Does it annoy anyone else that in most segments, Dennis doesn't even give the date, much less the year? That's my only complaint. I just feel a lot more invested in the story when I at least know the year that it happened. So I'll usually just have my iPhone out and go to Unsolved.com to figure out the date before I even watch the segment. Things can vary drastically in decades.

Does it annoy anyone else that in most segments, Dennis doesn't even give the date, much less the year? That's my only complaint. I just feel a lot more invested in the story when I at least know the year that it happened. So I'll usually just have my iPhone out and go to Unsolved.com to figure out the date before I even watch the segment. Things can vary drastically in decades.


That's your only complaint? I think you're giving farina too much of a pass, his version gives me douche chills

nice avatar ernmerica.

my only gripe with the um reboot is the fact that dennis farina is NOT robert stack

Does it annoy anyone else that in most segments, Dennis doesn't even give the date, much less the year? That's my only complaint. I just feel a lot more invested in the story when I at least know the year that it happened. So I'll usually just have my iPhone out and go to Unsolved.com to figure out the date before I even watch the segment. Things can vary drastically in decades.

I think they're doing this on purpose to trick viewers into thinking the cases are more recent despite the interviewees wearing huge coke bottle glasses and nice feathered hair.

I think they're doing this on purpose to trick viewers into thinking the cases are more recent despite the interviewees wearing huge coke bottle glasses and nice feathered hair.

Exactly which is one of the things that makes the reboot so hilarious. Stuff like when Farina says "We recently aired..." or "When we aired this story..." making you think that the reboot had anything to do with solving any of the mysteries.

Also the staged phone center is also a bit of a hoot. I don't know if Farina has ever said "our operators are standing by" or anything like that but I know he's made reference to them on the show. But unlike the real "Unsolved Mysteries" which actually took calls from viewers, this Farina based incarnation of the show just has those phone operators there for kicks.

At least the last time I checked viewers could still go to the official website and submit tips or information on the cases profiled.

I miss the music and the whole set up of the show compare to what it is now.

Dennis Farina IS NOT Robert Stack.. That’s my pet peeve..that and the wack as$ graphics and music they use for the new UM… I’m too old school I guess :smash:

I think they're doing this on purpose to trick viewers into thinking the cases are more recent despite the interviewees wearing huge coke bottle glasses and nice feathered hair.

one of the things about unsolved mysteries though is that everyone who is profiled on that show together with the actors in the reenactments exists in a parallel universe where 1987-1989 loops ad infinitum. even farina somehow seems to be caught in this paradox, except he seems to exist in 1993-95.

Dennis Farina IS NOT Robert Stack.. That’s my pet peeve..that and the wack as$ graphics and music they use for the new UM… I’m too old school I guess :smash:

Dennis Farina, much like Robert Stack, seems like a very nice and likable guy. But unlike Stack, Farina can't narrate to save his life. Too many awkward pauses and times where he tries to make his voice go up before he finishes a sentence, almost as if he's trying to make his voice sound mysterious because of the show he's hosting. It just doesn't work for me.

The reboot's biggest crime is the loss of the classic background music that set the tone for the mood of every scene. The scary music goes without saying.

Oh how I miss the original version.

One of the main reasons why the original version was so great was its pacing. It introduced suspense and laid out stories in a way that made you want to hear more. The new version is so rushed. One story spills over into the next one, making you sit back and wonder "What did I just watch and why should I care?"

I've found myself rewinding cases more with this version because of its rushed nature. I miss little details and have to go back to get a full sense of the case. The old version left you spellbound by the end of each segment. Stack's transitions in between each segment helped that out a lot. Farina might do some of them, but they're nothing compared to Stack's.

I think this is how they should've done the newer episodes. Show the old older cases/with RS. And if there's been any updates either have someone else narrate it, or have interviews with new witnesses.

At least RS drew you into the episode, made you want to watch. I've seen a few newer episodes. It doesn't have the same effect that the older ones had.

How long did that lady host?? Or am I dreaming...keely, maybe?

How long did that lady host?? Or am I dreaming...keely, maybe?

If I remember correctly, she wasn't a host. She did a lot of the updates. That was back when RS hosted it. Not sure if she does the newer ones ?

If I remember correctly, she wasn't a host. She did a lot of the updates. That was back when RS hosted it. Not sure if she does the newer ones ?

You memory is correct. Despite misconception to the contrary, Keely Shaye Smith was NOT a host, only an update correspondent. She was on the show from 1995 to 1997, UM's final two NBC years. The female host they had was Virginia Madsen, who co-hosted the show only in the spring of 1999 (the final prime time year for UM).

That's your only complaint? I think you're giving farina too much of a pass, his version gives me douche chills
Oh, don't get me wrong, I definitely prefer Robert Stack, but I just take it for what it's worth. It's a completely different approach than when Stack was hosting. I still don't understand why a reboot was necessary. I'm guessing it was due to the video quality. So they remastered everything, and shot new footage of Farina.

My biggest pet peeve is that instead of the original creepy music we get this god-awful wannabe 80's metal guitar riff. It's not scary or suspenseful, it's cheesy. Maybe they couldn't get the rights to the original music but they could have at least did something similar instead of something that sounds like it came out of a low-budget action movie.

Also, the whiteouts and snapshot effects are dated as well. The less is more approach to the old UM worked well for a reason.

Also, the whiteouts and snapshot effects are dated as well. The less is more approach to the old UM worked well for a reason.

Yes. It reminds me of that Gangland show on Spike. The effects are completely distracting.

I actually wouldn't mind Farina as the host if they actually were planning on filming new, current segments. Even "updated" segments from the older ones would be nice.

Dennis Farina, much like Robert Stack, seems like a very nice and likable guy. But unlike Stack, Farina can't narrate to save his life. Too many awkward pauses and times where he tries to make his voice go up before he finishes a sentence, almost as if he's trying to make his voice sound mysterious because of the show he's hosting. It just doesn't work for me.

The reboot's biggest crime is the loss of the classic background music that set the tone for the mood of every scene. The scary music goes without saying.

Oh how I miss the original version.

actually i somewhat like farina's voice (obviously not as unsolved mysteried as robert stack but still pretty 1991 late-night tv sounding)- it's just the show had established it's signature with stack.

I've ranted about this in another thread, but I believe the worst segment I ever saw on the UM reboot was their new version of the Blind River Rest Stop Murders. They took one of the scariest segments in the history of television and added a bunch of rock music, flashy editing and cheesy graphics that completely undercut the horror of the situation.

Worst of all, they made the whole thing unintentionally funny at the end when they took that terrifying composite sketch of the killer and turned it into this silly graphic of a floating head which looked like it belonged in "The Wizard of Oz".

The music is the worst downgrade by far. Mood ruining. I'm a fan of rock music, but it does not work for UM whatsoever.

I'm not the biggest Farina fan either but one thing to keep in my when dissecting his abilities as a host is that they never allowed him to deviate from the original scripts. Meaning that instead of coming up with his own wording or verbiage in so much as describing the cases, he's basically repeating Stack's monologues word for word occasionally throwing in some pretty hilarious improvisations that would only be noticeable to those who are extremely familiar to the "original scripts"

Probably the most hilarious comes from the recast of the Missy Munday/Jerry Strickland segment where Farina is running down the list of crimes that Strickland was accused of being involved in most notably the attack on his sister in law. After Farina finishes running down Strickland's rap sheet as it were he goes off script and deadpans: "This was not a nice guy".

Does it annoy anyone else that in most segments, Dennis doesn't even give the date, much less the year? That's my only complaint. I just feel a lot more invested in the story when I at least know the year that it happened. So I'll usually just have my iPhone out and go to Unsolved.com to figure out the date before I even watch the segment. Things can vary drastically in decades.



I completely agree. This drives me crazy. I do the same thing by looking it up to see the date. It is so funny when he says "We recently aired this story". You recently aired it in 1990 hahaha and the phony call center. How many calls have they taken???

I personally think that if the original creepy music was left intact, with some new stories thrown in, new scripts written for repeat segments, a lot of people would not be griping about Farina. His voice is not horrible. Granted he's no Robert Stack, but I still think he could do a decent job if the show was restructured.

Often times, when I find there's nothing better on (despite having 100+ channels), I'll turn to the Farina UM on Lifetime. I agree completely that
it's just not the same without RS, and having additions such as Keely Shaye-Smith and Virginia Madsen (good actresses in their own right) never
did much for the show. However, here are my pet peeves about the
new Farina episodes:

-Agreed, that call center looks ridiculous. It looks like a nuclear command post in some cheesy 1980s movie. At least when Robert Stack was in a call center on the NBC episodes, there were actually people there to answer the phone.
-I hate all the new graphics and noises. When someone's name comes on the screen, there is that weird sound, almost like a sound an Extra Terrestrial spacecraft would make. This goes along with many TV shows and movies compared to 20-25 years ago, but the more minimalist approach of the 1980s/early 1990s UM was very potent. Just the slow fades you'd see made it seem more scary.
-Farina's voice just doesn't cut it. Once again, he's a very good actor, and it's nothing personal, but sometimes his voice seems too soft for the show he's on. Robert Stack could make a segment scary, express anger or laughs, all with his voice.
-The theme is just not the same, and even the Lifetime disclaimer at the beginning ("This program is about Unsolved Mysteries...") is missed.

But again, with 100 channels and nothing on, I'll turn on the Farina episodes and be okay with it. I was interested to hear an update on the Dark Dante and his endeavors after his hacker days, which you never saw ten years ago on the RS repeats.

Here's something I just thought of that I do not at all like about the Farina remakes (shows you how much I watch it): everything in Farina's script coming up as type on the screen.

For example, in the Dave Bocks segment:

Farina: "...The Feed Materials Production Center, or NLO..."

Immediately--and loudly with sound effects--popping up on the screen:
FEED MATERIALS PRODUCTION CENTER
NLO


It's highly irritating.