I'm sure there's been a lot of talk on here about preferences for cases to be shown. But, based on your years of watching UM, what would you say would be your ideal total UM episode (in terms of types of cases shown)?

I actually preferred an episode to start out with some kind of paranormal case (UFOs, ghosts, bigfoot, etc., but I could do without the legends and other dumb segments like aprodisiacs, fertility statues, UFO healing). Starting off with a case like this set the tone.

Then I liked to see some sort of missing persons case, followed by a "wanted" segment.

In the end, after being thoroughly creeped out, I actually preferred some sort of "lost loves" segment. I understand that many here might consider "lost loves" to be lame. But for me it served a valuable purpose. It ended the show on a more lighthearted, even positive note (assuming it was solved and updated, as they often were), allowing me to be able to sleep. Furthermore, "lost loves" segements were I believe the most commonly solved case, and they served a valuable purpose for those involved.

I agree with anyone who likes the missing/wanted cases above all, but I do think the other types of segments served a valuable purpose for the show. Too much of any genre would have gotten a bit old. I liked the variety that this kind of episode provided.

Agree/disagree? Just thought I'd start the conversation.

You've obviously given a lot of thought. I don't have a full-on format that I liked, but I'll give it a go. My favorite segments have always been missing persons and unexplained death. I like the mystery and speculation that goes along with these. Either someone who completely vanished, or was found dead with little to know explanation fuels a lot of debate about what happened.

I also enjoyed the paranormal/UFO/psychics segments as long as they didn't get too hokey (such as the lady sweating gold).

I don't completely dismiss the lost loves segments but some of them just weren't for me.

I actually disliked the wanted segments when UM was on in the old days as I watched AMW to find out about wanted criminals. I watched UM to hear stories about unexplained events that really sent a chill down my spine.

Robert Stack does the intro, wearing his trenchcoat and walking through downtown LA's city hall at night. It's a veritable pot-pouri of classic UM...

There's Satanic panic thrown in (Son of Sam, Omar and the arsonist), a creepy extreme religious cult (Nelson DeCloud), a missing child (Antoinette Cayedito, Tara Calico), bizarre anonymous notes (Lancaster extortions, Circleville letters, Nyleen Kay Marshall), mysteriously strange furniture with magical properties (the Chair of Death, Fertitlity statues), and revisionism of major historical events with hearsay evidence (James Earl Ray, John Wilkes Booth, Billy the Kid).

And it's all supposedly done by a serial killer (Ohio prostitute deaths, I-70 killer) with some weird gender-bending hangup (Liz Carmichael, Camilla Lyman). At the end, they do an update, and tell us that they have a suspect in custody, and it's Dennis Farina.

And then Matthew McCounaughey mows the lawn in Daisy Duke cutoff jean shorts.

That would be my perfect episode.

Robert Stack does the intro, wearing his trenchcoat and walking through downtown LA's city hall at night. It's a veritable pot-pouri of classic UM...

There's Satanic panic thrown in (Son of Sam, Omar and the arsonist), a creepy extreme religious cult (Nelson DeCloud), a missing child (Antoinette Cayedito, Tara Calico), bizarre anonymous notes (Lancaster extortions, Circleville letters, Nyleen Kay Marshall), mysteriously strange furniture with magical properties (the Chair of Death, Fertitlity statues), and revisionism of major historical events with hearsay evidence (James Earl Ray, John Wilkes Booth, Billy the Kid).

And it's all supposedly done by a serial killer (Ohio prostitute deaths, I-70 killer) with some weird gender-bending hangup (Liz Carmichael, Camilla Lyman). At the end, they do an update, and tell us that they have a suspect in custody, and it's Dennis Farina.

And then Matthew McCounaughey mows the lawn in Daisy Duke cutoff jean shorts.

That would be my perfect episode.

That cracks me up! I think you hit the nail on the head. I really could do without the Matthew McCounaughey bit, though.

In all seriousness, though, I think that balance was the key to UM's success.

You also reminded me of the frequent occurrence of evil, Satanic themes on UM.