The true crime-based website True Crime Factor recently interviewed Unsolved Mysteries Co-creator and Producer John Cosgrove. It provides some interesting behind-the-scenes details.

Read it here:
https://truecrimefactor.com/2017/02/10/true-crime-factor-interview-john-cosgrove/

They have several interviews with other people related to UM cases.
https://truecrimefactor.com/?s=unsolved+mysteries

Interesting read.

I like how he tried to say they attempted to appeal to a "younger" audience with the Spike revamp. Which literally makes no sense. Most of the people who grew up with the show were little kids when it originally aired, who would then be "young" adults when the revamp hit the airwaves.

Interesting read.

I like how he tried to say they attempted to appeal to a "younger" audience with the Spike revamp. Which literally makes no sense. Most of the people who grew up with the show were little kids when it originally aired, who would then be "young" adults when the revamp hit the airwaves.

Maybe he mean't they tried to make it X-TREEMMMEMEEERAAAAD for the younger viewers who've never seen the show before.

Shooting for a new audience (younger crowd) then to grandma's watching Golden Girls. I feel like watching T&A on The Man Show, then showing cold case files to teenagers was weird though.

I also disagree with this quote from Cosgrove...

We cherry-picked the best stories to put in the DVD collection and the sales were okay, but not great. So, we sort of shelved the plan to do the entire seasons.

Well, they did cover their bases on the ghosts, UFOs and mysterious legends sets, but they certainly did not cherry-pick the best stories for their bizarre murders collection. And they did not even release a missing persons collection at all, but of course, made sure junk like the fertility statues segment made it to DVD. This is probably why their DVD sets didn't sell as well as they hoped.

I also disagree with this quote from Cosgrove...



Well, they did cover their bases on the ghosts, UFOs and mysterious legends sets, but they certainly did not cherry-pick the best stories for their bizarre murders collection. And they did not even release a missing persons collection at all, but of course, made sure junk like the fertility statues segment made it to DVD. This is probably why their DVD sets didn't sell as well as they hoped.

I couldn't agree more, RobinW.

I appreciate the interview, but Cosgrove is either running a Trump-like spin machine or he really doesn't know his audience. They could have done several editions of Bizarre Murders/Unexplained Deaths and Missing Persons. This board alone is a good barometer of the "popular" cases. While I liked many of the Bizarre Murders cases on the DVDs, they were far from the most bizarre or most popular.

I totally agree that for whatever reason, they pushed the goofy stuff (UFOs, etc.) while ignoring what made this show great -- murders and missing people. And if he thinks that the Farina reboot would attract a younger audience, then he didn't know his audience. The Farina episodes had cheesy graphics and sound effects and did nothing to give the stories feeling.

As TheCars1986 said, most of us started watching us as kids or young adults. While I totally appreciate them bringing these cases back, Cosgrove is way off base on what he is saying.

Interesting read.

I like how he tried to say they attempted to appeal to a "younger" audience with the Spike revamp. Which literally makes no sense. Most of the people who grew up with the show were little kids when it originally aired, who would then be "young" adults when the revamp hit the airwaves.

Agreed. It goes without saying that they were so fixated on attracting a younger audience that they were willing to do so at the show's expense - and at the risk of alienating its longtime viewers.

I also don't believe they were "constantly working on ways to try and get it back on the air" with new cases & stories.

If they were serious about it they would've taken a step back after the negative reviews Spike got, taken some time to fix the issues in formatting and possibly replaced Farina (Though I think if the format was better he would've done a good job) then shopped it around again. That process shouldn't have taken more then a year or so.

I also don't believe they were "constantly working on ways to try and get it back on the air" with new cases & stories.

If they were serious about it they would've taken a step back after the negative reviews Spike got, taken some time to fix the issues in formatting and possibly replaced Farina (Though I think if the format was better he would've done a good job) then shopped it around again. That process shouldn't have taken more then a year or so.

With Dennis Farina now deceased, they would have to replace him. Anyway, I agree that they have to take a step back in the wake of negative reception of the Spike version.

I know why their claim of trying to get the show back on the air doesn't sound believable: They have not, to the best of my knowledge, admitted that they had made a mistake. A lot of viewers detest the Spike reboot, and by not acknowledging that it was a mistake, the studio has obviously not been forgiven for that. They can be forgiven for the mistake if (and only if) they admit it was a mistake, learn from the mistake, and avoid repeating the mistake. If they do all those things, it could help restore their credibility with UM viewers, especially those who were alienated by the Spike reboot - and possibly lead to a successful revival of the series.

wow, this guy really is dumb. He doesn't seem to get his audience at all


There were some good cases on the DVD but far from all the best ones. If that is the reason they didn't release the rest of the series on DVD I don't know what to say.


and his whole idea for revamping the series is just idiotic. Spit on the old fans to try to appeal to some "younger" viewers by taking the old episodes and MTV izing them?

I also don't believe they were "constantly working on ways to try and get it back on the air" with new cases & stories.

If they were serious about it they would've taken a step back after the negative reviews Spike got, taken some time to fix the issues in formatting and possibly replaced Farina (Though I think if the format was better he would've done a good job) then shopped it around again. That process shouldn't have taken more then a year or so.

'

I don't believe it either. There is a whole channel devoted to shows like this these days. (Investigation Discovery). Forensic Files and Cold Case Files run constantly in reruns. There is an audience for it

I think for a revival to work, they would need to get it on one of the major player networks like NBC, CBS, ABC or even FOX. Putting it on a channel like Spike or even Lifetime is limiting the audience. By having a revived series on one of the big four, they would increase their viewership and that would help solve more cases. It's all about exposure.

Patty Stallings is his favorite case. But it is also the most tragic.

Patty got released
Patty sues the police
David Sr and Patty got divorced
Patty suffers nervous breakdown among other things
David Jr goes in and out of the mental hospital, family is not there for him
David Jr dies after being in and out of the mental hospital

Not sure if they has been posted elsewhere, but the Unresolved Mysteries subreddit is doing an "Ask Me Anything" with Meurer and Cosgrove on April 3rd at 3:00 PM Eastern. So, it will be the time for everyone to ask M&C all the questions you ever wanted to know about Unsolved Mysteries!! :D

Well, they did cover their bases on the ghosts, UFOs and mysterious legends sets, but they certainly did not cherry-pick the best stories for their bizarre murders collection. And they did not even release a missing persons collection at all, but of course, made sure junk like the fertility statues segment made it to DVD. This is probably why their DVD sets didn't sell as well as they hoped.

I don't think switching out some of the segments would have made the sets sell tons more - if the numbers weren't even close to what they were expecting, there was just not the audience for them (the marketing/price point could have contributed as well). As far as I know the Stack episodes were still in reruns when the sets were originally released so the demand probably just wasn't there.

It could be that if they had done individual season releases that they would have performed better...

I don't believe it either. There is a whole channel devoted to shows like this these days. (Investigation Discovery). Forensic Files and Cold Case Files run constantly in reruns. There is an audience for it

I'm assuming CM thought the UM brand had value (and, as has now been proven, they were right). The networks are probably cranking out these shows for next to nothing. I am not at all surprised that CM could not get what they thought their show was worth to go back in to production. Just because he's always working on ways to bring it back does not mean that there are never offers on the table.

Think about how high the production values on the original series were... that was an expensive show to make (I'm assuming). That was part of why it's great.

There is way more competition now than there was when UM was the biggest true crime show, and probably a lot less money involved too.

I only bought the "Best of UM" DVD set, which was supposed to have the best of the best segments. I was underwhelmed. I was also underwhelmed with the Bizarre Murders set you spoke of, Robin. It didn't seem like they had picked the classic episodes that really resonated with their audience and I was never really sure of the reasoning/rationale behind those decisions. I appreciated the Brook Baker segment, but it certainly wasn't at the top of my list...

Ironically enough, there IS a market for the old UM DVD's. I was scanning a bunch of DVD's into the app Decluttr in an effort to do some spring cleaning. I was SHOCKED to see that while the majority of my DVD's would be "sold" at something like 50 cents each, the app was willing to pay me $22 for the UM boxed set.

Thanks for the tip on the AMA, wonderwall! I will definitely try to think of something to ask them... :D

Ironically enough, there IS a market for the old UM DVD's. I was scanning a bunch of DVD's into the app Decluttr in an effort to do some spring cleaning. I was SHOCKED to see that while the majority of my DVD's would be "sold" at something like 50 cents each, the app was willing to pay me $22 for the UM boxed set.

Yep. The aftermarket went crazy during all those years that the original show was completely unavailable. I'd imagine the prices on those will start to dip a little when it's all available streaming.

A note for those buying/selling the DVDs: I think all of the sets were later released in 2 disc packages and they often get muddled together on Amazon/ebay. So it's important to know what you're getting (or to note what you're offering for sale).

Yep. The aftermarket went crazy during all those years that the original show was completely unavailable. I'd imagine the prices on those will start to dip a little when it's all available streaming.

A note for those buying/selling the DVDs: I think all of the sets were later released in 2 disc packages and they often get muddled together on Amazon/ebay. So it's important to know what you're getting (or to note what you're offering for sale).

I totally agree. I was looking to get the Bizarre Murders boxed set a few years ago and I was floored to see that it's averaging about $90 on eBay... Supply and demand, I suppose.

I don't think switching out some of the segments would have made the sets sell tons more - if the numbers weren't even close to what they were expecting, there was just not the audience for them (the marketing/price point could have contributed as well). As far as I know the Stack episodes were still in reruns when the sets were originally released so the demand probably just wasn't there.

It could be that if they had done individual season releases that they would have performed better...

That's a great post and great instincts. I will take it further: The specific segments meant next to nothing. The interest simply wasn't there.

This board can suffer from too much information. But that's representative of any endeavor. Pig farmers think the world revolves around pig farming. So when we see segments included that aren't the best choices, combined with reports of subpar sales, there's a natural tendency to go overboard and link the two trends.

On sports forums I call that Happy Adjusting. Posters don't like to be called Happy Adjusters. But it fits. Instead of recognizing the big picture they want to believe, for example, that if a quarterback had better wide receivers he'd throw 15 more touchdown passes per season and 10 fewer interceptions. It's always to the extreme. No extreme is out of range. Just make it anywhere you want it to be. In Las Vegas many of my friends and I used to marvel at how well we would do merely by projecting base normalcy. You are what you are. Leave the adjustments to everyone else.

On another note, I'm always amazed at Walmart's contribution to true crime and specifically to serial killers. That could be a series in itself. If you need an oversized suitcase to stuff a small body, Walmart is your target. The Supercenters are particularly attractive, and at 3 AM. Don't forget the shovel, the tarp, the gloves, the tape, the wrap...whatever you need. Walmart has it all.

Patty Stallings is his favorite case. But it is also the most tragic.

That's absolutely one of the great true crime cases. Countless interesting variables and experts at battle.

My pet peeve is authorities who get it wrong and press the issue, fixated on twisting the family member(s) into the guilty party. It's seemingly not a matter of right or wrong but simply winning the court battle once you've aligned with a theory, no matter how flimsy or ridiculous it is. The Russ Faria/Leah Askey case is a blatant example of that.

But it must be said that many experts and members of law enforcement do have a greater sense of probability and fight for the wrongly accused/wrongly convicted. This Stallings case is one of the best examples of that. Fortunately the second pregnancy was just enough to point in the correct direction and carry enough weight. Otherwise even if outside experts had become aware of the flawed original conclusions, I doubt anything would have changed. It's unbelievable how stubborn the original crew can be once their version is challenged, no matter the exculpatory evidence.

I don't consider this to be among the most tragic cases. IMO, that is reserved for situations when killers are allowed to slip through the system for whatever reason and claim many more victims. Maybe a jury got it wrong, or there wasn't enough evidence to charge the person, or simple bad luck. With these high profile cases it's startling how often basic chance comes into play.

Also, obviously I think it's tragic when an innocent person is wrongly convicted. We are treated to elite cases on true crime programs and in the media. So that type of case gains the spotlight even if it doesn't happen too often. I appreciated that Las Vegas true crime program on Investigation Discovery last season partially because it covered run of the mill cases and run of the mill lawyers as opposed to the ultra upper tier.