Don’t worry, I won’t give out any case spoilers on this. I just watched the first episode of the new series. I had mixed expectations going in, excited, skeptical, hopeful, curious, and so on. I’ve felt for some time now that no matter what, seeing new cases being profiled is a good thing. At its core, UM was always about a public service just as much, if not more than it’s entertainment value. So with this all in mind, I hit play about 5 minutes after the series became available about two hours ago.

I won’t spoil the cases, but I’ll give a brief review of the episode itself. If you don’t want to know that prior to going in, stop reading now until you’ve watched the first episode.

First off, drop any and all expectations of this being in the style of the original. It just isn’t. That’s not to say it’s bad though. The first episode is quite compelling to be honest. The style of the episode feels very much like an episode of “Disappeared”, but without a narrator. There are little to no re-enactments, this was probably my biggest surprise going in as I thought the idea was going to be to capture the creepy feel of those re-enactments. Perhaps the next five episodes will offer more of this? But the recreations that are done are very much in the style of Disappeared as well. No actor faces shown, but For example, just quick glimpses of a person’s legs or a silhouette as they run down stairs. What is done is done well, but this was probably my biggest disappointment aside from no host/narrator.

The narrative is given primarily by a person connected directly to the victim and occasionally by other interviewees. It’s done well, but of course, it ain’t no Robert Stack.

The music is spot on and quite creepy. Very well done and I’m loving the new cover of the old theme.

The opening is very reminiscent of the later seasons and dvd releases of the original, but in a much smoother way. I don’t want to say too much here, but UM purists should not blink or they may miss a cool Easter egg the first time through.

The case itself is extremely compelling and not as simple as the first few minutes of the episode indicate. I’ll leave discussion of the case to it’s own thread on here though, but seriously, it’s a strange one.

All in all, I enjoyed it. I was hoping for a bit of nostalgia given that some of the folks behind Stranger Things were involved, but really, there is no nostalgia to be had. But the show does seem to be off to a good start at least. I would say if you like the show Disappeared, you will probably enjoy this new version of UM.

I haven't watched it yet but I'm kind of glad there isn't a host. We be comparing him to Stack. But I think we could use the reenactments. Though the actors could be downright terrible at times.

It’s almost 6 am here. I briefed my 16 year old niece on UM, who I thought had seen it before, and showed her a classic episode. Then explained the history and then we saw the first two episodes.

I appreciate the Farina episodes, as I believe he brought his own flair to the show. Too bad they didn’t give him new material because I think he could have done a good job.

That said, I always read “no host” but I did t think that meant no narrator either! Regardless, it was well done. The music... the main theme is played on a piano and in a different key, but it works just as well. It’s spooky still to someone like me, and I see what they went for with the music. At times, the background music will go from mellow to creepy with a quick, sharp, jarring change. Younger kids, that have been watching all kinds of scary crap as long as they’ve been alive (and may be desensitized to it all) may not “spook” as easily.

I only saw the first two episodes, but the cases are not so simple and and straightforward. As Guardian said, compelling, but also complicated and full of twists and turns. As the story plays out, something is thrown in, and then another. And another. Wow.

Each one is almost an hour long. The individuals interviewed are... well, the episodes communicate just how real and RAW the circumstances are to those involved.

As for the intro, I’ll just say, I was surprised with the visuals. Especially towards the end of the introduction. I felt nostalgic, and a teeny, tiny bit sad, but I’m glad the creators did what they did. It’s new and it’s moved on from the UM of old, but it’s still UM. I guess the creators realized what us fans did long ago; no matter what, Robert Stack will always be Unsolved Mysteries, and vice versa.

Glad to see some positive reviews. I haven't watched it yet but did see the intro and it's much, much better than the intro UM did during it's original run in the later seasons.

I'm one episode in...

Going in, I wanted a host and multiple stories per episode. This is certainly not the Stack era UM we grew up with.

That said, this new version is REALLY GOOD! The production value is amazing. Excellent cinematography and sound. There is nothing cheesy about this -- it is a total 180 from the Farina reboot. The longer format does allow them to go deeper into the investigation, too, which is a good thing. This first case really benefitted from the background info and expanded story.

There is a subtle creepiness to this that really brought me back to the original UM days. The subtle piano music, the drone shots of the city and buildings, hearing from the victim's family... I give the producers an A+ on the package they have put out.

So yes, it's different and not the same as the original UM, but I really, really like this updated version and I can't wait to watch the other episodes. I sincerely hope they keep putting this out!

This is something else. It isn't Unsolved Mysteries. I will appreciate it for what it is, but it just doesn't have that UM feel. I am going to support it and watch it though. I appreciate the effort for us OG fans.

Oh my gosh...the Easter egg in the opening credits gave me chills!

As a lover of synth music, I wasn’t keen on the theme being played on piano. However, I found it especially effective and unsettling being played over the end credits.

Is there a video of the Netflix version of the theme song?

Is there a video of the Netflix version of the theme song?

Yeah, just search on the forbidden site for “Unsolved Mysteries 2020 Netflix Intro”. But if you haven’t watched the series yet, I’d wait and watch it for the first time there. It sets a good tone watching the first time. Just my opinion of course.

I’m struggling with the French episode

I'm three episodes in. Its a very good true crime/mystery series and well produced, but it doesn't feel like classic Unsolved Mysteries.

The music isn't as bone chilling, and the lack of a host just makes it fall in line with any other docu-series. But to be fair...how do you replace Robert Stack? I was talking about this with someone just last night and the only name we could come up with that would be Josh Brolin. We literally couldn't think of anyone else.

For what it is though, it is a well made docu-series and the cases are interesting.

I've only watched the 1st episode, but I thought the pacing was a little slow. Imagine how it would have been in 20-30 minutes. It's good, i like it, and I definitely prefer it over the 2008 reboot.

I'm only on episode one, but so far, it's just like watching the shows on Investigation Discovery. I miss the old format with multiple cases, Stack, etc... It's just nothing new in this day and age. I'm really trying to not compare it to the original, because it's not. However, I will say if THIS version had been the old one, before the massive amounts of true crime shows we have now I'd have liked it. Now, I'd love to see the old format back, for something different.

I'm one episode in...

Going in, I wanted a host and multiple stories per episode. This is certainly not the Stack era UM we grew up with.

That said, this new version is REALLY GOOD! The production value is amazing. Excellent cinematography and sound. There is nothing cheesy about this -- it is a total 180 from the Farina reboot. The longer format does allow them to go deeper into the investigation, too, which is a good thing. This first case really benefitted from the background info and expanded story.

There is a subtle creepiness to this that really brought me back to the original UM days. The subtle piano music, the drone shots of the city and buildings, hearing from the victim's family... I give the producers an A+ on the package they have put out.

So yes, it's different and not the same as the original UM, but I really, really like this updated version and I can't wait to watch the other episodes. I sincerely hope they keep putting this out!


Thanks for starting this thread OP...it's nice to know that I wasn't the only one waiting for the new UM with baited breath, lol.

I totally agree with you Todd regarding your review! Of course, in a perfect world, I too would have loved to see multiple cases per episode, and a wonderfully creepy host/narrator (a la Robert Stack). That said, I read a couple early reviews ahead of time and knew going in what the show would be, and what it wouldn't be. Oh, and I too loved the revised version of the theme music! It totally brought back fond memories. Ultimately, I agree with the OP about this reboot having a bit of a Disappeared feel, which is great for me since I love that show as well. Overall, I'm a fan, then and now.

Yeah, just search on the forbidden site for “Unsolved Mysteries 2020 Netflix Intro”. But if you haven’t watched the series yet, I’d wait and watch it for the first time there. It sets a good tone watching the first time. Just my opinion of course.

Thank you.

Highly disappointing this review says everything I feel:


https://www.indiewire.com/2020/07/unsolved-mysteries-netflix-reboot-1202235240/

I’m struggling with the French episode

You and me both I am nit a fan of subtitles but I am going to rewatch it now

I loved it. No narrator or host to replace Stack was the correct choice. The people involved in the cases can present the narrative without one. The music was great and much better than similar true crime shows and the length of each episode makes it easier to expand on the cases and actually feel for the victims. I felt like I knew Rey Rivera after watching the first episode.

Highly disappointing this review says everything I feel:


https://www.indiewire.com/2020/07/unsolved-mysteries-netflix-reboot-1202235240/

That was perfect, and this was the perfect summary:

"The series offers the sinking feeling one gets when you go to visit a favorite restaurant that's now under new management."

I think it's great, house of horrors and 13 minutes are amazing, first one was good too but 2 and 3 are the clear standouts.

I've said it on another thread, but I was highly impressed, loved the new music, and will continue to watch.

I have a slight appreciation for the Farina reboot, but it wasn't as good as the Stack episodes. While the reboot is not the same, I don't think it was the intention of the producers to make it the same. You can't replace Robert Stack. They learned that with the Farina run. As Cars said above, you can still tell the story without the use of the narrator.

The revival, in my opinion, is a perfect melding of the old and the new. It's a great way to recognize Stack's legacy while moving forward. I'm 100x happier with this revival as opposed to the Farina reboot.

Its not the old Unsolved Mysteries, so when I talk about it, people are going to think I'm crapping on it. I'm not. Its a perfectly well made and produced True Crime/Mystery series, but it lacks the elements that made UM special and memorable.

Based on the one hour format per case, many of the old segments from the original series such as Lost Loves, Sci/Med, Heirs, Ghosts, Legends, Treasures and Psychics will probably not be a part of the new series.

I know no one could ever replace Robert Stack but someone on Twitter just said they missed the boat not getting Ray Wise to host it. I could get behind that

Not that I think they'll go back to a host format, I just think they missed a great opportunity there.

I honestly don't mind the show, but I feel like it shouldn't be called Unsolved Mysteries. It feels like one of Netflix's usual docudramas with the beautiful cinematography and dramatic narration by various witnesses and people in the story, but the only thing similar to Unsolved Mysteries is the reboot of the theme song. So it feels like free promotion for a new series, using the title, rather than a reboot of an already-known show.

I didn't like it. It's just the same as the zillion other "true crime" shows all over streaming services. I want something different. I also wanted a decent narrator who could effectively capture the creepy tone that Robert Stack did. Alas. I'll just make do with my downloads off YouTube.

Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries reboot has almost none of what made the original memorable (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/unsolved-mysteries-review-1300956)

Even though original Unsolved Mysteries (https://www.primetimer.com/shows/unsolved-mysteries) creators John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer are leading the Netflix reboot, along with Stranger Things executive producer Shawn Levy, the new incarnation is "substituting generic cases and limited style in stories (episodes run less than an hour) that are too dull for a miniseries and too meekly investigated for a newsmagazine," says Daniel Fienberg. He adds: "The original series was driven heavily by re-enactments and, yes, sometimes they were cheesy as heck, but they were a way of illustrating claims or possibilities. In the new version, the re-enactments have been limited to more traditional documentary-style filler, bridging scenes or covering for a lack of news footage. They don't illuminate anything. And don't get me wrong, a series in 2020 doing the sort of re-enactments Unsolved Mysteries was doing in 1990 would absolutely look silly. But if you remove those re-enactments and don't replace them with re-enactments presented in an updated style — gimme Errol Morris' Unsolved Mysteries — or any compensating substance or rigor, the result is fairly generic, reasonably pointless and definitely has no connection to the Unsolved Mysteries brand. Plus, then you decide to go host-less? Come on! Robert Stack is the first, second and third thing that I think of when I think of Unsolved Mysteries. I'm not sure what Stack gave to the original series was 'gravitas,' exactly, but the Untouchables star gave it a certain synthetic credibility, walking through fake fog in a real trench coat, that was perfect for what Unsolved Mysteries wanted to accomplish. The host cements a tone and lets viewers know if they're supposed to approach what follows as grounded drama, high melodrama, utterly ridiculous or camp. Normally I don't require hand-holding, but with documentary storytelling this mediocre, an authoritative host might have compensated for a total lack of tone."

ALSO:


It's a bit of a letdown to go without a host, or even voice-over narration (https://tv.avclub.com/netflix-s-new-unsolved-mysteries-loses-the-host-but-ke-1844206017): "Aside from a sharp reduction in trench-coat-clad gravitas, the main result of nixing a series host is that the show’s crowdsourced element is pushed to the background. Where once (Robert) Stack had looked directly into the camera and announced in a deep, sonorous voice, 'You may be able to help solve a mystery,' now there’s just a title card at the end of each episode urging viewers to go to the Unsolved Mysteries website if they have any information. And it’s a bit ironic, considering that online communities like Reddit teeming with volunteer amateur detectives have grown exponentially in the 10-year gap between seasons 14 and 15 of Unsolved Mysteries. But it’s not as ironic as the decision to ditch the title cards announcing that Unsolved Mysteries is not actually a news broadcast, when spending 10 minutes on Facebook makes clear that those sorts of disclaimers are needed now more than ever."
The reboot feels like visiting your favorite restaurant under new management (https://www.indiewire.com/2020/07/unsolved-mysteries-netflix-reboot-1202235240/): "The food and decor is the same, but the fundamental reason for its existence — the memories — have been washed away," says Kristen Lopez, adding: "What made Unsolved so unique from America’s Most Wanted or Dateline was that everything unexplained was up for grabs. Elongating episodes only works if there is a story worth fitting into nearly an hour, and of course murder and missing persons cases often can. But it will be hard to see the series tackle something like lost loves to fit in an hour. Conversely, some cases suffer from filler, with the camera capturing moody shots of centipedes walking through a wooded floor or, in the pilot episode focused on the death of Rey Rivera, taking two minutes to detail the unrelated significance of the location he died in. There’s a greater sense of tightness and cohesion — as well as being able to pack in more stories — with a shorter runtime."
The first six episodes of the new Unsolved Mysteries are as chilling as those in the original series (https://mashable.com/article/unsolved-mysteries-review/)

I have a feeling this will not be getting a season 2. This will be known as the lost season of UM.

I've said it on another thread, but I was highly impressed, loved the new music, and will continue to watch.

I have a slight appreciation for the Farina reboot, but it wasn't as good as the Stack episodes. While the reboot is not the same, I don't think it was the intention of the producers to make it the same. You can't replace Robert Stack. They learned that with the Farina run. As Cars said above, you can still tell the story without the use of the narrator.

The revival, in my opinion, is a perfect melding of the old and the new. It's a great way to recognize Stack's legacy while moving forward. I'm 100x happier with this revival as opposed to the Farina reboot.

The biggest problem with the Farina "reboot" is that it wasn't a reboot --- it was a repackaging for syndication. :rolleyes: With the exception of a few rare or unaired segments, there was no new meat on the bone.

This isn't really the same thing, as it is a reboot, so the comparison is unfair, but I will make it anyway: it is infinitely superior to the Farina version in every way.

You can't expect a 1980s style and production values on a show being produced more than 30 years later. It is very good, although I would say that where the repackaging suffered from the dumbing down via speeding up of the content (zipping through the story at too fast a pace), this actually suffers from the opposite problem: there is a tendency for the show to withhold the critical piece of information so that the episode can almost feel like a bait-and-switch (oh this is a missing person case no wait it's an unexplained death).

Haven't watched the French episode yet, was texting with a friend last night while watching so couldn't do both simultaneously, but honestly I like the concept of unshackling the show from the US and I am looking forward to it.

Remember all the folks who were insistent that this would be "totally 80s"? :lol:

There are some creepy moments, but in its totality this program is Unsolved Mysteries in name only.

The series suffers from serious pacing issues, seemingly resulting from a lack of content. I wonder if re-enactments could have helped with this? Or perhaps thirty minute segments?

The cinematography is polished. It looks really good. The music is almost an afterthought, and the sound mixing is dead on arrival. This is the fatal flaw of the show, in my opinion. The music and sound of the original was the spirit of Unsolved Mysteries. Here, it barely hangs in the background.

The lack of diversity in stories is equally disappointing. I expect one ghost story and another five true crime stories in the next volume.

Ultimately, they chose style over substance. It's disfortunate that they couldn't even bother to get the "style" of the original correct. This is a mediocre show, regardless.

TL;DR: Unsolved Mysteries Season 15 > Unsolved Mysteries Season 14

If they had called it something else, I would have had an easier time accepting it.

Its a perfectly acceptable and well made True Crime/Docu-series

But its not Unsolved Mysteries.

Let me count the ways:

1) No Host: Yes, I know, I know, I KNOW. Robert Stack is nigh impossible to replace, and the last time they tried with Farina, it didn't work. But to have no host at all, we didn't have that guide through the terrifying tales. It felt like something was missing.

2) The Reenactments: Part of what sold the cases and help commit them to memory were the reenactments. Yes, the acting in some of them were cheesy, but these complete scenes provided us with visuals, dialogue, and moments to help commit these cases to memory. Try to imagine the Edward Howard Bell case without that reenactment (which brought me to tears the last time I watched it). Or how about Jane's miraculous escape from her attacker (The I-70 killer)? The reenactment sells that entire story. And the Ghost stories and UFO segments would be virtually nothing without the reenactments.

This new version's reenactments are little more than quick cut scenes to serve as visual aids to the interviews and nothing more. And with the extended run time for each story, I expected the reenactments to be fantastic, and they were barely a footnote.

3) The Music = I liked the piano version of the classic theme, but other than that, the music was unremarkable. Why not just use the old music? Heck, I never understood why they changed the music in later seasons of the original run. Why fix what ain't broken? The music always helped add to the terror of each story, and was one of the best parts of the show.

4) The format = In the old UM, we had about 4-5 cases over an hour long episode (closer to 45 when you account for commercials). That meant the segments had to be concise, digestible, and memorable. The issue that came with that is that details had to be left out for the sake of time and pacing.

By dedicating a full episode to one case, it helps prevent the possibility of details being left out BUT it also opens the door for a lot of repetition and "beating a dead horse" syndrome. Look at the first case. How many times did one of the family members say "I know he didn't do it". The old UM felt like they were pressed for time and had to be quick, and this one felt like it lingered too long most of the time.

Also, we were missing variety in the cases. In classic UM, nothing was off the table. In one episode, you could get a bank robbery, a murder, a ghost story or old legend, and a lost love story with a potential feel good ending. I actually had this discussion with a friend a few nights ago, and he told me he preferred the ghost story stuff, where as I was always more interested in the true crime stories. It had something for everyone.

Here, we have six cases and of those six, five of them are disappearance/missing persons cases, and you get one UFO story to serve as the combo breaker. There wasn't much variety in the cases.

Now I know it sounds like I'm trashing the new UM, and I'm not. Its well produced, well made, the cases themselves are interesting for the most part. Its just missing most of what made UM special, and if they had called it something else, I probably would have enjoyed it more.

If they had called it something else, I would have had an easier time accepting it.

Its a perfectly acceptable and well made True Crime/Docu-series

But its not Unsolved Mysteries.

Let me count the ways:

1) No Host: Yes, I know, I know, I KNOW. Robert Stack is nigh impossible to replace, and the last time they tried with Farina, it didn't work. But to have no host at all, we didn't have that guide through the terrifying tales. It felt like something was missing.

2) The Reenactments: Part of what sold the cases and help commit them to memory were the reenactments. Yes, the acting in some of them were cheesy, but these complete scenes provided us with visuals, dialogue, and moments to help commit these cases to memory. Try to imagine the Edward Howard Bell case without that reenactment (which brought me to tears the last time I watched it). Or how about Jane's miraculous escape from her attacker (The I-70 killer)? The reenactment sells that entire story. And the Ghost stories and UFO segments would be virtually nothing without the reenactments.

This new version's reenactments are little more than quick cut scenes to serve as visual aids to the interviews and nothing more. And with the extended run time for each story, I expected the reenactments to be fantastic, and they were barely a footnote.

3) The Music = I liked the piano version of the classic theme, but other than that, the music was unremarkable. Why not just use the old music? Heck, I never understood why they changed the music in later seasons of the original run. Why fix what ain't broken? The music always helped add to the terror of each story, and was one of the best parts of the show.

4) The format = In the old UM, we had about 4-5 cases over an hour long episode (closer to 45 when you account for commercials). That meant the segments had to be concise, digestible, and memorable. The issue that came with that is that details had to be left out for the sake of time and pacing.

By dedicating a full episode to one case, it helps prevent the possibility of details being left out BUT it also opens the door for a lot of repetition and "beating a dead horse" syndrome. Look at the first case. How many times did one of the family members say "I know he didn't do it". The old UM felt like they were pressed for time and had to be quick, and this one felt like it lingered too long most of the time.

Also, we were missing variety in the cases. In classic UM, nothing was off the table. In one episode, you could get a bank robbery, a murder, a ghost story or old legend, and a lost love story with a potential feel good ending. I actually had this discussion with a friend a few nights ago, and he told me he preferred the ghost story stuff, where as I was always more interested in the true crime stories. It had something for everyone.

Here, we have six cases and of those six, five of them are disappearance/missing persons cases, and you get one UFO story to serve as the combo breaker. There wasn't much variety in the cases.

Now I know it sounds like I'm trashing the new UM, and I'm not. Its well produced, well made, the cases themselves are interesting for the most part. Its just missing most of what made UM special, and if they had called it something else, I probably would have enjoyed it more.


That's my exact thought. I really enjoy Netflix's documentaries and docu-series', and I would have enjoyed this one too. But when I went in expecting something resembling Unsolved Mysteries and the only thing they had in common was an intro theme, I ended up stopping after the second episode. If it had been promoted more "honestly", for lack of a better word, I would have enjoyed it for what it was.

That's my exact thought. I really enjoy Netflix's documentaries and docu-series', and I would have enjoyed this one too. But when I went in expecting something resembling Unsolved Mysteries and the only thing they had in common was an intro theme, I ended up stopping after the second episode. If it had been promoted more "honestly", for lack of a better word, I would have enjoyed it for what it was.

After watching the first episode, I agree with this wholeheartedly. It wasn't bad as a true crime show, but it wasn't anything UM.

I have a feeling this will not be getting a season 2. This will be known as the lost season of UM.

Why do you think this? UM is currently #1 on Netflix right now.

1) No Host: Yes, I know, I know, I KNOW. Robert Stack is nigh impossible to replace, and the last time they tried with Farina, it didn't work. But to have no host at all, we didn't have that guide through the terrifying tales. It felt like something was missing.

Two words: RAY WISE

Looks like every other regular crime show on these days.

Jesus Christ, aren’t you people just happy that it’s back in some form at all? Yes it’s not the original, yes it’s different but at least they did this much and brought it back. Everything needs to evolve and I’m sure they will tweak some things down the line when it almost assuredly gets a second season order. I think at this point we should just be happy Netflix and CM took a chance and spent the money. It’s not like they took the old ones away and we can never see them again. You want nostalgia? Go watch those. You want new cases? Watch the reboot. Not a fan of the reboot? Don’t watch it at all. Pretty simple decisions to me.

Jesus Christ, aren’t you people just happy that it’s back in some form at all? Yes it’s not the original, yes it’s different but at least they did this much and brought it back. Everything needs to evolve and I’m sure they will tweak some things down the line when it almost assuredly gets a second season order. I think at this point we should just be happy Netflix and CM took a chance and spent the money. It’s not like they took the old ones away and we can never see them again. You want nostalgia? Go watch those. You want new cases? Watch the reboot. Not a fan of the reboot? Don’t watch it at all. Pretty simple decisions to me.

Indeed & I think most here will choose not to watch it. It is just a cynical marketing ploy-the show looks no different than the dozens of other true crime shows on & has no resemblance to the original. Doesn't look to be anything wrong with the show, but people who are fans of UM want something nostalgic, not another glossy series with zero atmosphere or charm. The problem here lies with calling a show UM when it isn't anything like the original, while trying to make money off fans of that show.

Much like internet wrestling fans, people need to realize that we are a very, very small minority of fans. We are outnumbered by people who are browsing Netflix, see "Unsolved Mysteries", and go, "oh that show used to scare me as a kid, let's watch it!", and they watch it and enjoy. They don't nitpick. They don't post online about the cases. And these are the people who Netflix cares about.

Did anyone kind of jolt hearing the profanity in the 4th episode (at least a couple of F bombs)? It made me wonder how much swearing in interviews was cut out of the original show. :lol: One pro of Netflix is that they don't have to be censored like the original show was.

Did anyone kind of jolt hearing the profanity in the 4th episode (at least a couple of F bombs)? It made me wonder how much swearing in interviews was cut out of the original show. :lol: One pro of Netflix is that they don't have to be censored like the original show was.

Haha, yeah when Pistol Black said it in episode 2, I literally went back and turned subtitles on to confirm what I thought I had heard. Definitely different to see that now :lol:

You can't expect a 1980s style and production values on a show being produced more than 30 years later. It is very good, although I would say that where the repackaging suffered from the dumbing down via speeding up of the content (zipping through the story at too fast a pace), this actually suffers from the opposite problem: there is a tendency for the show to withhold the critical piece of information so that the episode can almost feel like a bait-and-switch (oh this is a missing person case no wait it's an unexplained death).

Haven't watched the French episode yet, was texting with a friend last night while watching so couldn't do both simultaneously, but honestly I like the concept of unshackling the show from the US and I am looking forward to it.

This is me too, generally.

I approached it with no expectations and feel this contributed to my enjoyment. I didn't expect a resurrection of the original series nor did I anticipate it being some kind of pale comparison. It's filmed exceptionally well. The choice to forego a narrator was wise and lends fresh breath to the presentation. It's engaging. My only criticism would be what mozart mentioned above. And getting coverage of stories beyond the US with a sprinkling of Canada and a smattering of "everywhere else" I think is absolutely the right thing to do.

the 35-60 minute format eliminates most of the categories seen on Unsolved Mysteries back in the 80's. I don't know they would do Lost Loves in the format of how they did it back then. Lost Loves cases like Captain Sharpe, Phillip Peletier or cases involving siblings separated but have not seen each other in decades, I don't think would be possible in the 35-60 minute format that the reboot does today. I think that they might be able to do science, such as an episode dedicated to the mystery of "are we alone in the universe?" and they could possibly fill 35-60 minutes talking about the moons of Jupiter and Saturn that could have life such as Io, Europa, Titan and Enceladus as well as neighboring galaxies such as Proxima Centuari. They might visit Mars again. Again, it might depend on the scientific topic.

Others such as heirs, psychics, treasures and legends are impossible under this current format. Ghosts is possible as there have been videos online lasting 35-60 minutes long.

So far I'm enjoying it. I've gotten through the first and third episodes with high interest. The french episode was fascinating for me. I thought they really took the next step by using French and putting English in subtitles. and that case really reminded me of the William Bradford Bishop case.

the new show can absolutely grab new fans and could lead to more showings in the future. I love that they brought back the original music with the pop up of robert stack.

Indeed & I think most here will choose not to watch it. It is just a cynical marketing ploy-the show looks no different than the dozens of other true crime shows on & has no resemblance to the original. Doesn't look to be anything wrong with the show, but people who are fans of UM want something nostalgic, not another glossy series with zero atmosphere or charm. The problem here lies with calling a show UM when it isn't anything like the original, while trying to make money off fans of that show.

Much like internet wrestling fans, people need to realize that we are a very, very small minority of fans. We are outnumbered by people who are browsing Netflix, see "Unsolved Mysteries", and go, "oh that show used to scare me as a kid, let's watch it!", and they watch it and enjoy. They don't nitpick. They don't post online about the cases. And these are the people who Netflix cares about.

I think both of these are spot on. It's obvious to me the point of calling it UM was free advertising for the show, and it worked very well (show's #1 in the US, after all), so good for them. It's just not my cup of tea for that reason--I love Forensic Files and all those shows, but UM still managed to be different even before the trend had begun because it was a unique show. One example is that some people hate the paranormal segments, but to me that was part of the magic. It wasn't a constant stream of true crime that can end up getting heavy, but instead was peppered with stupid fun lucky rocks and sex chocolate, as well as feel-good reuinions like the Orphan Train stories. For me personally, this show is the true crime version of the constant remakes and reboots of 80s movies and fairy tales, and video game movies that were a trend a few years back. It's a cash grab, and I respect the hustle, but it's not for me.

Much like internet wrestling fans, people need to realize that we are a very, very small minority of fans. We are outnumbered by people who are browsing Netflix, see "Unsolved Mysteries", and go, "oh that show used to scare me as a kid, let's watch it!", and they watch it and enjoy. They don't nitpick. They don't post online about the cases. And these are the people who Netflix cares about.

https://i.imgur.com/6sWhHCH.jpg

the 35-60 minute format eliminates most of the categories seen on Unsolved Mysteries back in the 80's. I don't know they would do Lost Loves in the format of how they did it back then. Lost Loves cases like Captain Sharpe, Phillip Peletier or cases involving siblings separated but have not seen each other in decades, I don't think would be possible in the 35-60 minute format that the reboot does today. I think that they might be able to do science, such as an episode dedicated to the mystery of "are we alone in the universe?" and they could possibly fill 35-60 minutes talking about the moons of Jupiter and Saturn that could have life such as Io, Europa, Titan and Enceladus as well as neighboring galaxies such as Proxima Centuari. They might visit Mars again. Again, it might depend on the scientific topic.

Others such as heirs, psychics, treasures and legends are impossible under this current format. Ghosts is possible as there have been videos online lasting 35-60 minutes long.

Forget about it-you can bet this will mostly be a missing persons & unsolved murders show, with the occasional UFO & Ghost story.

I think both of these are spot on. It's obvious to me the point of calling it UM was free advertising for the show, and it worked very well (show's #1 in the US, after all), so good for them. It's just not my cup of tea for that reason--I love Forensic Files and all those shows, but UM still managed to be different even before the trend had begun because it was a unique show. One example is that some people hate the paranormal segments, but to me that was part of the magic. It wasn't a constant stream of true crime that can end up getting heavy, but instead was peppered with stupid fun lucky rocks and sex chocolate, as well as feel-good reuinions like the Orphan Train stories. For me personally, this show is the true crime version of the constant remakes and reboots of 80s movies and fairy tales, and video game movies that were a trend a few years back. It's a cash grab, and I respect the hustle, but it's not for me.

Exactly, UM had charm & atmosphere. This show looks very well produced, but I don't see it bears much resemblance to the original & really I cannot see why it is any different to all the other high production true crime shows out there now.

I'm only four episodes in, but I already think it's really cool how these new cases are so similar to classic UM cases.

Rey Rivera: portions of Charles Morgan, David Stone, and Rae Ann Mosser
Patrice Endes: Dana Satterfield
House of Horrors: Brad Bishop
Alonzo Brooks: Kurt Sova and Keith Warren

I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, but for us classic UM fans I think it's pretty neat. It's also great to have new cases to discuss.

Much like internet wrestling fans, people need to realize that we are a very, very small minority of fans. We are outnumbered by people who are browsing Netflix, see "Unsolved Mysteries", and go, "oh that show used to scare me as a kid, let's watch it!", and they watch it and enjoy. They don't nitpick. They don't post online about the cases. And these are the people who Netflix cares about.

Bingo. My wife has a passing and developing interest because of me watching the classic episodes. She likes watching them with me sometimes but she doesn't have nearly the knowledge or history of UM that I do.

When the Netflix episodes dropped, I watched the first two and told her they were good. Then she went and liked it so much, she binge watched the first four episodes. She loves this new version.

So like Cars said, they capitalized more on the casual fans than the hard-core fans. In some ways, I'm ok with that. I really like the new shows but they aren't classic UM. Trying to do that too much may have been worse, like the Farina reboot. If it wasn't going to be very much like early UM, than I'm ok with this.

I'm only four episodes in, but I already think it's really cool how these new cases are so similar to classic UM cases.

Rey Rivera: portions of Charles Morgan, David Stone, and Rae Ann Mosser
Patrice Endes: Dana Satterfield
House of Horrors: Brad Bishop
Alonzo Brooks: Kurt Sova and Keith Warren

I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, but for us classic UM fans I think it's pretty neat. It's also great to have new cases to discuss.

Will add to this that the Berkshire UFO is similar to the original Missing Time segment (people coming to hours later and having time unaccounted for).

The final episode reminded me of the Wendy Camp/Chad Noe case, right down to the most likely guilty party having custody of the missing person's child.

I also really enjoy having this new material to discuss on the board.

I also really enjoy having this new material to discuss on the board.

Totally agree, it’s really awesome. It will be great to start seeing some developments in these new cases as well as new people posting. It will also be great to see people directly involved with the cases posting, which I’m sure will eventually happen.

I don't know; maybe it's just me but I don't like the "modern look" of it (fancy camera work, fancy post-processing work - just overproduced). This reminds me of Forensic Files. In the early years, FF had a less polished look about it. It made the show more creepy. In the later years (~2003 and beyond) it got more polished. That's what this new UM is like.

I like it.
To me, it’s very reminiscent of the original just without a host and we would have roasted any host they came up with other than the reincarnated spirit of Robert Stack.

Although, the guy who does the YouTube series Mysterious WV would make a good host.

I like it for the reasons others have mentioned (something new to discuss and read about on here), but the padding issues are not a surprise at all. It's the fatal flaw of all Netflix programming. Their Marvel shows would have been top-notch had they told their stories organically and let them run for how ever many episodes they needed to run for. After all, Netflix is not Network television, so they don't have to adhere to a standard that says, "you will produce this many episodes." Instead, they insisted on those shows have 13 episode seasons even though they couldn't sustain it. Even the best of the Marvel shows--"Daredevil" and "Jessica Jones"--suffer from a horribly bloated middle that drags down the whole season. There's no reason they couldn't be 6 or 7 episodes and call it good. Same with the new UM. Just because you're doing one case per episode doesn't mean you have to stretch it out to an hour every time. It's your show on your channel. You're not filling time slots on TV. Tell the story organically and however long it is, that's how long it is. The padding in the first case really hampered what started out as an intriguing mystery. They could have shaved 10-15 minutes off that episode easily.

I'm only four episodes in, but I already think it's really cool how these new cases are so similar to classic UM cases.

Rey Rivera: portions of Charles Morgan, David Stone, and Rae Ann Mosser
Patrice Endes: Dana Satterfield
House of Horrors: Brad Bishop
Alonzo Brooks: Kurt Sova and Keith Warren

I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, but for us classic UM fans I think it's pretty neat. It's also great to have new cases to discuss.

Good observations, every case is different, but I too thought of brad bishop. It was interesting how this guy was carefully buying time to escape the area. He knew that authorities would quickly respond to the family being inactive in their local area. He also tried to make it clear that he was going into the mountain area where he disappeared by looking at the camera. Hard to say whether or not he was just being a jerk to seek fame (look at me and there's not a damn thing you can do about it) or whether he was trying to deceive authorities to get them to focus their search on that area while he went to a different location. I actually think it is possible that this guy is still out there based on his behavior. This case sort of has bits that we've seen in many other cases.

Much like internet wrestling fans, people need to realize that we are a very, very small minority of fans. We are outnumbered by people who are browsing Netflix, see "Unsolved Mysteries", and go, "oh that show used to scare me as a kid, let's watch it!", and they watch it and enjoy. They don't nitpick. They don't post online about the cases. And these are the people who Netflix cares about.

100%

And the classic still exists this time so we have the best of both worlds right now.

It's way different from the original but I thought the first four episodes were entertaining. Interesting stories and the pacing was decent enough. I turned the UFO episode off though after 15 minutes and the last episode seemed to really drag for some reason.

It doesn't need the full hour. It could get away with half hour. It just seemed like it dragged

100%

And the classic still exists this time so we have the best of both worlds right now.

Thank god for that but man does it suck that they are now through IMDBtv with annoying ads. I hate it so much that they did that.

Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries is a kind of cynical nostalgia out of sync with today’s sensibilities (https://newrepublic.com/article/158573/unsolved-mysteries-story-american-televisions-evolution)

There's something deeply suspicious about Netflix's reboot of the classic mystery series, something that makes it feel "precision-engineered for a 2020 audience—long-form, detailed, and bingeable—but devoid of all the flair and atmosphere that made the original seem untrue and yet interesting to watch," says Josephine Livingstone. She adds: "The show’s chemistry—its balance of light and dark, schlock and the human heart—is just plain strange, as if some robot at Netflix HQ were commissioned to create the most engaging possible TV show but had his empathy screw left loose. Being unable to choose one documentary approach and stick with it, the new Unsolved Mysteries turns out to be a curiously soulless product that will leave viewers suspecting that one of their basest instincts (voyeurism) has been exploited in the name of one of their noblest (the desire to solve crimes, after all, is also an instinct toward justice). There’s nothing more ethical or truthful about this show compared to its predecessor—its production is simply 'truthier' in style. We’re all smarter, more suspicious consumers of true crime than we were five years ago; we know now that DNA testing is a highly politicized technology, for example, and that Netflix will happily play fast and loose with the facts if it rakes in more viewers. In today’s world, where cold case files are more likely to lead to a conversation critiquing the criminal justice system than a tangent on alien abductions, Unsolved Mysteries smacks of yesterday’s news."

Seeing how the show is still in the top ten on Netflix for nearly a month now and there will likely be another season i doubt the creators care much about any criticisms. I'm guessing the next season won't be much different if they do one.

I really do miss the campy reenactments which did actually add some eeriness to the stories.

As some have already pointed out this show isn't bad but really isn't any different than most shows on ID.

Just finished watching the 6-episode UM series on Netflix. Wow - all of these episodes were great. I have 0 nostalgia/familiarity with the original UM series, since I've never seen an episode. So I'm coming in completely cold on this. Maybe my not being familiar with the older show is one of the reasons I like the new one so much - i.e., I'm not coming into this with any preconceived ideas of how it should look.

I'm not going into a in-depth review of these episodes, since I'll save that for the dedicated threads on here. Suffice it to say that this was an incredible, compelling, creepy, and disturbing series. It also had great music & solid production values.

This new series is also getting me interested in seeing the original(s) at some point.

I don't have Netflix so I can't judge and if I did I wouldn't watch it because nothing would beat the original since the new one don't have reenactments and lack of variety of segments like Lost loves, paranormal, sci med, Legends and I prefer three or four segments in one hour than one case for 45 minutes so I'll just stick to the original.

Did anyone kind of jolt hearing the profanity in the 4th episode (at least a couple of F bombs)? It made me wonder how much swearing in interviews was cut out of the original show. :lol: One pro of Netflix is that they don't have to be censored like the original show was.

I really think that the swearing is very out of place on Unsolved Mysteries even if it was on Netflix or HBO or anything got that isn't FCC controlled I just think it just ruins the intellect in the mystery of what on solve mystery is so I definitely would skip the new version if I want to hear profanity I rather watch The Sopranos or Game of Thrones.

This new series is also getting me interested in seeing the original(s) at some point.

You HAVE to see the originals. That's an order. :D

This new series is also getting me interested in seeing the original(s) at some point.

The new series is competent and professionally made. And exactly like every other competent and professionally made true crime show.

The original could be silly, cheesy, schmaltzy, bizarre, unintentionally hilarious.... but completely unlike anything else on TV.

Which is why we still talk about some of these segments 30 years after they first screened. Something which current generations probably won't be doing for the new version.