Nothing against Dennis Farina, but I just never could relate to him as UM host. I'm a huge Keith Morrison fan, and always felt that he would have been a perfect choice for the show after Robert Stack passed away.
Though Morrison has his fair share of detractors and is a popular target for parody, the heart wants what it wants. Anyone else have a candidate that they would have liked to see?

For me I like Richard Belzer.

There's no such thing as a perfect Stack replacement and I would probably take just about anyone over Keith Morrison. He does a great job on I.D. and I know I'm in the minority here but his voice drives me nuts. The only person I can think of that would be even close to perfect is Bill Curtis.

There's no such thing as a perfect Stack replacement and I would probably take just about anyone over Keith Morrison. He does a great job on I.D. and I know I'm in the minority here but his voice drives me nuts. The only person I can think of that would be even close to perfect is Bill Curtis.

I like Bill Curtis too. Only reason I lean towards Belzer has hosted specials before. In my opinion what hurts Richard a little to much is he tends to sympathize with conspiracy theorists. At least that's my opinion on him. Bill Curtis has a way of holding your attention like Mr. Stack did.

I know!! Zoneboy you are so right. When I was starting this thread, I really tried to come up with a different title, but couldn't think of anything. Maybe this makes me a total dork, but because of UM, Stack became a personal hero of mine. My dad used to joke with me and say, “Honey, you know Robert Stack did other things in his career right? You're the only person I know who thinks he's famous for UM."
As for Morrison, you're certainly not alone. I think I heard somewhere that SNL did quite a number with their parody of him. But I can't help it. I'm as fond of him as I am of Stack.

Jesse The Body Ventura.

Keith David

James Earl Jones, Michael Douglas or Christopher Walken

James Earl Jones, Michael Douglas or Christopher Walken

Never considered any of them and they would probably want too much money.

Can't STAND Keith Morrison. He tries to create this "dun dun dunnn" effect with his voice, yet it wouldn't scare a 5 year old. I will NOT watch him, his voice just drives me mental.

I think UM would be best to get a woman, because a man is never going to live up to Stack and will be constantly compared. Someone in their lat 40's, brunette, who is sexy yet slightly spooky, like Famke Janssen. Or maybe Julianna Margulies.

Can't STAND Keith Morrison. He tries to create this "dun dun dunnn" effect with his voice, yet it wouldn't scare a 5 year old. I will NOT watch him, his voice just drives me mental.

I think UM would be best to get a woman, because a man is never going to live up to Stack and will be constantly compared. Someone in their lat 40's, brunette, who is sexy yet slightly spooky, like Famke Janssen. Or maybe Julianna Margulies.

Julianne Moore or that woman off of Will & Grace-not the lead, the older one who shrieks.

Never considered any of them and they would probably want too much money.

Money is a common factor in the hiring process, but the potential for high salary demands isn't the only disadvantage to hiring a movie actor to star in (or host) a television series. Another is that they will eventually want to return to movies full time. Once a movie star, always a movie star. The transition from movie star to television star is always difficult, especially since doing a TV show means turning down a lot of movie offers. But if they manage to do movies while subjected to the rigors of a weekly television series, their film work would be limited to bit parts and/or supporting roles (depending on their availability). Evidently, movie stars don't want to be stuck with doing television indefinitely. I'm not saying any of this to criticize any actors; I'm just stating the facts.

Money is a common factor in the hiring process, but the potential for high salary demands isn't the only disadvantage to hiring a movie actor to star in (or host) a television series. Another is that they will eventually want to return to movies full time. Once a movie star, always a movie star. The transition from movie star to television star is always difficult, especially since doing a TV show means turning down a lot of movie offers. But if they manage to do movies while subjected to the rigors of a weekly television series, their film work would be limited to bit parts and/or supporting roles (depending on their availability). Evidently, movie stars don't want to be stuck with doing television indefinitely. I'm not saying any of this to criticize any actors; I'm just stating the facts.

Agreed.

I think Farina would have been appreciated much, much more had he not simply been hired to re-narrate everything that Stack already did. If Farina had hosted new segments, he would have done a commendable job, IMO.

Stack was so great because he was detached, cold, but authentic. Keith Morrison is the opposite. He sounds like a children's storyteller and would be entirely unsuited for the role.

My #1 candidate would be Peter Coyote.

I think Farina would have been appreciated much, much more had he not simply been hired to re-narrate everything that Stack already did. If Farina had hosted new segments, he would have done a commendable job, IMO.

I never really thought about it like that, but you may have a point. When Farina was brought on board to replace Orbach on Law & Order, I was skeptical, but eventually grew to love him in the role. I may have had a similar response to him on UM had Farina been given original material.

Keith David would be awesome.

As would Avery Brooks (Captain Sisko from Star Trek: DS9).

I think Farina would have been appreciated much, much more had he not simply been hired to re-narrate everything that Stack already did. If Farina had hosted new segments, he would have done a commendable job, IMO.

I always thought Stack was ideal for the show because of his appearance & delivery-he looked almost alien/ghostly which I assume was the idea of the show/make-up department & his somewhat creepy look went well with the music & general tone of the show that scared the hell out of you.

The Farina version just came across as a filler show, edited to hell, with none of the atmospheric nature that made the original so special & a host playing a cop role. It used to seem like you had watched a 2 hour show & remembered it until the next one aired a week later, the new version is like you watch it & forget about it 2 minutes later.

As much as I hate to say this, can't see Unsolved Mysteries working with a new host today because the general public still associates the show with Robert Stack.

A properly developed Unsolved Mysteries reboot has massive potential to be a success if branded under an alternate title because the general public would accept it as something new and not compare it to the originals.

A properly developed Unsolved Mysteries reboot has massive potential to be a success if branded under an alternate title because the general public would accept it as something new and not compare it to the originals.

With all due respect, it would never work. In fact, if a poll were conducted on the topic, it's a very good bet that the vast majority would vote in favor of retaining the Unsolved Mysteries title. Rebooting the series under an alternate title would be a travesty and no better than not having the show back on the air at all. In fact, it would be like the time when the original Battlestar Galactica series was canceled and then revived as Galactica 1980. Anyone with a long memory knows how that went.

I like the thought of a new show keeping the history of the original show. It's nice to see many of the cases still being solved. As far as a new host we have to stop making the mistake of expecting them to be bob stack. I like bill Curtis. James earl jones too.

I've always been partial to Richard Belzer. I never thought of Peter Coyote, but TheResearcher is right, he would be great.

I listened to some Keith Morrison and I can see what a lot of you mean about him. He's good on Dateline, but he just isn't right for this. You want someone with an almost dead flat, low-key but very intense delivery. Stack always gave the impression he was deeply interested in every story.

Stack always gave the impression he was deeply interested in every story.
Agreed. Even if it was a story that seemed far-fetched, he gave it his all. When jokes were in the script, he still didn't break that hypnotic pattern and rhythm.

That being said, I really do like Bill Curtis. He has a good voice for it, even if much higher than Stack's. I also liked how in American Justice he would really draw you in with what was coming next. Something about the way he delivered the ending lines to each episode has also stuck with me.

That being said, I really do like Bill Curtis. He has a good voice for it, even if much higher than Stack's. I also liked how in American Justice he would really draw you in with what was coming next. Something about the way he delivered the ending lines to each episode has also stuck with me.

Bill Curtis is also awesome for narrating the "Anchorman" movies and reciting his lines with the same seriousness he used on "American Justice".

I think it would be interesting to watch the non-broadcast pilot with Clancy Brown that they pitched to different networks. Sure, the stories would have been edited to hell too, but I would be interested in seeing how he would have performed. The Kurgan as UM host would have been a positive, I believe... deep voice, intimidating and unnerving.

Whoever was in charge of rebooting unsolved mysteries in 2008 was an total idiot. The show is defined by the host and the music. Obviously, Stack passed away 5 years prior, but they redid the music!? They shortened segments to fit more in an episode, would say "Recently we showed you the story of.." When that story was from clearly from like 1988, they used more modern sounds and graphics over a film that was shot in the late 80s/early 90s, I mean it was a joke how they redid it. The updates were skim and very basic if there was any at all.

They need to keep the music, acknowledge the stories were from 25 years ago and keep the nostalgia value to it. Maybe updated and expand on the stories.

As for the host...hmmm I honestly don't know if anyone could deliver like stack but finding someone similar to him in voice and demeanor

I think it would be interesting to watch the non-broadcast pilot with Clancy Brown that they pitched to different networks. Sure, the stories would have been edited to hell too, but I would be interested in seeing how he would have performed. The Kurgan as UM host would have been a positive, I believe... deep voice, intimidating and unnerving.

It sure would be unnerving to hear Lex Luthor narrating about Unsolved Mysteries

I'm almost afraid to make this suggestion because it's pretty out there. I would have loved to see Kelsey Grammer give UM a try. IMO, Grammer is very gifted vocally and may have done some decent narration work. After seeing his work on Boss, I became convinced that he could portray dark and menacing pretty well. He might even excel at something like UM because of his own personal experience with violent crime.
Someone else I'm a huge fan of that may have been right for the job was the late Dominick Dunne. I absolutely loved his work on Power, Privilege, and Justice.

Whoever was in charge of rebooting unsolved mysteries in 2008 was an total idiot. The show is defined by the host and the music. Obviously, Stack passed away 5 years prior, but they redid the music!? They shortened segments to fit more in an episode, would say "Recently we showed you the story of.." When that story was from clearly from like 1988, they used more modern sounds and graphics over a film that was shot in the late 80s/early 90s, I mean it was a joke how they redid it. The updates were skim and very basic if there was any at all.

They need to keep the music, acknowledge the stories were from 25 years ago and keep the nostalgia value to it. Maybe updated and expand on the stories.

As for the host...hmmm I honestly don't know if anyone could deliver like stack but finding someone similar to him in voice and demeanor

Well Spike is basically aimed at a certain demographic-mostly males whose interests are testosterone filled & fast paced. UM was just a filler for them. Only recently have they started attracting more female viewers.

There will never be another host as good as Robert Stack was, but I'm thinking how about James Brolin? He did beyond Belief, Fact or Fiction for a while I think. He sure has the brooding looks and the deep voice. Or Bill Curtis would be another good choice too!

I don't know if a proper remake can ever be made and perfected to match the quality of the original show. Everything just fell into place. The music, the eerie atmospheres and filming locations, the pieces of music played when people talked, and of course Robert Stack. It was ahead of it's time.

I don't mean to repost or force my views on anyone. But think about James Brolin . Don't think of him so much as Marcus Welby's colleague or as Barbra Sreisand's husband. Remember him in the Amityville horror!! He has a dark, scary side, perfect for Unsolved mysteries. And the perfect deep voice!!!

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRUTjGlImpxTU1sEBbHVXPepQvSOXSavmKlGjX0VmPZJUr_qsvr

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTePVEn8N525ne5QAVXb6bPpCGKqQIiugvHEG-AZS1cLBAVn93p

Tommy Lee Jones. But, as stated in posts #9 & #12, a movie star's salary and desire to continue being a movie star make this candidate unlikely.

Also, I think he has a reputation for being difficult to work with.

I have always thought Stacy Keach would be a good match. He has a very distinctive voice and delivery which he uses to full effect on American Greed.

Character actor Scott Wilson isn't a household name, but he might be an interesting choice. He was absolutely mesmerizing as Dick Hickock in the original version of In Cold Blood. Looks like he's currently a cast member in The Walking Dead.

I think Farina would have been appreciated much, much more had he not simply been hired to re-narrate everything that Stack already did. If Farina had hosted new segments, he would have done a commendable job, IMO.
You hit the nail right on the head. I agree totally with you. There was no point in Farina basically redubbing the stories when they could've just rerun the Stack versions....which were awesome. If Farina would've did new stories, I think he would've done a perfect job.

I always thought Stack was ideal for the show because of his appearance & delivery-he looked almost alien/ghostly which I assume was the idea of the show/make-up department

I never thought about that but he did kinda look "alieny" like the men in black.

Character actor Scott Wilson isn't a household name, but he might be an interesting choice. He was absolutely mesmerizing as Dick Hickock in the original version of In Cold Blood. Looks like he's currently a cast member in The Walking Dead.

I've only seen him in The Walking Dead. I don't think I could watch him hosting UM without thinking of him as Herschel. lol

http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/542abcc96da811674bdc3c5f-1200-2000/the-walking-dead-hershel%20.jpg

The challenge of actually "replacing" Robert Stack, in such an iconic role, with that voice, mannerisms and overall presentation, is probably an impossible task, however I've always thought that taking the various diagnostic/categorical qualities that made Stack so perfect in the first place, could be utilized.

Specifically, things like a well-defined voice, a respectable career prior, mainstream recognition(I'm thinking character actors might be best suited) and the ability to finely craft a personna/image of mystery/eeriness(and the ability to wear a sweet trench coat), which only a good actor could develop in becoming the host of the show, without being just a Stack knockoff.

For me, I look at names like:

Powers Boothe
Richard Jenkins
Stephen Lang
William Forsythe
Jeffrey DeMunn
Tom Berenger
Miguel Ferrer
William Sadler
Michael Nouri
Bob Gunton
Mitch Pileggi
James Keach
Kevin Corrigan
Titus Welliver
George Wendt

Yeah, I've daydreamed about the next UM host a few times lol...