Does anyone know exactly how many episodes of this were made before it was canceled? I was looking over the IMDB page when I noticed that there is some rather dubious information about the show, including titles of episodes and 14 seasons(!) which I know can't possibly be correct. Heck, I don't think there were even 14 episodes made.

I would really like to find more information out about this show, but I think I would fair better searching for Jimmy Hoffa. It seems like the show was forgotten long ago.

http://www.tv.com/final-appeal-from-the-files-of-unsolved-mysteries/show/25799/summary.html?tag=tabs;summary

How strange. The page says it last aired a week after the premiere. Yet I know that there are more than two episodes. There are at least five from what I have seen.

That's all I could really find about the show online at all. I've never seen any of them myself. :confused:

Was the Jeffrey MacDonald case featured on an episode of Final Appeal but later used on repeats of Unsolved Mysteries on Lifetime?

Was the Jeffrey MacDonald case featured on an episode of Final Appeal but later used on repeats of Unsolved Mysteries on Lifetime?

Yes I believe the Jeffrey MacDonald case was the topic of the very first "Final Appeal". I have an NBC episode where at the end RS talks about the premiere of the new show and talks about the MacDonald case.

Was the Jeffrey MacDonald case featured on an episode of Final Appeal but later used on repeats of Unsolved Mysteries on Lifetime?

They actually did on the same week Robert Stack died. At the end of that show, they briefly displayed the words " in memory of Robert Stack," or something to that effect.

Heck, I don't think there were even 14 episodes made.

Maybe more episodes were made than were aired? Probably an error on IMDB's part, though. Anyone can edit the info there. I'm thinking the show was probably on the air for a month or two at the absolute most.

I remember disliking the show because the entire program was dedicated to one case, and I lacked the proper attention span to really get into things. Though these days, I'd probably enjoy that. Heh.

Maybe more episodes were made than were aired? Probably an error on IMDB's part, though. Anyone can edit the info there. I'm thinking the show was probably on the air for a month or two at the absolute most.

I remember disliking the show because the entire program was dedicated to one case, and I lacked the proper attention span to really get into things. Though these days, I'd probably enjoy that. Heh.

I think you're right about it being on for a month or two. The reason I say this is because I have some old NBC episodes from season five and at the end of a few of them Stack would typically talk about that Friday's episode of "Final Appeal". However, he stopped mentioning it after awhile. There was also the occasional crossover, with FA updates being shown on UM after FA was officially canceled.

In the fall of 1992, I would have been far more interested in the paranormal/unexplained aspects of the show, so FA would not have been of much interest to me. These days, I could care less about the paranormal stuff. It's interesting how one's taste in UM can change so markedly over time.

I think you're right about it being on for a month or two. The reason I say this is because I have some old NBC episodes from season five and at the end of a few of them Stack would typically talk about that Friday's episode of "Final Appeal". However, he stopped mentioning it after awhile. There was also the occasional crossover, with FA updates being shown on UM after FA was officially canceled.

Final Appeal debuted on September 18, 1992; the final broadcast date was October 16, 1992. So the show definitely lasted a month. I got this information from the book The Complete Directory to Primetime Network and Cable TV Shows.

Final Appeal debuted on September 18, 1992; the final broadcast date was October 16, 1992. So the show definitely lasted a month. I got this information from the book The Complete Directory to Primetime Network and Cable TV Shows.

That's some awesome information. Thanks a lot, Kane! :)

Now maybe I could put together an episode list of sorts. Stack did mention the names of the appealants.

I know for a fact that some shows have unaired episodes: because I have some of these unaired episodes of other series. If there were some unaired final appeal segments, I would have hoped that they would have found their way on UM.

I really wished I had taped this series. I guess they had intended it to be a full season show, but NBC may have only ordered a limited amount of episodes initially.

I thought the program was a hour every week, but the book lists it as a half hour. Only the series premiere was one hour. "What Happened," hosted by Ken Howard, aired after it and premiered on September 25, 1992 with an investigation of the 1985 plane crash in which Rick Nelson died.

The last telecast date in the book is off by one week.

Here is a mini episode guide that I've compiled from TV Guides:

September 18, 1992 - 8-9PM ET/PT
Debut: Investigations into possible injustices involving cases of convicted felons. Included: the case of Jeffrey MacDonald, the Green Beret convicted of murdering his pregnant wife and two children.

September 25, 1992 - 8-8:30 PM ET/PT
An investigation into the case of a former deputy sheriff imprisoned for the murder of his lover. The body was never recovered, raising questions about the case.

October 2, 1992 - 8-8:30 PM ET/PT
The case of a man serving time for a security guard's murder even though a key witness partially recanted his testimony. Robert Stack hosts the program.

October 9, 1992 - 8-8:30 PM ET/PT
The case of a man convicted of murdering his wife despite the fact that he was shot in the back during the accident. Robert Stack is the host of the program. [Did not air on this date.]

October 16, 1992 - 8-8:30 PM ET/PT
The case of a man convicted of murdering his wife despite the fact that he was shot in the back during the incident. Robert Stack is the host of the program. [Postponed from an earlier date.]

October 23, 1992 - 8-8:30 PM ET/PT
An investigation into the attempted murder of a woman in which an "unusual looking" man was spotted near the crime scene but was never identified. Robert Stack is the host.

The last telecast date in the book is off by one week.

Here is a mini episode guide that I've compiled from TV Guides:

September 18, 1992 - 8-9PM ET/PT
Debut: Investigations into possible injustices involving cases of convicted felons. Included: the case of Jeffrey MacDonald, the Green Beret convicted of murdering his pregnant wife and two children.

September 25, 1992 - 8-8:30 PM ET/PT
An investigation into the case of a former deputy sheriff imprisoned for the murder of his lover. The body was never recovered, raising questions about the case.

October 2, 1992 - 8-8:30 PM ET/PT
The case of a man serving time for a security guard's murder even though a key witness partially recanted his testimony. Robert Stack hosts the program.

October 9, 1992 - 8-8:30 PM ET/PT
The case of a man convicted of murdering his wife despite the fact that he was shot in the back during the accident. Robert Stack is the host of the program. [Did not air on this date.]

October 16, 1992 - 8-8:30 PM ET/PT
The case of a man convicted of murdering his wife despite the fact that he was shot in the back during the incident. Robert Stack is the host of the program. [Postponed from an earlier date.]

October 23, 1992 - 8-8:30 PM ET/PT
An investigation into the attempted murder of a woman in which an "unusual looking" man was spotted near the crime scene but was never identified. Robert Stack is the host.

9/18/92 is Jeffrey Macdonald.
9/25/92 is Paul Ferrell.
10/2/92 - I'm guessing Tony Miller, although I don't know about the guard being murdered.
10/9-10/16/92 - no idea.
10/23/92 - I'm guessing this is John Purvis, but attempted murder?

I'll try to sit down this weekend and watch the "Final Appeal" promos I have to see if we can come up with some names or more information.

With regard to the 10/2/92 episode, Stack says: "we examine the case of a young man who insists he was framed for murder by the man who actually commited the crime."

Regarding the 10/9/92 episode he says: ""we profile a convicted armed robber who claims he was the victim of a case of mistaken identity. The prosecution maintains there was no mistake at all."

I watched UM episode endings for the following two weeks, and Stack does not mention Final Appeal again.

In the season five premiere of UM, Stack mentions the MacDonald case specifically and some scenes from the upcoming episode are even shown.

In the 9/25/92 episode, he mentions the Paul Ferrell case will be profiled that Friday.

That's all I got. I sure would like to see this series. A hundred bucks or a SUBSTANTIAL trade goes to anyone who can send me copies of NBC sourced Final Appeal episodes.

I'm really surprised this show flopped. I don't think it had anything to do with the show quality, I'm guessing it was more the time slot. Friday night is the worst night for ratings for tv. Oddly enough, UM ratings tanked a few years after Final Appeal's run when it was shipped off to Friday nights.

I'm really surprised this show flopped. I don't think it had anything to do with the show quality, I'm guessing it was more the time slot. Friday night is the worst night for ratings for tv. Oddly enough, UM ratings tanked a few years after Final Appeal's run when it was shipped off to Friday nights.

Interestingly enough, UM's producers had another show called "Against All Odds" that premiered around that time too, and it didn't last long either. I guess America didn't grasp the reality show concept too much back then. Now it seems that television can't get away from it.:rolleyes:

^ Getting a bit OT I was listening to the radio the other day and they were discussing all of the contest shows like "American Idol" or "Dancing With The Stars" and while the radio jockey noted that a lot of Americans hate these shows what keeps them on the air is they are so darn "family friendly". You can literally sit around the television with your kids and watch the show together and know there won't be any "questionable content". Also the radio jockey noted that the kids dig it and talk about it at school the next day and these shows have basically become "conversation around the water cooler" for the youth of America.

Maybe its a trend that in ten-fifteen years time will be a "fond memory". But then again it doesn't help that sitcoms in general seem to be treading water. I mean I personally thought "Everybody Loves Raymond" was a funny show in moderation but now there are like fifty shows just like it about a guy who can't get along with his wife or his family.

Just bumping this because I have new information that the Thomas Drake story did not air on Final Appeal. It was scheduled to air on October 23, 1992, but was pre-empted by a news story. The show was canceled and off the air before it could be shown. That makes Drake's story a rare one indeed, and the Spike airing was possibly the first time it was shown. Other "Final Appeal" stories that were created for the series were aired on Unsolved Mysteries during the fifth season. Drake's was withheld for some unknown reason.

Very interesting.

I think more people are staying home on friday nights nowadays..... no money to go out to the clubs or restaurants... and friday night would finally be a halfway decent time slot.

I know that just this friday night, I was complaining to my husband because there was nothing to watch on TV. I told him, "I swear, I think the cable companies have a deal with Blockbuster or something, to not show anything decent on Friday night so people will get bored and run to the movie rental store for a DVD".

I was so aggravated, because my satellite TV bill is about $65 a month, and there's still nothing to watch on a friday night. I guess I'm gonna have to get a netflix account or something.

Very interesting.

I think more people are staying home on friday nights nowadays..... no money to go out to the clubs or restaurants... and friday night would finally be a halfway decent time slot.

I know that just this friday night, I was complaining to my husband because there was nothing to watch on TV. I told him, "I swear, I think the cable companies have a deal with Blockbuster or something, to not show anything decent on Friday night so people will get bored and run to the movie rental store for a DVD".

I was so aggravated, because my satellite TV bill is about $65 a month, and there's still nothing to watch on a friday night. I guess I'm gonna have to get a netflix account or something.

We probably get a couple hundred channels with our cable package and I couldn't tell you what three quarters of them are. It seems like all the programming we watch is still on CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX. We try to stay busy Fridays and usually have dinner with another couple, so I couldn't tell you about Friday evening viewing. I guess when Final Appeal was on back in '92 Friday nights were the timeslot of death.

Final Appeal debuted on September 18, 1992; the final broadcast date was October 16, 1992. So the show definitely lasted a month. I got this information from the book The Complete Directory to Primetime Network and Cable TV Shows.

I love that book! I have in my book collection. Came in handy more than once.

Just bumping this because I have new information that the Thomas Drake story did not air on Final Appeal. It was scheduled to air on October 23, 1992, but was pre-empted by a news story. The show was canceled and off the air before it could be shown. That makes Drake's story a rare one indeed, and the Spike airing was possibly the first time it was shown. Other "Final Appeal" stories that were created for the series were aired on Unsolved Mysteries during the fifth season. Drake's was withheld for some unknown reason.
Ooh, what was the Thomas Drake case about, Justin?

Here's a September 10, 1992, satellite interview with Robert Stack where he talks about Final Appeal and Unsolved Mysteries in general.

SaBA-GAAxcY

Here's a September 10, 1992, satellite interview with Robert Stack where he talks about Final Appeal and Unsolved Mysteries in general.

SaBA-GAAxcY

really enjoyed this. thanks for posting!

really enjoyed this. thanks for posting!

Here is a set of television commercials (which are labeled 1991) with an advertisement for Final Appeal:

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October 9, 1992 - 8-8:30 PM ET/PT
The case of a man convicted of murdering his wife despite the fact that he was shot in the back during the accident. Robert Stack is the host of the program. [Did not air on this date.]



I know you posted this eons ago, but I'm pretty sure that's this case here:
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Dan_Montecalvo

I, too, would really liked to see these final appeal episodes (Stack version)! Lifetime aired the Jeffrey MacDonald one many, many times in the early 2000s and I believe I was able to catch a couple of others online for a brief time they were uploaded, but I've never seen the Nancy Drake one.