Amazon series, thoughts?

[9DeuceCad]

I know it's been a while since Amazon released UM remastered or whatever...but is anyone else upset at how edited the "new" episodes are? No more Keeley Shaye Smith updates, etc? Maybe it's just me, but I wish they would broadcast the original episodes as they were, and if there's updates since the series ended that they would just post them in plain text with the update music. I miss the UM I used to watch when I got to stay home from school sick in the 90's/early 2000's

[tsaun]

I'm okay with how they're edited. Keely Shaye Smith is on there.

I do miss the NBC/Lifetime logo on the lower right side of the screen though.

[TheCars1986]

The only thing that grates me about the uploaded episodes is showing an update and then on a different episode in the same season showing the same update again.

[justins5256]

I do wonder why they didn't just take the updates filmed with Stack and put them at the end of their respective segments where applicable, sort of how Lifetime did it back in the 90s. Then, they could do the onscreen writing for cases that were updated more recently, or at least after Stack's death. It would have been a good idea.

[JannTosh]

I don't like how they got rid of some of the Stack narrated updates in favor of just a text update. The Susan Harrison segment is a prime example

also dont' care how many segments are missing.

[Todd Mueller]

Originally Posted by 9DeuceCad

I know it's been a while since Amazon released UM remastered or whatever...but is anyone else upset at how edited the "new" episodes are? No more Keeley Shaye Smith updates, etc? Maybe it's just me, but I wish they would broadcast the original episodes as they were, and if there's updates since the series ended that they would just post them in plain text with the update music. I miss the UM I used to watch when I got to stay home from school sick in the 90's/early 2000's

I like the Amazon episodes overall. I think it is as close as we will ever get to seeing the original episodes as they aired. For the most part, they are exactly as they aired. The thing I miss the most is hearing the Danny Dark disclaimer at the beginning. His voice was awesome and helped set the eerie/scary/creepy tone for the episodes.

I wish there weren't so many missing segments either, but to some extent it is understandable. I'm surprised there aren't more missing because of people suing or threatening to sue CM because of how some of the cases made them look.

The only thing I think is odd is how they replaced missing episodes with cases from other episodes. I wish they would have just left them out if they needed to and let it be. It's on Amazon, so who cares if the episode is 30 minutes, 60 minutes, or 90 minutes. I don't think they need to rebalance the way they did.

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

The only thing that grates me about the uploaded episodes is showing an update and then on a different episode in the same season showing the same update again.

I agree with this, too. I would prefer the update stay with the actual case, but I think CM was trying to provide the update to the case while also trying to preserve the show the way it aired. It is pretty awkward, though. If someone watched the case on Amazon, they know the update and if they didn't, they probably don't care.

In the end, though, I do think CM did a good job of balancing everything to give us UM as close as they could to the way it originally aired.

[9DeuceCad]

Originally Posted by tsaun

I'm okay with how they're edited. Keely Shaye Smith is on there.

I do miss the NBC/Lifetime logo on the lower right side of the screen though.

I'm on Season 5 and haven't seen her yet, or maybe I was drunk and missed it

I agree about the repetitive updates. That being said, when UM was originally airing people weren't binge-watching 4 episodes at a time so if the update was a repeat it seemed a little less like they were beating a dead horse.

All in all, I am still happy Amazon has it in something to close to original form

[justins5256]

Originally Posted by 9DeuceCad

I'm on Season 5 and haven't seen her yet, or maybe I was drunk and missed it

I don’t think they added her until season seven.

[9DeuceCad]

Originally Posted by justins5256

I don’t think they added her until season seven.

Well now that would explain it. Thank you!

[Chichester Crowe]

I can't stand how they re-recorded the original disclaimer!!!!!!!!

When I finally put the FilmRise episodes on physical media, you can be damn sure that I'm going to edit the original disclaimer back in.

Also, the editing is just plain stupid. The reasons they give (family's request, statute of limitations) are also just plain bunk. There's plenty of cases still in the program that have surpassed the statute of limitations, and if a crime was involved, then it's a matter of public record, so no need to "protect the dead" so to speak.

Hoaxes belong here, too. Gulf Breeze is a good segment. It featured a whole crowd of UFO witnesses as well as other interviewee's testimonies that had no connection to the Ed Walters Hoax.

[9DeuceCad]

Originally Posted by Chichester Crowe

I can't stand how they re-recorded the original disclaimer!!!!!!!!

When I finally put the FilmRise episodes on physical media, you can be damn sure that I'm going to edit the original disclaimer back in.

I'm not a fan of it either. I was pretty young when UM was originally on air (not sure if NBC or when it was on Lifetime) but I always remembered it being a womans voice. To this day (even before I started watching on Amazon) I could always recite word-for-word the disclaimer with the exact same inflections as the original. The disclaimer itself was always pretty spooky.

[tarheelslim]

Originally Posted by Chichester Crowe

Also, the editing is just plain stupid. The reasons they give (family's request, statute of limitations) are also just plain bunk. There's plenty of cases still in the program that have surpassed the statute of limitations, and if a crime was involved, then it's a matter of public record, so no need to "protect the dead" so to speak.

Public records are still public. UM is not public record. The segments involve family members speaking on what may have been the worst moment of their lives (and occasionally even acting them out), and if they don't want to sign off on letting that be other people's entertainment in perpetuity, I'm okay with that.

I would like to see the unedited episodes. But there's so, so many segments that are available...

[drew790]

Originally Posted by Chichester Crowe

I can't stand how they re-recorded the original disclaimer!!!!!!!!

When I finally put the FilmRise episodes on physical media, you can be damn sure that I'm going to edit the original disclaimer back in.

Also, the editing is just plain stupid. The reasons they give (family's request, statute of limitations) are also just plain bunk. There's plenty of cases still in the program that have surpassed the statute of limitations, and if a crime was involved, then it's a matter of public record, so no need to "protect the dead" so to speak.

Hoaxes belong here, too. Gulf Breeze is a good segment. It featured a whole crowd of UFO witnesses as well as other interviewee's testimonies that had no connection to the Ed Walters Hoax.

But there is something to be said for protecting the living. We're a pretty niche group of followers that are still talking about these cases that have been omitted. But imagine you're the Countess of Cleveland for example, and have turned your life around after doing your time (I don't know whether that's true) and you've rebuilt your life. Suddenly you're all over Amazon Prime and Youtube from 30 years ago scamming money and demanding people get into kaars destroying everything you've built. To say nothing if any of the people went as far as to receive actual pardons.

Now, I think the way they handled all of this in the new version to be sloppy and haphazard don't get me wrong. "No parental kidnappings", then Jonathan Ortiz rocks up happily solved and we all know how that really ended up. I get why they did it for the most part, I just wish they had been consistent.

[Chichester Crowe]

Fair enough, I can see your points.

But what about the Tallman Ghost? Those folks were interviewed in silhouette and their names were changed. The only thing with an identity was the house itself. That segment was a personal favorite, and quite possibly the spookiest supernatural segment of the entire series (it originally aired on the Halloween episode, Season 1).

I'm also confused about the Mike Riemer segment. Evidence now potentially vindicates him as a suspect, and indicates a potential serial murderer.

What about Bobby Oberholtzer and Anette Schnee? The list goes on and on...

[drew790]

Originally Posted by Chichester Crowe

Fair enough, I can see your points.

But what about the Tallman Ghost? Those folks were interviewed in silhouette and their names were changed. The only thing with an identity was the house itself. That segment was a personal favorite, and quite possibly the spookiest supernatural segment of the entire series (it originally aired on the Halloween episode, Season 1).

I'm also confused about the Mike Riemer segment. Evidence now potentially vindicates him as a suspect, and indicates a potential serial murderer.

What about Bobby Oberholtzer and Anette Schnee? The list goes on and on...

Well, "haphazard" .... lol.

But at the same time .... The Tallmans wanted a high level of privacy even when the original segment was made. Silhouette was fine in 1988 but we have the internet now. You can google or social media hunt them down, and again there's our small group vs Prime and Youtube reexposing the story to a mass audience.

Segments of the others type I get even if I'd want them included (and I do). They spent most of the segments accusing innocent people of murder, no 10 second "Update: He actually didn't kill her" is going to make up for spending 15 minutes saying otherwise. Though Orange Socks was apparently a "fit" issue.