It seems in the late 80s-early/mid 90s, UM was pretty popular, and in turn it helped solve a lot of cases. For whatever reason, it fell off around the mid-late 90s and it's never been quite as popular since.

While there are many other crime shows (CSI, Law and Order, etc) I don't believe very many of them are about real cases like UM was/is. Besides being an entertaining show, I believe (and maybe I'm not the only one here) that UM (in it's murder and missing person's cases) performed a public service.

I wonder how UM could be brought back to the same level of popularity it had in the 80s-90s, or even greater--I believe UM is important. I also would love if UM went over every Unsolved Murder and Strange Disappearance case--All of the ones on the DOE and Charley networks. Screw the UFOs and Supernatural stuff--that should be the forte of other shows.

It seems in the late 80s-early/mid 90s, UM was pretty popular, and in turn it helped solve a lot of cases. For whatever reason, it fell off around the mid-late 90s and it's never been quite as popular since.

While there are many other crime shows (CSI, Law and Order, etc) I don't believe very many of them are about real cases like UM was/is. Besides being an entertaining show, I believe (and maybe I'm not the only one here) that UM (in it's murder and missing person's cases) performed a public service.

I wonder how UM could be brought back to the same level of popularity it had in the 80s-90s, or even greater--I believe UM is important. I also would love if UM went over every Unsolved Murder and Strange Disappearance case--All of the ones on the DOE and Charley networks. Screw the UFOs and Supernatural stuff--that should be the forte of other shows.

I guess they would have to be set in a prime time slot on a major network, actually get a host that could pronounce names and places correctly, and actually film segments on newer unsolved cases, and I think you've got a formula for a new, relevant UM.

What made the show great was it's atmosphere. I know Stack is dead, but for the old segments they should still use the original broadcasting with him. The new ones include Farina, or my personal pick Christopher Walken.

But the show has to get away from that stupid attention deficit theme where everything has to be jazzed up by graphics and such. It doesn't bring anything to the table at all. Keep the old music and the scary atmosphere and you have the ingredients of a great show again.

In my area the show is only on at 3am everyday. No one sees that. Yes I too believe the show was a public service but unless it goes back to the old ways it is less watchable therefore less people watch it and less cases are solved.

I also think the Internet, reality shows and stuff like this make it less relevant. There are so many options today that weren't there in say 1991. You'd watch Unsolved Mysteries back then because you couldn't just hop on the internet for hours a day either

As much as I enjoy UM (I watch it almost every day and have for years) there are far too many crime shows out there now for it to be successful. They would also have to raise the bar on a number of cases that they would portray in order to keep pace w/ the programs that are now on the air.

When UM was on the air initially, there were no cell phones, no GPS (at least available to the public) and no DNA testing. Most of the police departments in the US had an uneven mix of trained officers and untrained ones and this fact affected the quality of the police work that they did.And finally, people were a lot less skeptical than they are now. Those things made it more understandable why the mysteries were..."mysteries."

For UM to "work" w/ a modern audience, the mysteries would have to be more "mysterious" than most were, the segments would have to be longer and the production values would have to be higher than original program's were. Given that the cost of production that encompasses all of that may exceed what the producers would be able to sell the program to a network for, it's not likely that UM will be producing new segments any time soon, IMHO.

How about coming up with new cases?? Every new episode I have seen is simply Denis Farina talking over Robert Stack. WTF? And alot of these cases where updated and solved back then so why re-broadcast with new host??

How about coming up with new cases?? Every new episode I have seen is simply Denis Farina talking over Robert Stack. WTF? And alot of these cases where updated and solved back then so why re-broadcast with new host??

There are a finite number of "truly mysterious" stories (that are also entertaining) and there's fierce competition for them. 48 Hours and Dateline: NBC have the largest budgets, so they get all of the "best" stories. A brand new UM would have to compete in that arena.

The podcast I am working on may help. Also, as previously mentioned, air NEW mysteries on the Farina show. I don't agree that budgets are a valid reason not to do new segments. If that were the case, why air the Farina version at all? Just re-air the Stack episodes as Lifetime was doing. That way you don't even pay Farina or the production crew. Not to mentions, you don't piss off loyal UM Robert Stack fans such as the people on this forum. Anyway, Networks love doing shows like AMW, UM, etc. because the costs are very low to begin with. It's just interviews and re-creations. Very cheap from a studio perspective. If America's Most wanted is still on the air and airing new wanted cases, I see no reason why Unsolved Mysteries cannot find new mysteries to do segments on. It's not like the number of mysterious cases that take place on a daily basis somehow ceased to exist once Robert Stack died.

After the popularity of UM started going downhill, shows like FBI Files, Forensic Files and so on started taking over. Their forté wasn't that the crimes were unsolved, but instead such shows concentrated on crimes that had actually been solved and how they solved them.

Fast forward a few years and we have the popularity of such shows as CSI, Law and Order, Criminal Minds, NCIS and so on taking off. Filmed obviously with much higher budgets, but again, shot in such a way so that in the end the crimes were nearly always solved.

Aside from this, such shows became more fast-paced, compared to the age old format of the relatively slow (original) UM. There have been plenty of discussions on here about the new UM with Farina, which they have tried to make fast-paced, but I think the jury is out on that one. As mentioned though, a lot of the cases previewed have been solved - I wonder why?


To throw a very simple thought on this though, could it just be that people no longer want to see and hear about such morbid crimes anymore, especially those that haven't been solved?

Generally ppl will get enough of this simply by tuning into their daily news everyday and obviously no matter where it happens, because of cable and satellite tv such events are now more widely reported (back then they would have been more localised).

Plain and simple-I'm just not sure if the general public want to hear about horrific unsolved crimes anymore. They should do, but they don't cos they're too busy worrying about their own issues now so if any TV is to be watched, it should be entertaining or informative.

In the end, ratings are what make the big bucks on TV, so as long as its primarily entertainment, ppl will eat it up.

To throw a very simple thought on this though, could it just be that people no longer want to see and hear about such morbid crimes anymore, especially those that haven't been solved?

If so, then I would feel compelled to ask them hypothetically if they would turn to such shows for help if it were their last best hope in solving a morbid crime that was committed against someone they love. It may not be a polite question, but I think it's a perfectly legitimate one.

In the end, ratings are what make the big bucks on TV, so as long as its primarily entertainment, ppl will eat it up.

True. Although I believe UM made a good amount of money, it was apparently never good enough for the primetime bigwigs. I guess UM had to make at least as much money as, say, Friends or CSI in order to please the networks. :rolleyes: (No offense to any fans of those shows.)

In any case, when a network tries to shove certain programs down your throat, there's nothing you can do about it, except to either change the channel or turn the TV off.

The podcast I am working on may help. Also, as previously mentioned, air NEW mysteries on the Farina show. I don't agree that budgets are a valid reason not to do new segments. If that were the case, why air the Farina version at all? Just re-air the Stack episodes as Lifetime was doing. That way you don't even pay Farina or the production crew. Not to mentions, you don't piss off loyal UM Robert Stack fans such as the people on this forum. Anyway, Networks love doing shows like AMW, UM, etc. because the costs are very low to begin with. It's just interviews and re-creations. Very cheap from a studio perspective. If America's Most wanted is still on the air and airing new wanted cases, I see no reason why Unsolved Mysteries cannot find new mysteries to do segments on. It's not like the number of mysterious cases that take place on a daily basis somehow ceased to exist once Robert Stack died.

Budgets are always a concern. While it doesn't cost much to create a new program like the old UM, it's even cheaper to simply re-run old episodes. Which choice are most businesses going to make?

Again, Dateline:NBC and 48 Hours are currently the twin dynamos in the "true crime" game. All of the big,"exciting" stories go to them first and then the other current programs get what's left over. Since both CBS, NBC and Fox already have UM-style programs on them, that leaves The CW and ABC or syndicated television.

Two of those don't seem to have much interest (the closest would be Primetime Live on ABC) in a UM-style. Why do I think that? In the past 9 years since UM was canceled, neither of the networks have premiered any shows similar. And the market for first-run syndication is pretty flat these days.

It would take a lot of money and time to create a new UM. It doesn't appear that there's much interest from production companies to invest money in one.

Originally Posted by unidentified
To throw a very simple thought on this though, could it just be that people no longer want to see and hear about such morbid crimes anymore, especially those that haven't been solved?

If so, then I would feel compelled to ask them hypothetically if they would turn to such shows for help if it were their last best hope in solving a morbid crime that was committed against someone they love. It may not be a polite question, but I think it's a perfectly legitimate one.

I agree, but the problem now is that many people are so busy building their own little castle/empire, whatever you like to call it, that they have no time to even think about helping the next person out now.

If a serious crime worthy on UM came to their doorstep, then yes maybe they'd give it consideration, but otherwise I don't think they want to know.

To throw a very simple thought on this though, could it just be that people no longer want to see and hear about such morbid crimes anymore, especially those that haven't been solved?

Generally ppl will get enough of this simply by tuning into their daily news everyday and obviously no matter where it happens, because of cable and satellite tv such events are now more widely reported (back then they would have been more localised).

That's true, but the media can't cover anything. Whenever I go onto Websleuths or the Charley Project, I'm amazed at all the very interesting cases out there that have gotten very little media coverage, but would have been a very perfect fit for UM. Every day, you'll find people posting on Websleuths expressing their frustration at the media or LE for not doing much to help them solve the disappearance or murder of a missing loved one. It really helps to have another outlet like UM that could potentially help solve the less publicized cases, as some of them may have remained unsolved forever if it wasn't for their exposure on the show.

That said, I would be really interested to know if the Spike version of UM has ever gotten that many new E-mails or tips about the old unsolved cases they show. If no one ever contacts them, then your theory about people being sick of unsolved crimes may be correct.

That said, I would be really interested to know if the Spike version of UM has ever gotten that many new E-mails or tips about the old unsolved cases they show. If no one ever contacts them, then your theory about people being sick of unsolved crimes may be correct.

I wouldn't say that absolutely everyone isn't interested in solving certain crimes, but if we ever have shows or news reports which refer to "cold cases" I think many just take the attitude that it's made for "entertainment" like every other tv show now.

^^^^

What's the source of your information on that statement? There are plenty of people who call, write and email into tip lines every day. Most of those tips are useless, but there a few "gems" among them.

Two of those don't seem to have much interest (the closest would be Primetime Live on ABC) in a UM-style. Why do I think that? In the past 9 years since UM was canceled, neither of the networks have premiered any shows similar. And the market for first-run syndication is pretty flat these days.

It would take a lot of money and time to create a new UM. It doesn't appear that there's much interest from production companies to invest money in one.

I see what you are saying. Perhaps they should add a singing or dancing element to the show since that seems to be what the studios are looking for. LOL! JUST KIDDING OF COURSE.

Anyway, that still doesn't get to my point which is, why spend ANY MONEY AT ALL on the Farina show when all it is is a cut and copy of the Stack show? Again, if they don't want to spend money at all, then why spend money at all. Just re-air the stack episodes and leave it at that. Just seems kind of "half assed" to me.

One hypothesis can be that they put out the Farina show as is as sort of a "feeler" to measure public interest. If the show gets enough attention, maybe then they will begin doing fresh segments.

Since both CBS, NBC and Fox already have UM-style programs on them, that leaves The CW and ABC or syndicated television.

In any case, if a network were going to add more UM-style TV shows to its lineup, they would most likely have to be brand new programs, not rejected goods. That might explain why Fox, the home of America's Most Wanted, aired a similar (albeit short-lived) TV show called Million Dollar Mysteries in 2001.

^^^^^^
Since we'll never know what private negotiations took place between the Stack estate and the producers of UM, there's no way to tell if the producer's didn't want to pay what the estate want for the use of Mr. Stack's image.

Whether or not some fans of the program like Mr. Farina and the current incarnation of UM, it's obviously popular and it's making its producers money, which is why the show exists in the first place. That's what television is about.

A new show would have to have a new format and would have to be able to pull in good rating numbers to last more than a season or two. Failing that, a new UM would simply disappear or be added to the current format if/when the new show was canceled.

A new show would have to have a new format and would have to be able to pull in good rating numbers to last more than a season or two. Failing that, a new UM would simply disappear or be added to the current format if/when the new show was canceled.

In other words, nowadays, primetime networks are often quick on the trigger to cancel a TV program as soon as they are not sufficiently satisfied with the show's performance in the ratings - even if the ratings are actually respectable enough to warrant another season. Sad but true.

Of course, it wasn't always like that. Popular TV shows such as Seinfeld, Cheers, and The X-Files all had low viewership during their first year on the air, but luckily the networks gave them more time to find an audience, which they all did. Had they not done that, those shows would have expired prematurely.

To begin, I believe that UM can definately become a popculture hit again, but it's got to have the relevance of more than just Dennis Farina and hightech updates of longsinceaired segments. For me, this involves a relevant and mainstream "moviestar level" star, such as say Samuel L. Jackson or Val Kilmer, you know, actors who aren't leading men anymore, but still pretty bigtime names with a great voice. I also think a lynchpin to the original was it's eerie-ness which attracted many viewers, but is lost w/Farina or say John Walsh.

I think there are a few aspects of the show which really need to be updated for the times and it's gotta go a little further than the googlemaps offered on SPIKE. For me, I'd like to see the actual broadcast from the TV host done live or at least on a weekly basis w/ timely updates akin to AMW with John Walsh, so that cases can maintain a sense of being current and meaningful.

You gotta believe that in a day of twitter, facebook and all the multimedia bombardment that viewers are privy to, UM can really bring forward a newer and more uptodate through all streams of media

To begin, I believe that UM can definately become a popculture hit again, but it's got to have the relevance of more than just Dennis Farina and hightech updates of longsinceaired segments. For me, this involves a relevant and mainstream "moviestar level" star, such as say Samuel L. Jackson or Val Kilmer, you know, actors who aren't leading men anymore, but still pretty bigtime names with a great voice. I also think a lynchpin to the original was it's eerie-ness which attracted many viewers, but is lost w/Farina or say John Walsh.

I think there are a few aspects of the show which really need to be updated for the times and it's gotta go a little further than the googlemaps offered on SPIKE. For me, I'd like to see the actual broadcast from the TV host done live or at least on a weekly basis w/ timely updates akin to AMW with John Walsh, so that cases can maintain a sense of being current and meaningful.

You gotta believe that in a day of twitter, facebook and all the multimedia bombardment that viewers are privy to, UM can really bring forward a newer and more uptodate through all streams of media

You bring up some good points. I also believe a UM could be a pop culture hit today. There are many people that still remember what used to be before as truthbtold described as copy and cut of the Stack years.

I like Dennis Farina but he just doesn't fit with the show at all. I could Samuel L. Jackson or Val Kilmer being hosts of UM. I think Mike McGlone from the Geico commercials would even be better than Farina.

At the end you bring good current trends such as social networking sites that could aid a new UM to track down people easier.

IMO, UM should maintain most of its original charm. I would, however, try to amp up the creepiness/atmosphere factor. As creepy as the original UM was, I think it could be even more creepy. I know plenty of people who felt unnerved after watching UM. Atmosphere; this is key to UM's success. 48 Hours and Dateline seem boring and robotic by comparison.

UM should also be slower paced and detailed orientated as it was when it first started. Think about the old school cases like Don Kemp and Kurt McFall. Some might say that modern audience want fast pace action and stuff but I beg to differ. These qualities could make UM stand out in this day and age.

You gotta believe that in a day of twitter, facebook and all the multimedia bombardment that viewers are privy to, UM can really bring forward a newer and more uptodate through all streams of media

Not to mention the fact that the technology and "connectivity" that we have today would surely help actually SOLVE more mysteries.

Love the Dwight K. Schrute sketch for your avatar by the way...

I think there should be a mix of old aired Misssing Persons and (still) Unsolved Murders from years ago; Fresh "old" murders (as in, old unsolved cases that UM never touched on), and new crimes. Right now there's a serial killer believed to be in New York City, targeting young women particularly prostitutes--4 bodies were discovered in a row buried if I recall correctly--This would be a perfect UM segment.

I'd want them to re-air old cases like Angela Hammond, Tara Calico--And maybe add in something like "Dig out your old photo albums; If you see a truck resembling [the truck that abducted Hammond] please call in".

Besides calling in, UM could use Facebook and/or the internet in general to send in tips.

Basically, take all the still unsolved cases, and re-air them; Make a bunch of new segments about older cases and new, fresh cases that are unsolved; Make it very Internet age friendly; Make it even creepier than the original.

UM should also be slower paced and detailed orientated as it was when it first started. Think about the old school cases like Don Kemp and Kurt McFall. Some might say that modern audience want fast pace action and stuff but I beg to differ. These qualities could make UM stand out in this day and age


Personally I prefer the slower paced aspect of the old UM, but I think its a generational thing.

If theres to be a new UM, it would probably need to be aimed at the older generation if it's to be slower-paced - the young uns can't handle slow moving tv.

Also, everyone comments on the new show because of Farina hosting, but what does anyone here think of the pace of the show? Personally I don't like it, they try to keep it fast moving but I think they should slow it down.

IMO, UM should maintain most of its original charm. I would, however, try to amp up the creepiness/atmosphere factor. As creepy as the original UM was, I think it could be even more creepy. I know plenty of people who felt unnerved after watching UM. Atmosphere; this is key to UM's success. 48 Hours and Dateline seem boring and robotic by comparison.

UM should also be slower paced and detailed orientated as it was when it first started. Think about the old school cases like Don Kemp and Kurt McFall. Some might say that modern audience want fast pace action and stuff but I beg to differ. These qualities could make UM stand out in this day and age.

The atmosphere was definitely a key factor in the success of UM. Although I don't mind a little tweeking every now and then, there are things that should never be sacrificed for any reason. If you sacrifice any essential elements of a TV show or any other product for that matter, you run the risk of losing your credibility.

When UM was revamped into a fast-paced show, I began to have the feeling that the show was trying to emulate other programs in order to stay "current" or "relevant." To me, this is no different than a music group drastically changing its sound just to avoid being considered out of touch with current musical trends.

The important lesson is this: What works for other TV shows won't necessarily work for UM (or vice versa).

The important lesson is this: What works for other TV shows won't necessarily work for UM (or vice versa).

Good call. Now how do we get that across to the producers?

Good call. Now how do we get that across to the producers?

Maybe we could cite the ill-fated New Coke as an example. :idea:

In 1985, Coca Cola reinvented its drink as New Coke, which had a new taste. Needless to say, they were trying to emulate their rival Pepsi in the hope of outperforming Pepsi in sales. But it didn't work out and it wasn't long before Coca Cola brought back the classic Coke.

If it sounds like I'm comparing the "new" UM to New Coke, that's because I am. By revamping itself the way it did, the current UM has become the New Coke of true crime shows. One may feel that the revamped UM looks more like America's Most Wanted, which is understandable. Therefore, one has to wonder if UM is really trying to emulate AMW in order to become relevant again.

There's a lesson to be learned here: In the professional world, regardless of the business, competition is unavoidable. There are right ways and wrong ways to deal with competition. Too often, emulation falls into the second category.

IMO, UM should maintain most of its original charm. I would, however, try to amp up the creepiness/atmosphere factor. As creepy as the original UM was, I think it could be even more creepy. I know plenty of people who felt unnerved after watching UM. Atmosphere; this is key to UM's success. 48 Hours and Dateline seem boring and robotic by comparison.

UM should also be slower paced and detailed orientated as it was when it first started. Think about the old school cases like Don Kemp and Kurt McFall. Some might say that modern audience want fast pace action and stuff but I beg to differ. These qualities could make UM stand out in this day and age.

I agree with you. I live in Canada and don't get lifetime but we get Spike so I PVR the occasional episode that appears on Spike. One problem with the show is that a 15 minute segment doesn't seem like enough time to profile a case. In fact, I found this board because I was curious about some of the cases that were profiled.
I would be happy if they brought back UM with longer segments, keep the atmosphere of the earlier shows, and no phony call centers.

BTW, my name is Karen.:wave: I've been a UM as long as I can remember - I remember watching UM when I was 8-9 years old. I couldn't wait for Wednesdays, 8:00pm. I'm glad I found this site! I've spent the last week reading all the comments on the cases.

PS - what is the forbidden site? Can someone PM me?

PS - what is the forbidden site? Can someone PM me?

The big video site that Google now owns with the initials of YT. It is illegal on this forum to post direct links to the segments posted on this forbidden site, even though there are many such segments.

ahhhhhhh thanks! :)

I reckon that Stephen McHattie would make a great host.

Bill Kurtis(Cold Case Files/American Justice) or Peter Thomas(Forensic Files) would fit perfectly. IMO