SYNOPSIS: In every grave across America, lies a story that is dying to be told. However, many stories went untold. “Secrets Of The Cemetery” uncovers the real story from those that have passed, that possibly should have been left untold...
Over 250 television & film credits including: Filmography: 12 Strong (2018), Hotel Transylvania I & II (2012 & 2015), The Lorax (2012), 21 Jump Street (2012), The Other Guys (2010), The Hangover (2009), Step Brothers (2008), Talladega Nights (2006) Television appearances: Modern Family (2013-2019), The Daily Show (2006-2014), Saturday Night Live (2004-2005)
Starring
Rob Riggle
In Secrets of the Cemetery, comedian-turned-investigator Rob Riggle journeys across America to visit forgotten, hidden, or legendary cemeteries. With a blend of irreverent wit and reverence for the past, Riggle uncovers the lost, wild, and often unbelievable stories of those buried in plain sight. From Civil War ghosts to unsung civil rights leaders, from small-town legends to notorious criminals, each episode dives into a world where truth and folklore often share the same headstone.
OVERVIEW
Genre: Docuseries / Historical Mystery
Format: 10 x 30 min episodes (unscripted)
Hosted by: Rob Riggle
Tone: Smart, humorous, respectful, and investigative
Style: Think Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations meets History’s Mysteries — but in graveyards.
Territory: USA/WORLDWIDE
• Boom in Ancestry & Genealogy: Sites like Ancestry.com and 23andMe have reignited public interest in family history and cemeteries.
• TikTok + YouTube Cemetery Content is exploding — Gen Z and Millennials are obsessed with obscure historical graves.
• Rob Riggle's wide appeal across comedy, military, and documentary spaces makes him a fresh host for meaningful storytelling.
• Cultural Reckoning: Viewers are more interested than ever in America’s overlooked, untold, or whitewashed stories—especially from Southern history.
Why Now?
Demographic Details
Age Range 35–64 years old
Gender 50% Male / 50% Female
Core Viewers History buffs, true crime fans, paranormal enthusiasts, genealogy hobbyists
Education College-educated; enjoy documentaries and investigative programming
Psychographics Curious minds, nostalgic thinkers, culturally aware, fans of U.S. history
Platforms Streaming (Hulu, Max, Netflix), Cable (History, Travel, Nat Geo, PBS)
Similar TV Shows to Secrets of the Cemetery :
America Unearthed (History/Travel Channel)
• Why it's similar: Focuses on forgotten or suppressed pieces of American history—frequently exploring controversial burial grounds and hidden grave sites.
History’s Mysteries (History Channel)
• Why it's similar: A classic docuseries that covers legends, forgotten individuals, and strange occurrences from the past. Cemeteries and gravesites often play a role in revealing lost truths.
Buried Worlds with Don Wildman (Travel Channel)
• Why it's similar: A journey through cemeteries, ruins, and sacred sites around the world to uncover dark legends and hidden histories. Wildman dives deep into folklore, secrets, and taboo.
Expedition X (Discovery Channel / Travel Channel)
Why it's similar: Combines science, mystery, and legend as a team explores paranormal and unexplained phenomena in remote locations—including cemeteries, haunted grounds, and mysterious deaths. Like Secrets of the Cemetery, it’s investigative, atmospheric, and blends folklore with fieldwork.
Mysteries at the Museum (Travel Channel)
• Why it's similar: Show investigates strange artifacts in museums to uncover untold stories. Like Secrets of the Cemetery, it’s a location-based, host-led format that combines history, legend, and mystery—only instead of relics, it's tombstones.
The Deep South – where cemeteries sit in parking lots, behind gas stations, and beneath church porches.
• Emphasis on race, religion, Civil War history, civil rights, folklore, and family secrets.
• Juxtaposition of humor and humanity in places trying to bury the past.
Season 1 Focus - Episode Ideas
2. "The Preacher, The Moonshiner, and the Mob"
In a Georgia cemetery behind an old Baptist church, Rob uncovers how a fiery preacher, a Prohibition-era bootlegger, and a Dixie mafia enforcer all share the same plot—and secrets that still shake the town.
3. "The Forgotten First Lady of Jazz"
A weather-worn headstone in a segregated Mississippi graveyard leads Rob to the extraordinary story of a Black jazz singer who was erased from history—until now.
1. "Cemetery in the Supermarket Parking Lot"
In Alabama, Rob investigates how a once-sacred Choctaw burial ground ended up beneath a strip mall and the eerie reports that shoppers still feel they’re not alone.
4. "The Sheriff Who Vanished"
A legendary sheriff from the 1950s disappeared without a trace… yet his tombstone appeared years later. Rob digs into Cold War politics, small-town fear, and a possible government cover-up.
5. "The Baby Who Changed Segregation"
A tiny unmarked grave in rural Louisiana holds the remains of a child whose death sparked a court case that helped dismantle Jim Crow laws. Rob follows the trail of a family who never gave up the fight.
6. "Voodoo Queen of the Pines"
In a swampy corner of southern Louisiana, Rob explores the legend of a voodoo priestess buried with her eyes open—rumored to still protect the forest from outsiders.
7. "The Town That Buried Its Own Name"
An abandoned cemetery in a ghost town leads Rob to a town that tried to erase its shameful Civil War past—and the one grave they couldn’t bury deep enough.
8. "The Twins Who Swapped Places in Death"
In Tennessee, Rob unravels a family story of identical twins, mistaken identities, and an inheritance dispute that carried on… well into the afterlife.
9. "The Executioner's Grave"
Buried in secret on church grounds, an infamous 1930s state executioner may have carried out justice—but at what cost to his soul? Rob questions justice, guilt, and forgotten forgiveness.
10. "Roses on the Grave Every Year"
For 76 years, someone has left roses on a Confederate soldier’s grave in South Carolina —no name, no note. Rob investigates an intergenerational mystery that’s part love story, part legend.