Five-time Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist Kristin Thorne is launching a new true crime series, Uncovered With Kristin Thorne, designed to take viewers inside the cases that ripple through families and communities across the United States. Blending rigorous reporting with a survivor-first approach, the series seeks to elevate overlooked voices and shine a light on why certain stories matter long after the headlines fade.
Thorne, a 20-year veteran of broadcast journalism, frames Uncovered as a continuation of the work she believes journalism should do best: help people. The series taps into her years of experience to bring clarity to complex investigations while centering the experiences of victims and their loved ones. That mission is paired with a commitment to transparency and accountability — for institutions, communities, and the media itself.
From Gabby Petito Case To A Purpose-Driven Series
Thorne traces the origin of her latest project back to 2021, when she served as a lead reporter for ABC on the disappearance of Gabby Petito. At a press conference crowded with media, Gabby’s father, Joe Petito, addressed reporters directly, urging them to do a better job covering all missing persons cases — not just the ones that dominate national attention. The moment, Thorne says, gave her goosebumps and changed her perspective on what her reporting could and should strive to do.
Compelled to act, Thorne searched “Missing People in the US” and was struck by the vast number of individuals who disappear without much public awareness. That revelation led to Missing, a series she created with the goal of finding missing people through persistent, on-the-ground reporting. Debuting on Hulu only months later, Missing ran for three seasons as Thorne pushed deeper into investigative storytelling with an emphasis on impact.
Her approach on Missing was relentless and methodical. She interviewed law enforcement while also holding officials accountable for their work, pursued leads others had set aside, and confronted people she believed might have information critical to a case. The result was not sensationalism, but a steady commitment to facts, context, and humanity — a template she now expands with Uncovered.
What Uncovered With Kristin Thorne Promises
Thorne’s new series is grounded in a clear editorial philosophy. “I will not choose fiction over truth, no matter how uncomfortable or inconvenient,” she says. That pledge underscores a project built to peel back layers rather than chase narratives. Each episode aims to move beyond what happened and into why it matters — to the people involved, the systems that investigate, and the communities left to grapple with the aftermath.
According to Thorne, Uncovered will examine how institutions succeed or fail, how people confront injustice, and how resilience can emerge from heartbreak. It’s a framework that acknowledges the real-world stakes of crime coverage: not just solving mysteries, but illuminating the processes, blind spots, and choices that shape the outcomes of cases and the lives attached to them.
Key to the series’ reach is its collaboration with McClatchy’s expansive network of local newsrooms. By tapping into reporters and editors who know their communities deeply, Uncovered is positioned to surface underreported cases and fresh angles while maintaining the rigor of national-level investigative standards. That local-national bridge allows the series to surface new witnesses, revisit overlooked details, and contextualize stories with the voices closest to them.
A Veteran Journalist Expands True Crime’s Scope
Thorne’s résumé speaks to the ethos behind Uncovered. A trailblazer with two decades in the field, she has consistently chased the kinds of stories that can, as she puts it, “help people” — not only by uncovering facts, but by restoring agency to those who’ve been harmed or forgotten. She brings that same energy to her new series, which is less about shock value and more about outcomes: elevating families, clarifying timelines, and pressing for answers when institutions stall.
That focus sets Uncovered apart in a crowded true crime landscape. The series blends the narrative pull of premium docuseries with the accountability of investigative journalism, prioritizing primary sources, verifiable facts, and the lived experiences of victims’ families. Thorne’s stance is clear: accuracy over embellishment, impact over hype, empathy over exploitation. The result is a show that seeks to move cases forward — or, at least, move the conversation forward — while maintaining the ethical guardrails that true crime storytelling demands.
“Launching Uncovered with Kristin Thorne is a dream I’ve worked toward my entire career,” Thorne says. “I hope you’ll join me – and us – on this journey.” It’s both an invitation and a mission statement, signaling a series that wants to engage its audience as active participants, not passive consumers.
For true crime fans who value substance over spectacle, Uncovered With Kristin Thorne looks to offer something rare: a rigorously reported, empathetically told series that uses the tools of journalism to illuminate, not exploit. By leveraging local expertise, centering survivors, and asking hard questions at every turn, Thorne’s latest project aims to spotlight cases that might otherwise slip through the cracks — and, in the process, to remind viewers why these stories matter.
