Why is this show so unpopular? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

justins5256 · 07-21-2005, 01:10 AM

I was just thinking today that I really don't know many people who watch UM. I don't know anyone who watched it back in the day. However, it must have done alright to last as long as it did, not to mention how long it has been on in reruns.

Is it just me, or are most UM fans "in the closet" so to speak? FWIW, I don't tell people that I watch UM.

Justin

Kane · 07-21-2005, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justins5256

I was just thinking today that I really don't know many people who watch UM. I don't know anyone who watched it back in the day. However, it must have done alright to last as long as it did, not to mention how long it has been on in reruns.

Is it just me, or are most UM fans "in the closet" so to speak? FWIW, I don't tell people that I watch UM.

Justin

Well, if the show were really unpopular, then why did it last over a decade? If anything, I'd say that the show was unpopular with critics, criminals, and the anti-law enforcement crowd. UM and shows of its ilk (such as America's Most Wanted) have been dismissed by critics as "tabloid televsion." But the fact that UM was popular with audiences shows that people aren't always swayed by critics. UM was simply another show that was reviled by critics and revered by audiences. Plain and simple.

U.M. Fanatic · 07-21-2005, 10:58 AM

I remember reading in back issues of TV Guide, from the time period when Unsolved Mysteries finally took off (1990), that many of the executives at NBC were quite surprised to see how well this show started doing. I believe, and somebody correct me if I'm wrong, that Unsolved Mysteries stayed in the top 15 shows for a couple of years between 1990-1993, and even flirted with the top 10 at one point. So, this show was popular, but I dont think many people thought it would be.

Now, when you tell people that you still watch Unsolved Mysteries, many will say that they have simply forgotten about the show after all these years. (Count these as the casual viewers, which made UM so popular in the first place.)It's not that they dont like it anymore, its just that these people have moved on to other shows or outlets, leaving only the hard core viewers behind to reminiscence about the show.

Kemistry · 07-21-2005, 11:10 AM

I'm pretty sure I've read somewhere that Unsolved Mysteries finished in the top 10 for a few seasons in the late and early 90's, I believe it finished around # 6 or 7. It was a very popular show back in the day and even still it continues to be a favorite or many. Of course many people who used to watch the show earlier on have now moved on to other shows but the faithful still watch everyday. I am sure that there are many others besides the people on this board and mine who watch the show daily.

U.M. is by far my favorite T.V. program of all time, I practically grew up on it getting the crap scared outta me but damn those were the days.

dynoguy88 · 07-21-2005, 11:17 AM

I think the ratings were fantastic for the show in the late 80's, early 90's. Several months ago, I was watching the E True Hollywood Story of the Cosby kids and they showed a clip of a newspaper clipping (from 1988 or 89) showing the ratings for the top 20 TV programs and Unsolved Mysteries was listed at #6.

Almost everyone I knew I watched this show back then.

MetalHybrid · 07-21-2005, 05:47 PM

That would be the answer to the question about why UM is not all that popular. And there are tons of things that are popular that I don't think deserve the popularity, all these "reality" contest shows like Survivor, American Idol, ect. Why these shows are so popular is beyond me. I guess with the success of this kind of thing it is no wonder that shows like UM and others of its nature get buried in the mix.

I am not in the closet about my viewing UM at all. I often refer to some of its stories, as its diverse array of subjects can be relevant to various other topics. I even use UM's backdrop music to describe some of the bands I listen to, who just like UM, have that small but devoted "cult" audience.

DarkDante · 07-21-2005, 06:30 PM

I dunno - I can't see how anyone could really percieve UM as "Tabloid Television" - I mean they never exploited people's misery or problems but tried their best to leave things better than they found them, sure some of their "Unexplained" segments were a little hard to take but UM is a very noble television show when compared to a lot of the other stuff that was on then & now. They helped a great deal of people reunite with families, helped capture fugitives and locate missing persons.

This was all done in the framework of a compact one hour show that was not only informative but entertaining. At times some of the camerawork and production of the segments is some of the best suspense stuff you will ever see whether it be on television or in the movies.

UM rocks and if you can't deal with that you can go live in Omaha with Judy Hymes jk.

Kane · 07-21-2005, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkDante

I dunno - I can't see how anyone could really percieve UM as "Tabloid Television" - I mean they never exploited people's misery or problems but tried their best to leave things better than they found them, sure some of their "Unexplained" segments were a little hard to take but UM is a very noble television show when compared to a lot of the other stuff that was on then & now. They helped a great deal of people reunite with families, helped capture fugitives and locate missing persons.

I couldn't agree more. But I suspect that the critics who dismissed UM as "tabloid television" were grossly uninformed, and simply trashed the show without even watching it. Sure, the series had its share of questionable stories, but it's far from being "tabloid television." It makes me want to ask these pundits if they would have supported the show if, God forbid, a loved one of theirs became a victim of an unsolved crime, and turning to a media outlet like UM was their best hope in getting a resolution.

Goofyman · 07-21-2005, 11:21 PM

Well, honestly, now, the show is basically for kicks. The chance that a person watching a Lifetime rerun would know information about a 5-30 year old case is exceptionally slim. The new episodes were a lot about paranormal, so there aren't a whole lot of solid "new" cases to solve. Most of the cases that were mentioned have been solved, I'd imagine.

Steffromquebec73 · 07-30-2005, 08:54 PM

I think this show is still popular, in its own way!!

I remember when I was 15 in 1988 I loved watching UM, every week, and so did everyone I knew (almost!!)...I watched it faithfully until 1998then poof!! I couldn't find it on TV (I live in Canada).

I bought the Dvd box sets a few weeks ago, and I love it! Although it's true that I haven't seen any promos for it, ever! I found it in a local dvd store, on the TV series shelves. If I hadn't seen it there, I prob. would've never have known that they exist!!

Also, true that they could've def. made a 2nd edition w/ more bizarre murders and/or a whole "missing persons" boxset. A 'lost love" boxset would sell pretty well, although it's not really my thing; I would buy it anyhow!

Maybe it's less popular than when it was in its prime because there are more networks like "Court TV", other shows like A&E's "American Justice", maybe people are more attracted to other shows like "AMW"...??

Or also the fact that there aren't any new episodes in production maybe doesn't help?? These are only hyposthesis.

So I think that they really should market these boxsets more, maybe then make other sets, and who knows, make new shows? Who'll host, dunno, I'm sure that there are many a fine person to host these, of course no one will be R.Stack but that's not the point. Also they could update some cases?

(Keep in mind I'm in Canada so I don't get Lifetime. I plan on getting digital cable very soon so I'll try to see on which channel UM plays here. It works like Tivo in the US, you can choose shows w/a words and all).

-I'm a new poster here. Great board! As I said I'm a longtime UM fan, and recently bought the sets. I was so happy to get these! I'll partcipate more here when I can. Cheers!

Zions Mother · 07-30-2005, 09:02 PM

I don't think it's unpopular. I watched it all the time. The narrator was very intruiging. I think that after his death, for some people, it was no longer as appealing. I do occasionally watch the reruns.

Just like Cityconfidential. The show wouldn't be the same with a different narrator. Paul Winfields narration makes the show.

U.M. Fanatic · 07-30-2005, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steffromquebec73

I think this show is still popular, in its own way!!

I remember when I was 15 in 1988 I loved watching UM, every week, and so did everyone I knew (almost!!)...I watched it faithfully until 1998then poof!! I couldn't find it on TV (I live in Canada).

I bought the Dvd box sets a few weeks ago, and I love it! Although it's true that I haven't seen any promos for it, ever! I found it in a local dvd store, on the TV series shelves. If I hadn't seen it there, I prob. would've never have known that they exist!!

Also, true that they could've def. made a 2nd edition w/ more bizarre murders and/or a whole "missing persons" boxset. A 'lost love" boxset would sell pretty well, although it's not really my thing; I would buy it anyhow!

Maybe it's less popular than when it was in its prime because there are more networks like "Court TV", other shows like A&E's "American Justice", maybe people are more attracted to other shows like "AMW"...??

Or also the fact that there aren't any new episodes in production maybe doesn't help?? These are only hyposthesis.

So I think that they really should market these boxsets more, maybe then make other sets, and who knows, make new shows? Who'll host, dunno, I'm sure that there are many a fine person to host these, of course no one will be R.Stack but that's not the point. Also they could update some cases?

(Keep in mind I'm in Canada so I don't get Lifetime. I plan on getting digital cable very soon so I'll try to see on which channel UM plays here. It works like Tivo in the US, you can choose shows w/a words and all).

-I'm a new poster here. Great board! As I said I'm a longtime UM fan, and recently bought the sets. I was so happy to get these! I'll partcipate more here when I can. Cheers!

Welcome to the forums, Steffromquebec73!

GeorgiaboyJeff! · 07-31-2005, 02:11 PM

I love Unsolved Mysteries but some of that stuff used to scare the crap out of me when I was younger! Back when I was little, I used to be scared to watch the UFO abduction & ghost stories. Those brought chills down my spine!

McFly121 · 07-31-2005, 09:30 PM

Because it wasn't mainstream is why it was dismissed. It couldn't really appeal to kids or teens (yes, I know a lot of us watched it then) and because of the tone of the show, some ppl are squeamish about this stuff. It did well for a few years because it was the lead in to NBC's prime-time lineup. But mostly it wasn't a sitcom or family show that an all-purpose audience could get into, and ultimately was bumped to make room for those kinds of shows.

As far as tabloid, ridiculous. Unsolved actually had a mission or purpose to help the victims families or victims themselves. I remember reading junk like "Poorly produced re-enactments" or one that really stayed with me, "The opening theme is so Addams Family-ish" Bahwhwhaha.

I get flack nowadays for stupid stuff. "Robert Stack, isn't he dead??" "Haven't you seen these?" "Why are you watching old police stories?" I stare 'em down and say "For the same reasons you watch the same Seinfeld rerun for the millionth time!"

jcjh20 · 08-02-2005, 02:36 AM

Seems like most people here whom has watched this show when they were young were scared as hell whenever Unsolved would come on. I know i was!

That eerie music went perfectally with the show, not to mention the overall ominous nature of the show and Stack's voice.

I think a few people summed up perfectally why the show isn't as popular as it used to be. When people want to watch a crime show these days, it seems like they go with the more updated programming like Forensic Files on Court TV or various other related shows on the same network, A&E or whatever other channels that broadcast this sort of stuff.

It seems like people have a problem with sticking to good programming (same goes with music, albeit even stronger) no matter what the age, even though "Goofyman" did have sort of a point that the whole original purpose of the show has become in a sense "dated". However, in no way does it mean that the show is worthless, since not only is the show incredibly entertaining and poignant, therefore blowing away practically any other show of it's kind (most related shows are incredibly overdramatic, but this is one of the few that truely could be spine-tingling), but i'm sure that the ratio of mysteries that haven't been solved to the ones that have is far greater. Even though it may be unlikely that some of these mysteries will be solved now, depending on how much time has passed since they occured, that does in no way void the relevance of the crime, since they're still an unsolved crime/mystery no matter how much time has passed. Not to mention the extremely entertaining segments about mysteries that either have a huge chance of never being solved, or are just plain impossible to solve whatsoever, which especially are segments that will never ever be dated and always will be relevent. Unless of course new information has arisen since the broadcast of the segment, which is bound to happen.

Basically that's just my opinion and defense on UM. By the way, is there even a show devoted to mysteries and/or catching criminals on the loose anymore? People here mentioned Americas Most Wanted, which i haven't even seen in God knows how long and didn't even know it was still on the air, but besides that show?

07-21-2005, 01:10 AM	#1
justins5256 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 08, 2002 Posts: 3,866	Why is this show so unpopular? I was just thinking today that I really don't know many people who watch UM. I don't know anyone who watched it back in the day. However, it must have done alright to last as long as it did, not to mention how long it has been on in reruns. Is it just me, or are most UM fans "in the closet" so to speak? FWIW, I don't tell people that I watch UM. Justin

07-21-2005, 11:10 AM	#4
Kemistry Mysterious Intrigue Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 16, 2005 Location: Outside Your Window... Posts: 339	I'm pretty sure I've read somewhere that Unsolved Mysteries finished in the top 10 for a few seasons in the late and early 90's, I believe it finished around # 6 or 7. It was a very popular show back in the day and even still it continues to be a favorite or many. Of course many people who used to watch the show earlier on have now moved on to other shows but the faithful still watch everyday. I am sure that there are many others besides the people on this board and mine who watch the show daily. U.M. is by far my favorite T.V. program of all time, I practically grew up on it getting the crap scared outta me but damn those were the days.
	__________________ Kemistry

07-21-2005, 11:17 AM	#5
dynoguy88 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 01, 2000 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 3,675	reply I think the ratings were fantastic for the show in the late 80's, early 90's. Several months ago, I was watching the E True Hollywood Story of the Cosby kids and they showed a clip of a newspaper clipping (from 1988 or 89) showing the ratings for the top 20 TV programs and Unsolved Mysteries was listed at #6. Almost everyone I knew I watched this show back then.

07-21-2005, 06:30 PM	#7
DarkDante Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 27, 2002 Posts: 1,569	Tabloid Junket I dunno - I can't see how anyone could really percieve UM as "Tabloid Television" - I mean they never exploited people's misery or problems but tried their best to leave things better than they found them, sure some of their "Unexplained" segments were a little hard to take but UM is a very noble television show when compared to a lot of the other stuff that was on then & now. They helped a great deal of people reunite with families, helped capture fugitives and locate missing persons. This was all done in the framework of a compact one hour show that was not only informative but entertaining. At times some of the camerawork and production of the segments is some of the best suspense stuff you will ever see whether it be on television or in the movies. UM rocks and if you can't deal with that you can go live in Omaha with Judy Hymes jk.

07-30-2005, 08:54 PM	#10
Steffromquebec73 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 30, 2005 Posts: 20	UM popularity I think this show is still popular, in its own way!! I remember when I was 15 in 1988 I loved watching UM, every week, and so did everyone I knew (almost!!)...I watched it faithfully until 1998then poof!! I couldn't find it on TV (I live in Canada). I bought the Dvd box sets a few weeks ago, and I love it! Although it's true that I haven't seen any promos for it, ever! I found it in a local dvd store, on the TV series shelves. If I hadn't seen it there, I prob. would've never have known that they exist!! Also, true that they could've def. made a 2nd edition w/ more bizarre murders and/or a whole "missing persons" boxset. A 'lost love" boxset would sell pretty well, although it's not really my thing; I would buy it anyhow! Maybe it's less popular than when it was in its prime because there are more networks like "Court TV", other shows like A&E's "American Justice", maybe people are more attracted to other shows like "AMW"...?? Or also the fact that there aren't any new episodes in production maybe doesn't help?? These are only hyposthesis. So I think that they really should market these boxsets more, maybe then make other sets, and who knows, make new shows? Who'll host, dunno, I'm sure that there are many a fine person to host these, of course no one will be R.Stack but that's not the point. Also they could update some cases? (Keep in mind I'm in Canada so I don't get Lifetime. I plan on getting digital cable very soon so I'll try to see on which channel UM plays here. It works like Tivo in the US, you can choose shows w/a words and all). -I'm a new poster here. Great board! As I said I'm a longtime UM fan, and recently bought the sets. I was so happy to get these! I'll partcipate more here when I can. Cheers!

07-21-2005, 10:58 AM	#3
U.M. Fanatic Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 15, 2005 Location: Lowell, NC Posts: 280	I remember reading in back issues of TV Guide, from the time period when Unsolved Mysteries finally took off (1990), that many of the executives at NBC were quite surprised to see how well this show started doing. I believe, and somebody correct me if I'm wrong, that Unsolved Mysteries stayed in the top 15 shows for a couple of years between 1990-1993, and even flirted with the top 10 at one point. So, this show was popular, but I dont think many people thought it would be. Now, when you tell people that you still watch Unsolved Mysteries, many will say that they have simply forgotten about the show after all these years. (Count these as the casual viewers, which made UM so popular in the first place.)It's not that they dont like it anymore, its just that these people have moved on to other shows or outlets, leaving only the hard core viewers behind to reminiscence about the show.

07-21-2005, 05:47 PM	#6
MetalHybrid Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 10, 2005 Location: Campbell(near San Jose), CA Posts: 141	It's not for everyone That would be the answer to the question about why UM is not all that popular. And there are tons of things that are popular that I don't think deserve the popularity, all these "reality" contest shows like Survivor, American Idol, ect. Why these shows are so popular is beyond me. I guess with the success of this kind of thing it is no wonder that shows like UM and others of its nature get buried in the mix. I am not in the closet about my viewing UM at all. I often refer to some of its stories, as its diverse array of subjects can be relevant to various other topics. I even use UM's backdrop music to describe some of the bands I listen to, who just like UM, have that small but devoted "cult" audience.

07-21-2005, 11:21 PM	#9
Goofyman Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 18, 2005 Posts: 136	Well, honestly, now, the show is basically for kicks. The chance that a person watching a Lifetime rerun would know information about a 5-30 year old case is exceptionally slim. The new episodes were a lot about paranormal, so there aren't a whole lot of solid "new" cases to solve. Most of the cases that were mentioned have been solved, I'd imagine.

07-30-2005, 09:02 PM	#11
Zions Mother Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 25, 2005 Posts: 423	I don't think it's unpopular. I watched it all the time. The narrator was very intruiging. I think that after his death, for some people, it was no longer as appealing. I do occasionally watch the reruns. Just like Cityconfidential. The show wouldn't be the same with a different narrator. Paul Winfields narration makes the show.

07-31-2005, 02:11 PM	#13
GeorgiaboyJeff! Member Forum Regular Join Date: May 25, 2002 Posts: 664	I love Unsolved Mysteries but some of that stuff used to scare the crap out of me when I was younger! Back when I was little, I used to be scared to watch the UFO abduction & ghost stories. Those brought chills down my spine!

07-31-2005, 09:30 PM	#14
McFly121 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Feb 18, 2004 Location: calif Posts: 812	Because it wasn't mainstream is why it was dismissed. It couldn't really appeal to kids or teens (yes, I know a lot of us watched it then) and because of the tone of the show, some ppl are squeamish about this stuff. It did well for a few years because it was the lead in to NBC's prime-time lineup. But mostly it wasn't a sitcom or family show that an all-purpose audience could get into, and ultimately was bumped to make room for those kinds of shows. As far as tabloid, ridiculous. Unsolved actually had a mission or purpose to help the victims families or victims themselves. I remember reading junk like "Poorly produced re-enactments" or one that really stayed with me, "The opening theme is so Addams Family-ish" Bahwhwhaha. I get flack nowadays for stupid stuff. "Robert Stack, isn't he dead??" "Haven't you seen these?" "Why are you watching old police stories?" I stare 'em down and say "For the same reasons you watch the same Seinfeld rerun for the millionth time!"
	__________________ "That was Bob's donut!"

08-02-2005, 02:36 AM	#15
jcjh20 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Aug 01, 2005 Posts: 22	Seems like most people here whom has watched this show when they were young were scared as hell whenever Unsolved would come on. I know i was! That eerie music went perfectally with the show, not to mention the overall ominous nature of the show and Stack's voice. I think a few people summed up perfectally why the show isn't as popular as it used to be. When people want to watch a crime show these days, it seems like they go with the more updated programming like Forensic Files on Court TV or various other related shows on the same network, A&E or whatever other channels that broadcast this sort of stuff. It seems like people have a problem with sticking to good programming (same goes with music, albeit even stronger) no matter what the age, even though "Goofyman" did have sort of a point that the whole original purpose of the show has become in a sense "dated". However, in no way does it mean that the show is worthless, since not only is the show incredibly entertaining and poignant, therefore blowing away practically any other show of it's kind (most related shows are incredibly overdramatic, but this is one of the few that truely could be spine-tingling), but i'm sure that the ratio of mysteries that haven't been solved to the ones that have is far greater. Even though it may be unlikely that some of these mysteries will be solved now, depending on how much time has passed since they occured, that does in no way void the relevance of the crime, since they're still an unsolved crime/mystery no matter how much time has passed. Not to mention the extremely entertaining segments about mysteries that either have a huge chance of never being solved, or are just plain impossible to solve whatsoever, which especially are segments that will never ever be dated and always will be relevent. Unless of course new information has arisen since the broadcast of the segment, which is bound to happen. Basically that's just my opinion and defense on UM. By the way, is there even a show devoted to mysteries and/or catching criminals on the loose anymore? People here mentioned Americas Most Wanted, which i haven't even seen in God knows how long and didn't even know it was still on the air, but besides that show?