount of gravitas to these often outlandish stories. The series uses a mix of expert commentary, recreations, graphics, and archival footage, but it’s Aykroyd’s presence that keeps things from veering into the truly absurd. He’s the skeptical anchor in a sea of unbelievable truths.
“The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd” airs Friday, January 24th at 9 p.m. on History.