My apologies if this has been discussed before but does anyone know if Spike TV footed the bill and production costs for the revamped UM with Farina as host?

I ask because LifeTime as we all now airs it seven days a week and two hours on weekday mornings so I assume the deal with Spike is long over.

At this point you'd figure there would be a good profit involved for the show to finally bring the RS version to a service like Netflix.

Do you think the RS versions will ever see the light of day again?

I'm all over the place with this post and thinking out loud if you will.

I've thought about this a lot over the years.

My feeling is that Cosgrove revamped the series to modernize it and to try to attract a new audience. I have no idea how much something like that would have cost them, but it must have been fairly substantial given all the shooting they did with Dennis Farina and the extensive re-editing of the segments themselves. That being said, I think Cosgrove probably feels a need to get as much "mileage" out of the new show before either hanging it up entirely, or bringing back the original version. I think the latter is pretty unlikely.

As much as I love classic UM with Stack, the cases are extremely dated at this point, and the concept itself has been done to death by other shows that are more modern and thus wouldn't require any revamping or re-tooling to make them relevant for a modern audience. I also think that classic UM with its news-like format is kind of a strange fit for most cable networks that repeat old shows. I can't see classic UM being on TV Land or Nick at Nite, networks that show primarily sitcoms, for example. Unfortunately, I don't think the prospects for the classic UM resurfacing are good. For a myriad of reasons it truly is from a bygone era.

I also think that classic UM with its news-like format is kind of a strange fit for most cable networks that repeat old shows.

I don't know about that. Lifetime ran the Stack episodes for years successfully. When you think about it, it's odd that a channel devoted to the female audience acquired the syndication rights back in the early 1990s. What I could never understand is why Lifetime opted not to renew their contract for UM back in 2007. The show was a staple for Lifetime since the 1990s. I feel that the reason why the "new" UM was such a disappointment is because they had to "pump up the testosterone" to appeal to Spike's target audience. I am willing to bet that if the series stayed on Lifetime, the revamped version wouldn't have been bad as it was.

I feel that the reason why the "new" UM was such a disappointment is because they had to "pump up the testosterone" to appeal to Spike's target audience.

It certainly looks that way. But the way I see it, they "modernized" the show for the sake modernization. No matter how well-intentioned, modernizing a show can often do more harm than good. If I could cite any example besides UM, it would be In Search Of. That show was revived in 2002 with Mitch Pileggi as the host, but viewers didn't recognize it as the same '70s/early-'80s show they knew and loved. It was cheap-looking and lacked the production values of the original series. Not surprisingly, the new version was axed after only eight episodes.

It goes to show how important production values are for television programs. If you sacrifice your faith in a show and/or its production values for the privilege of having it on the air, you will eventually lose both the show and that privilege. Yet sadly, too many people sell their souls to get what they want or believe they are entitled to, as they make their principles secondary to their privileges.

According to wikipedia (and I believe at least one other source I've read), HBO was involved with the UM reboot (how or why I don't know, I don't think they're connected to Spike).

The only was I could see RS UM returning is via Netflix/Hulu/etc.

And as far as a new version... I think it would have to be unlike either of the previous iterations to work.

And as far as a new version... I think it would have to be unlike either of the previous iterations to work.

With all due respect, it would be a disaster. A new UM would need to be as close to the old series as possible; otherwise, it would crash and burn. If it were not going to bear any resemblence to the old series, if it were not going to have any of the production values of the old series, if it were going to look cheap, if it were going to look like a carbon copy of other shows, then it would not be worth doing, let alone watching. In addition, it would be no better than no UM.

I think a new version could work. It could air on Investigation Discovery and have a format similar to Disappeared, which profiled mostly unsolved disappearances and had family members and law enforcement involved. The show sadly is off the air but it was one of the network's most popular programs. But since ID would rather have shows where the crimes were solved, I don't think they would ever make their own version of UM.

I think a new version could work. It could air on Investigation Discovery and have a format similar to Disappeared, which profiled mostly unsolved disappearances and had family members and law enforcement involved. The show sadly is off the air but it was one of the network's most popular programs. But since ID would rather have shows where the crimes were solved, I don't think they would ever make their own version of UM.

I really like Disappeared. I feel like it's format is that of an Unsolved Mysteries segment stretched to an hour. The reenactments don't have much dialogue because it's covered up with the narration, which is the way I like it. Family members, friends, law enforcement are interviewed, specific dates are given to every aspect of the case, theories are presented. It's the closest format I've seen to UM in any modern crime show.

With all due respect, it would be a disaster. A new UM would need to be as close to the old series as possible; otherwise, it would crash and burn. If it were not going to bear any resemblence to the old series, if it were not going to have any of the production values of the old series, if it were going to look cheap, if it were going to look like a carbon copy of other shows, then it would not be worth doing, let alone watching. In addition, it would be no better than no UM.

RS UM was a product of its time. That time is gone and will never be back. It would look ridiculous to try to recreate that show with modern production values, a new host and present-day actors. And it certainly would not go over well with the viewing public.

I don't think a new version necessarily should be made; I was only saying that if it was it could not be all that similar (aesthetically at least) to the original.

I really like Disappeared. I feel like it's format is that of an Unsolved Mysteries segment stretched to an hour. The reenactments don't have much dialogue because it's covered up with the narration, which is the way I like it. Family members, friends, law enforcement are interviewed, specific dates are given to every aspect of the case, theories are presented. It's the closest format I've seen to UM in any modern crime show.

I agree. The only issue being it creeps me out way more than UM. It is so real, and digs so deep into one case. UM would have a little levity during the course of an episode.

Any reboot would be lame just like the Spike TV ones. You cant say "recently we brought you.." and the episode was very clearly filmed in 1989. Even the "updates" seemed so dated for 2008. It is a bygone era. It was started in the year I was born (1987), the was 28 years ago. I remember watching the Judith Himes case and in the opening Robert Stack said something to the affect of "the prospect of being pregnant and unmarried is very devastating (or something like it) " 16 and pregnant has now been on the air for 5 years and so has Teen Mom. How many celebrities have children out of marriage? I'm 28 and half of my friends or acquaintances had children before they got married. I'm liberal socially but I never understood the concept of someone being good enough to be the father of your child/children but not ready/good enough/ to marry. Anyways, my point is, times have changed radically in almost 30 years. A lot of things are very dated and although I LOVE the show, it cant be brought back. Disappeared was the closest thing to it but unfortunately ID is now going more toward soap opera drama type shows that repeat the same story only in a different series

Any reboot would be lame just like the Spike TV ones. You cant say "recently we brought you.." and the episode was very clearly filmed in 1989. Even the "updates" seemed so dated for 2008. It is a bygone era. It was started in the year I was born (1987), the was 28 years ago. I remember watching the Judith Himes case and in the opening Robert Stack said something to the affect of "the prospect of being pregnant and unmarried is very devastating (or something like it) " 16 and pregnant has now been on the air for 5 years and so has Teen Mom. How many celebrities have children out of marriage? I'm 28 and half of my friends or acquaintances had children before they got married. I'm liberal socially but I never understood the concept of someone being good enough to be the father of your child/children but not ready/good enough/ to marry. Anyways, my point is, times have changed radically in almost 30 years. A lot of things are very dated and although I LOVE the show, it cant be brought back. Disappeared was the closest thing to it but unfortunately ID is now going more toward soap opera drama type shows that repeat the same story only in a different series

This got me thinking about how many things on UM would be politically incorrect to say now.

My thinking if the RS versions ever make it to say a service like Netflix, just put a disclaimer to start the show that it's from the 80s and 90s and presented in its original format.

No need to do what the revamp did and try to portray that a solved case from 1977 happened yesterday.

A lot of things are very dated and although I LOVE the show, it cant be brought back.
Sure it can. It just needs to be done right. Another reason I think the Spike version failed is because they refused to film new stories. Back in 2001 when Lifetime "rebooted" the show with Stack, it was on the right track. Those 2001-2002 episodes featured new stories mixed with old ones. I had no issue with that. For some reason, Spike cheapened out and decided not to film any new stories. That was the biggest mistake that they could have ever made. I think Spike knows they screwed up too, because when the 2008 rebooted episodes began airing, they were shown daily at 5:00 PM. Not too long after, Spike only aired the show sporadically (usually crazy hours like 3:00 AM) until Lifetime somehow reacquired the rights in 2010 to start showing the episodes again. I haven't seen UM on Spike in years. It's seems to be gone completely from their lineup. I think they just want to wash their hands of the whole thing and forget about it.

Sure it can. It just needs to be done right. Another reason I think the Spike version failed is because they refused to film new stories. Back in 2001 when Lifetime "rebooted" the show with Stack, it was on the right track. Those 2001-2002 episodes featured new stories mixed with old ones. I had no issue with that. For some reason, Spike cheapened out and decided not to film any new stories. That was the biggest mistake that they could have ever made. I think Spike knows they screwed up too, because when the 2008 rebooted episodes began airing, they were shown daily at 5:00 PM. Not too long after, Spike only aired the show sporadically (usually crazy hours like 3:00 AM) until Lifetime somehow reacquired the rights in 2010 to start showing the episodes again. I haven't seen UM on Spike in years. It's seems to be gone completely from their lineup. I think they just want to wash their hands of the whole thing and forget about it.

That was actually what I LOVED about the UM reboot on Lifetime: The addition of the new stories. It's what got me sitting down to watch it and ultimately what shaped me into the die-hard fan of the show that I am today...

Disappeared really was the closest thing to UM that I have seen. And I really enjoyed the heck out of the show, too. I'm struggling to understand its cancellation.

Sure it can. It just needs to be done right. Another reason I think the Spike version failed is because they refused to film new stories. Back in 2001 when Lifetime "rebooted" the show with Stack, it was on the right track.

I couldn't agree with you more, 2trackmind. In fact, Lifetime did a better job at "rebooting" the series than Spike did. Although the series had changed to some degrees during the 1990s through the early 2000s, the production values were still good enough for viewers to recognize it as the same UM they knew and loved. The 2001 Lifetime reboot was far better than the 2008 Spike reboot, because it effectively retained the spirit of the NBC years. As a result, the show was still being produced well enough to not appear as if it were being made on the cheap.

In 2001-2002 Robert Stack was still the host and they did new episodes mixed with some older episodes. Lifetime did update old cases with the typed out conclusion at the end. Also in 2001 an "old" case from '94 was still only 8 years old not 25 years old.

1) Robert Stack couldn't be the host which would still not make it as great as the Classic UM

2)2001-2002 season is 14 years ago. That is still pretty old.

3) In the close to 15 years since any new episodes have aired, a lot of programs in that same "true crime" category have been created. There are even multiple channels that are true crime. Even in 2001-02, I believe AMW and Forensic Files (although that was more about solved cases) was aired.

4) Disappeared honestly was the closest to UM IMO and I loved it. However, even that didn't survive past 5-6 seasons on the ID network. It seems more and more that those true crime networks are going more for soap opera-y shows like "wives with knives" and they simply retell the same case on different series.

5) I honestly think the whole "Interactive tv" that made UM isn't the same today because of technology. We now have Facebook, twitter, Instagram all these social media sites that can spread the word rapidly about a missing person, a case, a wanted person ect. In the 80s and until the mid to late 90s, most people couldn't just google a case. They had to wait for a news story or newspaper article to hear about it. Im not saying its not worth it as "On the Hunt" did capture a few fugitives but again that's solely about fugitives. UM had many different facets. I just think it boils down to to many shows that have similar themes, the interactive TV doesn't have the same power it use to with the internet and the social media even on phones, and its just a bygone era

6) I think a show like Disappeared would be the closest thing to what UM was in its day. If they brought back Disappeared in its original format, I think that or "On the Hunt" show is the closest we are going to get.

7)To recreate UM, it would essentially be a new show with the same format. I just don't think it would be a hit or find a large audience for all the reasons above. Us diehard fans might like it but I don't think it would stay on the air long and I don't think it would have the same nostalgic effect the Classic UM has

I think a show like Disappeared would be the closest thing to what UM was in its day. If they brought back Disappeared in its original format, I think that or "On the Hunt" show is the closest we are going to get.

Maybe so, but my gripe with those shows is that they only do one case per episode. When it comes to public service programs, it's not enough, and I think most people would agree on that. My reception to The Hunt has been lukewarm because of it. Admittedly, the tactic works well for a lot of true crime shows (especially Cold Blood, Motives and Murders, and Unusual Suspects), but applying that practice to a show that profiles unresolved criminal cases doesn't cut it for me. In fact, it is counterproductive since greatly reduces the number of cases that are eventually highlighted. The Hunt would work better if it increased the number of profiled cases from one per episode to (at least) three per episode.

Disappeared honestly was the closest to UM IMO and I loved it. However, even that didn't survive past 5-6 seasons on the ID network. It seems more and more that those true crime networks are going more for soap opera-y shows like "wives with knives" and they simply retell the same case on different series.

It was one of the channel's most popular shows with viewers but as I said in my earlier post, I think because a majority of the cases were unsolved, the channel wasn't interested in keeping it up as they do the solved case episodes, and almost all the cases were not about adultery or people with weird sex lives. That's what ID wants to air, the soft core crime. If it wasn't for Homicide Hunter, Unusual Suspects, Motives & Murders, On the Case, Web of Lies, Murder Comes to Town, Dateline Mystery and the one where they use video footage to solve cases, I probably wouldn't watch the channel. The Scorned Wives With Knives Who Have Deadly Sins and Secrets stuff gets old fast.

If it wasn't for Homicide Hunter, Unusual Suspects, Motives & Murders, On the Case, Web of Lies, Murder Comes to Town, Dateline Mystery and the one where they use video footage to solve cases, I probably wouldn't watch the channel.

Well you make it sound like they have a whole lot of good shows!

There isn't any channel that has that many shows that I like.

Honestly I'd be down for any UM re-attack as long as it keeps the roots of the show. New cases would have to be relevant to modern times so I don't see that being a problem. There are also plenty of cold cases left unsolved from the past to revisit. Will it happen? Well Its been a long time and yes we still have the farina versions airing. I agree with the folks that pointed out the lifetime early 2000s era. That was vital to extending the life of the show. I got into it in 89 but I really became a dedicated viewer in the 2000s when lifetime did such a great job with the program. I still love the old shows the best.

The Hunt would work better if it increased the number of profiled cases from one per episode to (at least) three per episode.

I agree, I think they did a show or two where they featured two cases, but it would work really well for three. I think an hour is fine for a case like Brad Bishops where we can get all the details and perhaps learn new things about the case but yeah it would work great if they could feature more cases.

Agreed but again early 2000s were 14 years ago. That's still pretty old. Its not "recent". Like I said they could do the show but it would be a new show essentially. Same name and format but everything else would be different.

Agreed but again early 2000s were 14 years ago. That's still pretty old. Its not "recent". Like I said they could do the show but it would be a new show essentially. Same name and format but everything else would be different.

were you like 7 back in 2000?

were you like 7 back in 2000?

I was 13 actually. I debuted into this world the same year as Unsolved. Probably not a coincidence.

I was 13 actually. I debuted into this world the same year as Unsolved. Probably not a coincidence.

That's interesting. I was born in 1981. However, each new season of UM coincided with a year in my education. My first grade year began and ended with season one. Second grade was season two, and so on. Thus, it is easy to look back at airdates and get a general sense of what was going on in my life when the series was on.

In 2001-2002 Robert Stack was still the host and they did new episodes mixed with some older episodes. Lifetime did update old cases with the typed out conclusion at the end. Also in 2001 an "old" case from '94 was still only 8 years old not 25 years old.



3) In the close to 15 years since any new episodes have aired, a lot of programs in that same "true crime" category have been created. There are even multiple channels that are true crime. Even in 2001-02, I believe AMW and Forensic Files (although that was more about solved cases) was aired.



AMW was created 1988. Not 2001. And was cancelled briefly in 96 before airing for 16 more years before ending in 2012. The last true crime show now is Cops

Where did I say it was created in 2001? I said in 2001 the only other True Crime shows that had already aired (meaning had been on the air in 2001 or prior was forensic files or AMW, those were the only two I could think of)

Why all this bulldogging Kryssy over air dates and how old she is? :confused:

I'm like DALLASTEXAN!!: I didn't start regularly watching UM until the early '00s, toward the very end of the show's run. I then took to the reruns on Lifetime until those faded into oblivion. Were it not for the Lifetime reruns, I'm not sure I would've become the fan that I am. Did a lot to extend the life of the show, IMO.

Sure it can. It just needs to be done right. Another reason I think the Spike version failed is because they refused to film new stories. Back in 2001 when Lifetime "rebooted" the show with Stack, it was on the right track. Those 2001-2002 episodes featured new stories mixed with old ones. I had no issue with that. For some reason, Spike cheapened out and decided not to film any new stories. That was the biggest mistake that they could have ever made. I think Spike knows they screwed up too, because when the 2008 rebooted episodes began airing, they were shown daily at 5:00 PM. Not too long after, Spike only aired the show sporadically (usually crazy hours like 3:00 AM) until Lifetime somehow reacquired the rights in 2010 to start showing the episodes again. I haven't seen UM on Spike in years. It's seems to be gone completely from their lineup. I think they just want to wash their hands of the whole thing and forget about it.

I think the ENTIRE reason the Spike version failed is they refused to film new stories. They conveniently avoided the mention of dates in the narrations (which the RS version was absolutely full of), and simply re-formatted old material. They went cheap, and TV Viewers today won't settle for cheap. In '07 we were already seeing movie-quality original TV shows being put out by FX (The Shield comes to mind), and several cable networks followed over the next few years- TNT, USA, AMC, the list goes on and on now. The acting, writing, and production quality has to be high to even have a chance today.

When the DVD sets were put together a few years back, I found a very poor review from someone that went off about the "extremely poor picture quality." Well, most, if not all of us here knows that the film quality of the original segments was intentional. Mainstream viewers today probably wouldn't appreciate the choice for the sake of style.

For those that suggest a remake of UM that looks nothing like the original format, shooting style, etc to appeal to current viewers, my question is simple- "Why bother???" Just make a new show. You only frustrated the RS-era loyalists with the Spike version, you didn't get to keep the old fan base and add new viewers to it.

They conveniently avoided the mention of dates in the narrations (which the RS version was absolutely full of), and simply re-formatted old material.

The leaving out dates thing has always annoyed me. They really went out of their way to do it, too. In some segments that featured home video clips, they even blurred out the date/time stamps of the footage.

There was nothing more annoying than always hearing Farina start off a segment with, "One Sunday afternoon..." :mad:

It seemed more like they were portraying these segments as fiction, forgetting that these were in fact real events.

Why all this bulldogging Kryssy over air dates and how old she is? :confused:

I'm like DALLASTEXAN!!: I didn't start regularly watching UM until the early '00s, toward the very end of the show's run. I then took to the reruns on Lifetime until those faded into oblivion. Were it not for the Lifetime reruns, I'm not sure I would've become the fan that I am. Did a lot to extend the life of the show, IMO.


Thanks Meg! who knows lol

I'm the same as you guys. I really didn't get into it until the late 90s / early 2000 thanks to Lifetime. When I was a little kid I ran and hid when I heard that music come on when it was aired on the prime time networks.

All I'm saying is that a total revamp would be essentially a new show with the same format and name. It just wouldn't survive with all those other shows IMO. Diehards like most of us would love it if it was done well but there just wouldn't be the large following for it. Even the DVDs sets sold stopped being made a few years back. .

I think they should reair the Classic UM from 1987-2002 similar to Lifetime did before 2008 where it had scheduled times. like from 8pm-10pm or 10pm-12pm. They should do it in episode format (like episode 1 season 1). They could also do updates at the end of the episode or have specials (similar to how Intervention on A&E does "where are they now" specials every so often). This would work on CI network (Crime and investigation), ID (although they are more into soap opera soft core porn type crime shows) or even Lifetime again.

My point is simply that there just isn't enough demand or following unfortunately and at the end its all about ratings and money of course for networks

They went cheap, and TV Viewers today won't settle for cheap. .

Hops3098, you know the old saying: "Great minds think alike." It's clear that you understand the importance of production values. If you would like to discuss this topic with me via private messages, please don't hesitate to do so. :)