History Series / WeirdOrWhat

* DanBrowned: The show does this itself for some stories, have an expert put forth a theory, then another expert or Shatner will explain why that theory doesn't work for whatever reason, or only explains part of the mystery. This may be done several times over to emphasize how the common theories cannot explain the mystery in full.
** In one segment discussing the Saqqara Bird, David Childress claims that it is clearly intended to be an ancient airplane and not a model of a bird, and points out that the wings are bent up at a dihedral angle, which is necessary for airplanes to achieve lift. Later in the segment an expert on scale gliders tests a model recreation of the bird and it nosedives into the ground; he points out that among other problems, the wings are bent ''downward''.

* AffectionateParody: At times it appears to be going this route towards paranormal-mystery shows; in general it does not take itself too seriously. Shatner has fun engaging in LampshadeHanging about a story being silly or outlandish, and in some segments it's played as though he fumbles what he's supposed to say and they have to do several takes for him to get it right. His narration style is also heavily reminiscent of his time on ''Series/{{Rescue 911}}'', but taken much less seriously.

Typically, each episode showcases three stories. Sometimes there's a common theme connecting them, sometimes there isn't. Shatner opens each episode by briefly explaining the stories, then examines each of them in detail. Shatner narrates a recreation of each event, sometimes with interviews with the actual people that were affected. The show then examines possible explanations for the event discussed by experts and supporters of the different theories, occasionally with tests conducted by experts or the show itself to show if a theory is plausible or not. Ultimately though, because they are only theories and cannot be proven, the mystery is always left open, Shatner commenting that the tale is "weird, or what."

* StockUnsolvedMysteries: Surprisingly averted. While some of the stories covered are relatively still famous (the Winchester mansion, Robert the Doll, the Saqqara Bird, and more), the show averts many of the usual staples of the genre -- Atlantis, the Bermuda Triangle, Area 51 and Roswell, the Nazca Lines, Bigfoot and Yeti, the Pyramids and the Sphinx, and more, are not covered. However, an expert may occasionally mention them in relation to another mystery.

* StockUnsolvedMysteries: Surprisingly averted -- while some of the stories covered are relatively still famous (the Winchester mansion, Robert the Doll, the Saqqara Bird, and more), the show averts the usual staples of its genre like Atlantis, the Bermuda Triangle, Area 51, etc. This may be due to its seeming decision to focus more on mysteries that could reasonably be explained by experts or scientific testing, rather than just offering pure speculation.

* ButtMonkey: As part of AdamWesting, the segments with Shatner usually have him acting foolish or otherwise being embarrassed, such as finding his missing cellphone stuck in a tub of ice cream, pulling a blow-up doll from a trunk of goods and hiding it, and finding a box marked "Overdue Bills" in his yard.

* OurCryptidsAreMoreMysterious: The Jersey Devil, Lizard Folk, TheMothman, and LivingDinosaurs are examined, along with others like India's "monkey man". Surprisingly, the most famous stock cryptid, [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti Bigfoot]], is not covered, though a few stories have an expert put him forth as a possible explanation for another mystery.

* StockUnsolvedMysteries: Surprisingly averted -- while some of the stories covered are relatively still famous (the Winchester mansion, Robert the Doll, the Saqqara Bird, and more), the show averts the usual staples of its genre like Atlantis, the Bermuda Triangle, Area 51, etc. This may be due to its seeming decision to focus more on relatively modern and recent subjects rather than ancient mysteries.