Does anyone else watch VH1? They are currently doing "I love the 80's," Part 3 (3-D).

When they get to 1988, they mention Unsolved Mysteries. It's funny listening to the celebs and comedians talk about how the theme song and Stack's voice would freak them out. Sounds like many of us posters. :lol: They mention how the reenactments weren't always top notch obviously but the show still scared them. Lance Bass from NSYNC concludes by saying that the show made the hair on his arms stand up.

Sorry, my bad. I see it's already mentioned in another thread.

COOL!!! I so have to see that!!!

HA! - I find it funny that the criticized the actors on "UM" being that half of those actors on "I Love The 80s/90s/70s" or whatever - that is basically their permanent gig. They are "C-List" actors for the most part or washed up has beens who I've always felt suffer from delusions of grandeur.

Of course the actors on "UM" didn't have great talent - for the most part UM culled it's talent from local small bit actors who with very few exceptions after "UM" were never to be seen again.

HA! - I find it funny that the criticized the actors on "UM" being that half of those actors on "I Love The 80s/90s/70s" or whatever - that is basically their permanent gig. They are "C-List" actors for the most part or washed up has beens who I've always felt suffer from delusions of grandeur.

I felt the same way, though it was nice to see a shout-out for UM.:D

I only got to watch a tad bit of 1988 today and I didn't get to see UM. :(

I just saw in the late 80s that UM was one of the top 20 shows. I had no clue. It will never go back to being as good as it was back then. I love those shows.

I just saw in the late 80s that UM was one of the top 20 shows. I had no clue. It will never go back to being as good as it was back then. I love those shows.


Here's how Unsolved Mysteries ranked through the years, according to the great book, The Complete Directory To Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows.


Season/Rank

'88-'89/17

'89-'90/11

'90-'91/16

'91-'92/13

'92-'93/21

I only got to watch a tad bit of 1988 today and I didn't get to see UM. :(

The part where they discuss UM occurs twenty minutes into the show. But please don't despair if you missed it. It will be shown again. You just have to go to the VH1 web site for dates and times.

Of all the I Love the '80s/90s shows they have done, it was about time they discussed UM on the program. UM is one of the best shows of all time.

Of all the I Love the '80s/90s shows they have done, it was about time they discussed UM on the program. UM is one of the best shows of all time.


:yeahthat

HA! - I find it funny that the criticized the actors on "UM" being that half of those actors on "I Love The 80s/90s/70s" or whatever - that is basically their permanent gig. They are "C-List" actors for the most part or washed up has beens who I've always felt suffer from delusions of grandeur.

Of course the actors on "UM" didn't have great talent - for the most part UM culled it's talent from local small bit actors who with very few exceptions after "UM" were never to be seen again.

While I realize UM did employ some small time actors, I always thought that they tried to use the actual "family members and police officials" to recreate the events - this being the reason for most of the "bad acting".

With ratings in the top 20 (except for the last season when it was 21) you would think they would have definitely renewed the show and kept it going and going like America's Most Wanted.

And AMW's ratings are pretty horrible. They are around 60 or 70 yet they have been around for 20 years!!!

UM should be around that long too since UM is actually better suited for TV than AMW is anyway.

With ratings in the top 20 (except for the last season when it was 21) you would think they would have definitely renewed the show and kept it going and going like America's Most Wanted.

And AMW's ratings are pretty horrible. They are around 60 or 70 yet they have been around for 20 years!!!

UM should be around that long too since UM is actually better suited for TV than AMW is anyway.

In any case, AMW is still a consisently watched Saturday night show. Even if the show's overall Nielsen ratings are "horrible", it still does very well in the 18-49 demographics.

Plus, there used to be a time when networks were more focused on overall viewership than on specific age groups or other demographics. But that has changed. (I mean, how else do you explain that The Brady Bunch and the original Star Trek each lasted as long as they did without the benefit of high Nielsen ratings?)

I agree with you that UM should be around for as long as AMW. Unfortunately, however, that possibility has been severely hindered by several things:

1) The number one factor was the death of Robert Stack. When he died in 2003, Lifetime chose to terminate production of the series, instead of continuing it with a new host, as Stack is considered irreplaceable.

2) The second factor involves TV politics. A lot of today's media and TV executives tend to desire programs that suit their agenda, even if the agenda is petty or disagreeable. Evidently, they want shows that they feel will help promote their views (be it personal or political), and I can see that some of their views are so backward that they are painfully incompatible with the format of a show like UM. Sad but true.

3) A third factor would be ownership. Networks generally prefer to own shows, as network-owned shows tend to be generally more profitable and affordable. (AMW is a network-owned series; UM wasn't.)

From what I have just mentioned, it is obvious that an UM revival is currently not in the cards. That is, unless some network exec comes to a sensible understanding of the essence of UM, and unless some exceptional host candidate enters the picture. And we're still very far away from both. :(

I've always enjoyed the "bad acting". I think it lends an aura of creepiness to the re-enactments. That and the grainy, muted colors of the scenes make the late 80s segments so scary.

Also, as a UM devotee, I thought I had seen every segment, but for the life of me I cannot recall the details of the segment snippet shown at the very end of "I Love the 80s".

A older woman (Mary? or something) is in her bathroom and sees, in the mirror, a man walk behind her. Does anyone have any details? If it is a ghost/haunting thing - ho hum - not too scary, but if he was real...

A older woman (Mary? or something) is in her bathroom and sees, in the mirror, a man walk behind her. Does anyone have any details? If it is a ghost/haunting thing - ho hum - not too scary, but if he was real...

It was from a ghost story originally featured on 10/26/88.

(I mean, how else do you explain that The Brady Bunch and the original Star Trek each lasted as long as they did without the benefit of high Nielsen ratings?)

Star Trek's ratings would have been markedly higher if they hadn't been forced to alter some of the best scenes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-nlbchOkmg

Star Trek's ratings would have been markedly higher if they hadn't been forced to alter some of the best scenes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-nlbchOkmg

You're losing focus AGAIN Awsi. This is a UM board.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-nlbchOkmg

You better get rid of that link quick smart..

Well technically the rule is you can't post links to UM segments so he thinks he's safe but since this is a UM board no one should have any reason to post links to any other things on there as well since they would have nothing to do with UM.

I loved the '80's as well, but I hated these type of programs on VH1. Nothing to with music at all, plus as someone else already alluded to it's nothing but a bunch of D-List, Hollywood Sqaures rejects telling us stuff we already know, and complaining about it. They knock the fads of the time, but every generation is going to have fads that will get knocked in later generations. Elvis was considered controversial in the 50's. Nowadays, Elvis seems corny to kids that listen to, for example, Eminem.

Does anyone know what these so called celebrities said about Unsolved. I hadn't seen this particular one.

You're losing focus AGAIN Awsi. This is a UM board.

LOL. Are slurpees a staple of UM? Meanwhile, when I was gone for three weeks and sampled the threads I missed, I was amazed at the excursions on this board. Including several posts in one thread regarding Bill Clinton and so-called hypocrisy. Notice I didn't comment on them and left the subject alone. The JFK assassination was never covered by UM yet a lengthy thread is here including wild conspiracy theories that don't threaten reality. Many other examples. And it's only normal on a message board. They are more boring without asides. This wasn't a tense thread with heated opinions that I interrupted.

Newsflash: we're not solving anything here. Nor discovering much. We're primarily bouncing ideas and info, nothing more. SiberianKiss and I resurrected that storm drain robbers discussion a few days ago with more info on the case than has ever been presented here or elsewhere on the internet. So spare me the selective focus and unnecessary capitalization.

Newsflash: we're not solving anything here.

Gee thanks for the newsflash, I certainly wasn't aware of that. No doubt all of us have posted about things that aren't UM related on here or have anything to do with unsolved crime and its no problem as long as its just an occasional thing. I would venture to guess though that a healthy percentage of your posts on this board have absolutely nothing to do with UM or any other type of true crime which is why the capitalization and friendly reminder was necessary.