Jason Colavito, an American author who studies
fringe theories, characterized the myths about the ranch as "entirely a modern creation, fabricated in the late twentieth century". He described the
Secret of Skinwalker Ranch series as "a slow-paced effort to reproduce
Curse of Oak Island", a show that had been running since 2014 on the same network. Science writer Russell Moul criticized the show as presenting no actual evidence to support claims about the ranch. According to Moul, "The show is presented as attempting to bring a scientific approach to prove the existence of all the things that have apparently occurred at the ranch. And while it may be very entertaining to watch and has caused much excitement on social media, the team have yet to provide anything to back up their supposed experiences."
Common Sense Media reviewer Stephanie Morgan criticized the show as unsuitable for children, saying that "the intention of the series is to create fear, sometimes by obviously staged scenes of people in peril. Pseudoscientific methods are presented as credible proof of paranormal activity. People carry guns and tell stories of encountering evil, other worldly beings". Morgan also criticized the experts presented by the show as "white men, many of whom take it upon themselves to 'explain' the history and beliefs of the Navajo and Ute Tribes in relation to the ranch". == Release ==