What true crime shows remind you of Unsolved Mysteries and why? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Kane · 07-28-2020, 12:50 PM

When you watch other true crime shows in addition to Unsolved Mysteries, sooner or later there will be ones that remind you of UM. To the forum members reading this: What true crime programs remind you of UM and why?

infinityluxe · 08-07-2020, 04:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kane

When you watch other true crime shows in addition to Unsolved Mysteries, sooner or later there will be ones that remind you of UM. To the forum members reading this: What true crime programs remind you of UM and why?

Forensic Files gives us that dark narrative that reminds me of Bob Stacks. Peter Thomas was brilliant may he and Bob RIP.

I wish someone would rip the entire format of the original and make a new show since that UM reboot left us high and dry.

xxxxmattxxxx69 · 08-13-2020, 08:42 PM

AMW from probably 15-20 years was similar I thought. They profiled some of the same cases as UM. Some from a different perspective

ghosthouse · 08-14-2020, 08:07 AM

Most others are one case per show, unlike UM so it's not an apples for apples comparison.

America's Most Wanted had more of a "what you are about to see IS a news broadcast" feel to it, so I never found it all that similar to UM.

Forensic Files is close..but that show always seems too procedural and/or like you are attending science class.

UM was more storytelling to me and I don't get the feel with those shows. I think Dateline or 48 Hrs are close, but Disappeared is the closest match to me.

That show does a good job of telling you about the missing persons and the people around them and it just feels more in the spirit of UM. Whenever I watched that show by the end I always felt like for 1 hour I was IN the story. I also think that if the UM reboot was going to use a narrator they should have poached the guy from Disappeared.

DALLASTEXAN!! · 08-16-2020, 02:35 PM

UM ticked a lot of boxes, but the show that most reminds me of UM is forensic files. It’s documentary production is most similar but they focus more on details of how the crime was solved. It is funny for me how forensic files does the UM style update at the end of their episodes.

rusty spike · 08-19-2020, 01:01 AM

Forensic files used reenactments along with narration and interviews. I like both FF and UM.

LooksLikeCRicci · 08-19-2020, 06:01 PM

I liked Disappeared A LOT. It wasn't the same kind of spooky that UM was, but there were definitely stories that hung with me for days after I watched the episodes...

TheCars1986 · 08-19-2020, 06:37 PM

Disappeared is good, although they don't really leave you with a sense of closure (for most episodes). I also think that any true crime show or documentary produced by Netflix is similar to UM in the sense that they will do anything they can to distort the truth and paint a narrative that is absolutely not true. "Making a Murderer" being the most famous example.

DALLASTEXAN!! · 08-21-2020, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LooksLikeCRicci

I liked Disappeared A LOT. It wasn't the same kind of spooky that UM was, but there were definitely stories that hung with me for days after I watched the episodes...

Yes! for example, Amy Bechtel. When I watched it on disappeared I really could not get that out of my head for several days. I went back and watched UM's segment and listened to all the podcasts that are out there.

Reconvene · 08-21-2020, 11:23 AM

Rescue 911 wasn't exactly a true crime show but did have some crime segments. The show's format and reenactments were basically identical to UM though I don't find the stories nearly as interesting.

Kane · 11-30-2020, 11:45 AM

Nice answers, everyone. If my question had been a survey question on Family Feud, Forensic Files would probably top the survey, given the show's atmosphere. FF certainly reminds many people, including myself, of UM. But the true crime show that reminds me most of UM is Unusual Suspects.

Like UM and FF, Unusual Suspects had a dramatic atmosphere. Although it was generic-looking in it first season, it changed for the better in its second season. When I watch certain episodes of Unusual Suspects, especially ones that originally aired in 2013 and 2014, I was reminded of early episodes of Unsolved Mysteries, because of the quality of the reenactments. In the 2013 and 2014 seasons in particular, the reenactments had lighting very similar to (if not the same) as the ones in the early UM episodes, not to mention a level of graininess. To put it another way, there was a throwback look and feel to the US reenactments.

When I see certain cases on Unusual Suspects, especially homicide cases from the 1980s that went cold for years before they were finally solved, I find it hard not to imagine what it would have been like if they had been documented on Unsolved Mysteries and how show might have addressed topics surrounding them. While it may be disappointing that most of the Unusual Suspects stories were never featured on UM (with a few exceptions, such as the 1985 murder of Danny Paquette), the disappointment is mitigated by the fact that they were eventually solved.

Cori aka ChrisSCrush · 02-09-2024, 03:21 PM

How about other UM-like shows? I saw part of one the other day I would swear was a UM reboot, but it turned out to be Mysterious Worlds on the WB. It is also similar to Mysteries at the Museum.

sharonite · 02-09-2024, 04:13 PM

For me, the original 1999-2006 run of Cold Case Files is an even closer spiritual successor of UM than Forensic Files.

I also thought that the short-lived Vanished with Beth Holloway was of a similar wavelength. Like UM and original CCF, most of its episodes cover more than one case. I believe they’re available for viewing on various sites.

Labonte18 · 02-09-2024, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reconvene

Rescue 911 wasn't exactly a true crime show but did have some crime segments. The show's format and reenactments were basically identical to UM though I don't find the stories nearly as interesting.

I always thought that both shows should be rebooted.. Updated a bit, but keeping as much of their original styles as possible, and aired back to back.. Probably on a Tuesday night.

I'd think that programming block would get just as good a viewership as anything on TV today.

The biggest questions.. Who do you get to replace Robert Stack and William Shatner? While Shatner is still alive as of this writing and.. Honestly seems to be in good health.. Man is 92 and will be 93 next month.

And while the idea of Patrick Stewart replacing Shatner gives me the giggles.. And I think he'd be very good at either narrating UM or Rescue 911.. Remember that he's in his 80's

Corky Kneivel · 02-12-2024, 01:35 PM

This YouTube channel is fantastic, features mostly unknown but severely mysterious cases from a specific region, has a great narrator/host and competently edited photos of pertinent places & articles. It doesn't do reenactments but I will take what it does many times over than most YT true crime fare that uses random stock photography and video while Ai reads wiki articles. Big props to Mysterious WV

https://www.youtube.com/@MysteriousWV

Also the UK Crimewatch from 1984 to like mid 90s is a SERIOUS contender for Unsolved Mysteries. It's all crime based so no sci-fi, medical woo, or religious hoo-hah segments. I've probably watched these as much as the original UM run

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrzX...jXxdh7qk80jlhC

07-28-2020, 12:50 PM	#1
Kane Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 07, 2001 Location: MA, United States Posts: 3,367	What true crime shows remind you of Unsolved Mysteries and why? When you watch other true crime shows in addition to Unsolved Mysteries, sooner or later there will be ones that remind you of UM. To the forum members reading this: What true crime programs remind you of UM and why?

08-13-2020, 08:42 PM	#3
xxxxmattxxxx69 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 12, 2010 Location: MA Posts: 398	AMW from probably 15-20 years was similar I thought. They profiled some of the same cases as UM. Some from a different perspective

08-14-2020, 08:07 AM	#4
ghosthouse Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 03, 2019 Location: Amish Country Posts: 298	Most others are one case per show, unlike UM so it's not an apples for apples comparison. America's Most Wanted had more of a "what you are about to see IS a news broadcast" feel to it, so I never found it all that similar to UM. Forensic Files is close..but that show always seems too procedural and/or like you are attending science class. UM was more storytelling to me and I don't get the feel with those shows. I think Dateline or 48 Hrs are close, but Disappeared is the closest match to me. That show does a good job of telling you about the missing persons and the people around them and it just feels more in the spirit of UM. Whenever I watched that show by the end I always felt like for 1 hour I was IN the story. I also think that if the UM reboot was going to use a narrator they should have poached the guy from Disappeared.

08-16-2020, 02:35 PM	#5
DALLASTEXAN!! Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 31, 2007 Location: Devil's Backbone Posts: 3,138	UM ticked a lot of boxes, but the show that most reminds me of UM is forensic files. It’s documentary production is most similar but they focus more on details of how the crime was solved. It is funny for me how forensic files does the UM style update at the end of their episodes.

08-19-2020, 01:01 AM	#6
rusty spike Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 08, 2015 Location: Southwest Posts: 1,124	Forensic files used reenactments along with narration and interviews. I like both FF and UM.

08-19-2020, 06:01 PM	#7
LooksLikeCRicci Likes to live in a clean house Moderator Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 27, 2005 Posts: 4,050	I liked Disappeared A LOT. It wasn't the same kind of spooky that UM was, but there were definitely stories that hung with me for days after I watched the episodes...

08-19-2020, 06:37 PM	#8
TheCars1986 #VLSKMS Forum Fanatic Join Date: Nov 22, 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 8,606	Disappeared is good, although they don't really leave you with a sense of closure (for most episodes). I also think that any true crime show or documentary produced by Netflix is similar to UM in the sense that they will do anything they can to distort the truth and paint a narrative that is absolutely not true. "Making a Murderer" being the most famous example.

08-21-2020, 11:23 AM	#10
Reconvene Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 07, 2020 Posts: 6	Rescue 911 wasn't exactly a true crime show but did have some crime segments. The show's format and reenactments were basically identical to UM though I don't find the stories nearly as interesting.

11-30-2020, 11:45 AM	#11
Kane Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 07, 2001 Location: MA, United States Posts: 3,367	Nice answers, everyone. If my question had been a survey question on Family Feud, Forensic Files would probably top the survey, given the show's atmosphere. FF certainly reminds many people, including myself, of UM. But the true crime show that reminds me most of UM is Unusual Suspects. Like UM and FF, Unusual Suspects had a dramatic atmosphere. Although it was generic-looking in it first season, it changed for the better in its second season. When I watch certain episodes of Unusual Suspects, especially ones that originally aired in 2013 and 2014, I was reminded of early episodes of Unsolved Mysteries, because of the quality of the reenactments. In the 2013 and 2014 seasons in particular, the reenactments had lighting very similar to (if not the same) as the ones in the early UM episodes, not to mention a level of graininess. To put it another way, there was a throwback look and feel to the US reenactments. When I see certain cases on Unusual Suspects, especially homicide cases from the 1980s that went cold for years before they were finally solved, I find it hard not to imagine what it would have been like if they had been documented on Unsolved Mysteries and how show might have addressed topics surrounding them. While it may be disappointing that most of the Unusual Suspects stories were never featured on UM (with a few exceptions, such as the 1985 murder of Danny Paquette), the disappointment is mitigated by the fact that they were eventually solved.

02-09-2024, 03:21 PM	#12
Cori aka ChrisSCrush Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 30, 2001 Location: USA and still trying to be proud of it! Posts: 2,068	How about other UM-like shows? I saw part of one the other day I would swear was a UM reboot, but it turned out to be Mysterious Worlds on the WB. It is also similar to Mysteries at the Museum.

02-09-2024, 04:13 PM	#13
sharonite Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 27, 2009 Posts: 157	For me, the original 1999-2006 run of Cold Case Files is an even closer spiritual successor of UM than Forensic Files. I also thought that the short-lived Vanished with Beth Holloway was of a similar wavelength. Like UM and original CCF, most of its episodes cover more than one case. I believe they’re available for viewing on various sites.

02-12-2024, 01:35 PM	#15
Corky Kneivel Member Forum Regular Join Date: Feb 12, 2007 Location: Sacratomato Posts: 570	This YouTube channel is fantastic, features mostly unknown but severely mysterious cases from a specific region, has a great narrator/host and competently edited photos of pertinent places & articles. It doesn't do reenactments but I will take what it does many times over than most YT true crime fare that uses random stock photography and video while Ai reads wiki articles. Big props to Mysterious WV https://www.youtube.com/@MysteriousWV Also the UK Crimewatch from 1984 to like mid 90s is a SERIOUS contender for Unsolved Mysteries. It's all crime based so no sci-fi, medical woo, or religious hoo-hah segments. I've probably watched these as much as the original UM run https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrzX...jXxdh7qk80jlhC