If...

[JohnMill]

a new season of UM is ever given the go-ahead, who do you think should replace Robert Stack as host. Or would you prefer no replacement instead having a simple voice over introduce the new cases at the beginning of the show and Stack presenting the archive cases that occured prior to his death.

Obviously you would need someone to handle the update segment etc but who would be a good choice.

Also in my opinion if the show ever does return I would like to see it broadcasted somewhere else besides "Lifetime" - When "Lifetime" repackaged a bunch of episodes in 2001 and again in 2002 they destroyed the formatting of the original episodes - Gone was "This program is about unsolved mysteries/not a news broadcast" as well as the original openings.

Basically speaking even if you were aiming to get a complete set of episodes that would be impossible now due to the episode guide on this site not matching what "Lifetime" airs. It is also likely that the cases from the 80s-early 90s (90-91) won't be repeated as they are considered "dated". Does anyone find this to be the case - I haven't seen for instance "The Train Deaths", "Gail DeLano" or "Nyleen Kaye Marshall" in a long long time.

There are so many interesting cases and Lifetime only seems to broadcast a handful with the major repeats being "Ryan Stallings MMA" & "Cokeville Miracle". Of course there are always at least one 2001/2002 segment in every broadcast now (which in my opinion are a lot poorer in terms of presentation than the earlier episodes)

Later.

[Kane]

I don't really have a specific name in mind, but it would have to be someone who has the following:

1) A tough stance on crime (which was evident in Robert Stack)
2) Experience in portraying crimefighters.
3) Good communication skills.
4) The ability to be true to the spirit of the show.

Also, I would rather that the potential successor be someone moderately or vaguely known. That way, it seems more like a new person, someone willing and able to make their mark as an anti-crime show host.

The job as an anti-crime show host is best suited for someone over the age of 40, old enough to have the sophistication to be devoted to that line of work, and to be an effective host.

[Tendervittles]

Actually I like John Goodman, although he doesn't have quality #2.

Patrick Stewart might fit also, but again no #2.

Now Clint Eastwood might have possibilities.

[Fletch]

I think Jerry Orbach or Sam Waterston would be excellent choices...and I'm not even a Law and Order fan .

This pic of Orbach kinda resembles the Stack pic on this page -

http://www.justadventure.com/Intervi...erryorbach.jpg

And here's a pic of Waterston -

http://www.filmthreat.com/UploadImag...son01story.jpg

They both have the crime-fighting stigma going for them (Law and Order), much like Stack had the Untouchables, which adds a "hero" element to the show, IMO.

If they ever do remake UM, I hope it is done right....bring back the original theme, and choose the right stories.

I would also like to see the fear factor brought back. The later years of UM didn't stoke the same kind of fear the early years did. I don't know how many times I have told people my favorite TV show ever was UM, and had them say "Oh my god, that show scared the hell out of me. Especially the theme!"

The old formula worked....it was hard to watch during the Madsen-Keely years.

[Fletch]

Come on, people! I want to see more responses to this

[crystaldawn]

Bill Curtis might be a good choice. He's on A&E and narrates American Justice and Cold Case Files among others. The most important thing is not the look, its the voice, since we really didn't see that much of Robert Stack we listened to him.

[johnnyphantom]

Bill Curtis and Sam Waterston are both good choices....

My personal selection would be none other than Mike "Mannix" Connors.....that would be too cool.


JP

[Fletch]

Yeah, I think Bil Curtis would do well. He's awesome on "American Justice."

[nohwheregirl]

I think Bill Kurtis should stay right where he is. He's doing a great job on A&E....however, A&E does not have any shows that focus on unsolved cases. Sometimes "Cold Case Files" features an unsolved crime, but it's rare. I think that's a logical next step for our friend Bill.

How about Leonard Nemoy? He did a great job on "In Search Of..." back in the 70's. Does anybody remember that show? Talk about creepy music and cheesy re-enactments!

[Bluejay]

In my not so humble opinion, Richard Belzer would be perfect. He has a kind of sepulchral presence that is good for hauntings and ghost stories as well as a long history of portraying crimefightin' guys on tv.

One of many nice touches on the old Lois and Clark series was to reference the original George Reeves Adventures of Superman -- in addition to pulling early episode titles out of the famous intro narrative, some episodes were flat-out re-enactments , particularly "All Shook Up" which was a direct reworking of "Panic in the Sky" set to modern times:

Here's a page showing how similar those episodes really were!

That episode introduced Richard Belzer as Inspector Bill Henderson. Although he looked and acted nothing like Bob Shayne, he brought his own unique presence (and his trademark blue shades) to the role.

I'd love to see him do Unsolved; surely there's some way he could work it into his busy schedule filming things like Law and Order: Traffic Violations .

[Leia]

Excellent question!

You know I like the suggestion for John Goodman. I love him, think he'd be great.

I like Bill Kurtis, but he already does a ton of shows, American Justice, Cold Case Files etc.

[Kane]

Originally posted by nohwheregirl
I think Bill Kurtis should stay right where he is.

In theory, Bill Kurtis may be a worthy candidate, but I have to agree with nohwheregirl.

Kurtis is already too busy doing at least three shows for A&E: Investigative Reports, American Justice, and Cold Case. (And if I'm not mistaken, he has occasionally done some projects with the History Channel.) If he were to commit himself to UM, he would probably have to either cut back on his shows, or give them up entirely. And I would think that such a move would be too risky to make. So, evidently, he is better off staying with his own projects.

[Kane]

Even though I usually avoid giving specific names of ideal successors, I have opted to make an exception. I've been thinking that if by some chance UM came back with a new host, my ideal successor would be Robert Davi.

Although he is not a household name, Davi is a prolific character actor. He played an FBI agent in Die Hard. Although he often plays bad guys (including ones from Goonies and Licence To Kill), he played FBI agent Bailey Malone on the TV series Profiler (which ran on NBC from 1996 to 2000).

To prepare for this role, he went to the FBI headquarters in Quantico, VA, and met Bill Hagemeier, the head of the serial-killing/child abduction unit. He also did research with FBI profiler Robert Ressler, in order to learn everything that he could about profiling.

When Davi is not acting, he is involved in I-Safe, which deals with protecting people from criminals (such as child predators and con artists).

To me, the aforementioned details on Robert Davi would make him an ideal candidate. And I can't think of anyone more appealing. Besides, Profiler was an eerie crime drama.