How might the original UM have evolved in the 2000s/2010s?

[Oldschooler81]

Let's say Stack's health remained tremendous AND that viewership stayed high, so the original UM was still on the air to this day.

I'm sure the graphics and nature of some stories would've modernized, although at its core, would've stayed true to the classic early UM, instead of turning into the nightmare that the Farina reboot was.

Many people would argue it was already *beginning to* jump the shark as early as 1994 (I really liked the mid 90s period, even if some people do not) with more supernatural/miracle/UFO/ghost segments on constant reruns later on. However, I'm sure they would've covered kidnappings and murder mysteries no matter what technological changes were made. Even the lousier 90s/early 00s UM still was a million times better than the Farina version.

Did anyone else find it cool (and somewhat hilarious) when Stack began giving internet addresses circa 1997? "At dub-ba-ya-dub-ba-ya-dub-ba-ya..."

Knowing that, I can easily picture him in the last 4-5 years, having said. "If you own a smart-phone..." (two distinct words!)..."and possess any information about tonight's cases, tweet us at..."@OfficialUnsolvedMysteries", or visit our official Face-book page. Perhaps you..."

Actually, on a somewhat serious note, even about that: The same way he had Keely on in the mid 90s sharing updates and hosting duties, and in the early 00s, the very last Updates often had another female voiceover, I could've definitely seen him having more correspondants and co-hosts, and he could've gone down to just doing the actual narration of stories, rather than being in the telecenter. Even if the guy's health stayed miraculous, he WOULD be 95 now and would want to wind down his work schedule!

I honestly believe, even in his later years, his heart was always with the show and he genuinely cared about the people being profiled. That's the magic that kept it together for so long and why it simply wouldn't work with another host nearly as well.

[WishfulDreamer]

Originally Posted by Oldschooler81

Did anyone else find it cool (and somewhat hilarious) when Stack began giving internet addresses circa 1997? "At dub-ba-ya-dub-ba-ya-dub-ba-ya..."

You're not alone! I made a meme about it in the UM Meme thread

I honestly believe, even in his later years, his heart was always with the show and he genuinely cared about the people being profiled. That's the magic that kept it together for so long and why it simply wouldn't work with another host nearly as well.

I really believe this, too. RS got the hosting job because Raymond Burr and Karl Malden's salary requests were considered too high, according to various sources on the internet, though I'm not certain if it's true. But I really think RS wasn't in it for the money. You can see it in his face, particularly when he talks about some of the more despicable crimes. One I can think of off the top of my head while sitting at work is the opening to the I-70 killer segment. He implores the audience for help and seems really angry about the crimes.
My all-time favorite angry moment has to be the DJ Radio Hoax update. You can see that he looks absolutely outraged that these fools wasted so many LE man hours and money (as well as UM's) for ratings, not to mention the false hope given to families of victims who thought the call might have been a break in their cases. I also agree that's part of the magic of the show. We have a host who is not only really good at hosting (in my humble opinion, no one tops him) but really cares about the subject matter.

[Oldschooler81]

Originally Posted by WishfulDreamer

You're not alone! I made a meme about it in the UM Meme thread

Nice! I'll have to catch up more and read that (I haven't posted for 2-3 months again).

I really believe this, too. RS got the hosting job because Raymond Burr and Karl Malden's salary requests were considered too high, according to various sources on the internet, though I'm not certain if it's true. But I really think RS wasn't in it for the money. You can see it in his face, particularly when he talks about some of the more despicable crimes. One I can think of off the top of my head while sitting at work is the opening to the I-70 killer segment. He implores the audience for help and seems really angry about the crimes.
My all-time favorite angry moment has to be the DJ Radio Hoax update. You can see that he looks absolutely outraged that these fools wasted so many LE man hours and money (as well as UM's) for ratings, not to mention the false hope given to families of victims who thought the call might have been a break in their cases. I also agree that's part of the magic of the show. We have a host who is not only really good at hosting (in my humble opinion, no one tops him) but really cares about the subject matter.

Totally agree. Stack had the perfect balance, he was always professional and objective, but had enough emotion to connect with people too. Yeah, those DJ's were scumbags, not only for what they did in the first place, but that they bragged about it afterwards.

[Far Off Promise]

I think that a lot of modern technology would have been incorporated into the show. Facebook, Twitter, texting in updates, official UM apps, a better unsolved.com, mailing lists, and probably an official YouTube page with additional scenes or expanded video information on the cases.

All of these things could still happen. UM needs a host, a return to the creepiness factor of the original version, and coverage of new cases. Compared to a lot of other shows, UM isn't terribly expensive to produce. I think it has a home on numerous cable networks. I don't know that it would ever return to what-used-to-be-over-the-air primetime cable, but I could see a major basic cable partner, like TBS or Lifetime, picking up a new version that had similar qualities to the original.

So much potential, in the digital age of information now, is being lost. The potential to actively participate in a lot of these cases is MUCH greater today than it was in the 90s or early 2000s.

Imagine this scenario:
1) See someone that looks familiar in your local Wal-Mart.
2) Pull out phone. Check UM app.
3) Sighting confirmed. It's a missing person from the show!
4) Text message and picture sent via smartphone to UM.
5) 30 seconds later your phone rings. "Hi, I'm an investigator with UM...."
6) On next week's episode --> UPDATE! Recently we profiled a case on this missing person..

[Kane]

I really believe this, too. RS got the hosting job because Raymond Burr and Karl Malden's salary requests were considered too high, according to various sources on the internet, though I'm not certain if it's true.

John Cosgrove mentioned it in a 1994 article. I don't remember the name of the source that did the interview, but Cosgrove did claim that Burr and Malden requested "astronomical salaries."

[Oldschooler81]

Originally Posted by Far Off Promise

I think that a lot of modern technology would have been incorporated into the show. Facebook, Twitter, texting in updates, official UM apps, a better unsolved.com, mailing lists, and probably an official YouTube page with additional scenes or expanded video information on the cases.

All of these things could still happen. UM needs a host, a return to the creepiness factor of the original version, and coverage of new cases. Compared to a lot of other shows, UM isn't terribly expensive to produce. I think it has a home on numerous cable networks. I don't know that it would ever return to what-used-to-be-over-the-air primetime cable, but I could see a major basic cable partner, like TBS or Lifetime, picking up a new version that had similar qualities to the original.

So much potential, in the digital age of information now, is being lost. The potential to actively participate in a lot of these cases is MUCH greater today than it was in the 90s or early 2000s.

Imagine this scenario:
1) See someone that looks familiar in your local Wal-Mart.
2) Pull out phone. Check UM app.
3) Sighting confirmed. It's a missing person from the show!
4) Text message and picture sent via smartphone to UM.
5) 30 seconds later your phone rings. "Hi, I'm an investigator with UM...."
6) On next week's episode --> UPDATE! Recently we profiled a case on this missing person..

Superb post, I totally agree with all of that. If UM were still in active production now, I'm sure all of that would've been incorporated, especially since they began integrating the (basic) Internet in the late 90s/early 00s at the tail end of the show's run.

I honestly WOULD have liked the Farina version (or a similar reboot) if they'd covered new unsolved cases (rather than butchering the old ones). Having smartphone apps and social networking would've actually made solving modern cases and getting information/tips to the show much easier!

Even though it's beating a dead horse, I couldn't agree more about how C/M is either out of touch or could care less how YT exposure in this era (2006+ and especially '08/09+ with a totally connected social media) could potentially help solve many of the older cases. The more new (and older) people hear about them, the better!

[Spark Of Spirit]

The two things they wouldn't retain (and to me were essential to the show) would be the film style and the music. Unfortunately they would "modernize" both (by taking out the atmosphere and making it like every other crime show out there now) and would take away a lot of what made the show work so well in the process.

[WishfulDreamer]

Originally Posted by Spark Of Spirit

The two things they wouldn't retain (and to me were essential to the show) would be the film style and the music. Unfortunately they would "modernize" both (by taking out the atmosphere and making it like every other crime show out there now) and would take away a lot of what made the show work so well in the process.

Yes, I think this would be a big problem if the show was around now. UM was brilliant for that ominous music that really set the tone as well as the filming style. I don't mean to rag on AMW since it had a great purpose and John Walsh definitely cared about catching criminals (and still does, I'm sure), but I'm trying to imagine an episode of UM done AMW style. The Blind River Rest Stop for example, would probably be done with over-the-top music that distracts more than adds to the moment and filming shots that change constantly or try to amplify the situation (slow-mo, repetition, IIRC happened a lot in AMW's later days). I've never seen another crime show come close to the way UM portrayed things.

[Oldschooler81]

Originally Posted by WishfulDreamer

Yes, I think this would be a big problem if the show was around now. UM was brilliant for that ominous music that really set the tone as well as the filming style. I don't mean to rag on AMW since it had a great purpose and John Walsh definitely cared about catching criminals (and still does, I'm sure), but I'm trying to imagine an episode of UM done AMW style. The Blind River Rest Stop for example, would probably be done with over-the-top music that distracts more than adds to the moment and filming shots that change constantly or try to amplify the situation (slow-mo, repetition, IIRC happened a lot in AMW's later days). I've never seen another crime show come close to the way UM portrayed things.

Very true. That was declining even in UM's later years. I absolutely loved the 80s instrumental keyboard themes and especially the "chase music". The whole package made it much of a documentary and storytelling.

I like AMW too (more the early years) and John Walsh is a good guy who turned his personal tragedy into a great cause...but the "action movie style" pace would've never fit UM at all.

[Dr Will Hatch]

Agree agree agree with everyone about how UM would be AMAZING in the era of social media. I think besides that, the show now would tell intriguing new stories in the areas of cybercrime(I can imagine a whole segment related to say the Silk Road before they were shut down) and modern day terrorism.

[Nyarlathotep]

It would be fantastic if Unsolved Mysteries was still on, hosted by the wonderful Mr. Stack, in its original format! I agree that the latter 90s and onwards saw a changed tone, though I feel this was the trend at the time. With hugely popular sci-fi and supernatural shows dominating television such as the X-Files, Buffy, Outer Limits etc. on one hand and popular "sexy" crime shows like City Confidential or Murder 1 coming on to the scene, the show was just trying to keep up with ratings. Unfortunately I think if UM made it into contemporary times, it would have been changed so drastically it would lose a lot of the original charm and beauty we love so much (witness for example the popularity of the later episodes hosted by Mr. Farina).

On the plus side, interacting with technology would help catch criminals, but I feel the segments would highlight "sexier" and more sordid events, with the emphasis on titillation and attractive victims. I always liked that UM profiled cases featuring ordinary looking people, or less (supposedly) dramatic crimes, and think we would have lost this. Also I fear they would have tampered with Mr. Stack's presentation, not just in terms of subordinating him to an attractive young co-host to capture a new generation of viewers, but in terms of the writing and scenery. The original writing and way they filmed him really conjured up the hard-boiled detective image, I am afraid they would have tried to make the lingo more hip and the sets more action packed to keep up with the times.

[LooksLikeCRicci]

Frankly, I would loved to hear RS say, "Follow us on Twitter" or "Tweet us a tip at #UnsolvedMysteries."

I can imagine it in my head. And it's awesome.

[flytrapp]

I bet a lot of people would be texting the show with tips!

I think there would be a lot more "solves", too, because of technology and social media, etc. It's pretty hard to do something and get away with it these days, with everything being electronic and video cameras pretty much everywhere. Disappearing would be pretty hard to do, too. Fingerprints in a database, facial recognition software, computerized driver's licenses and identification, cell phone tracking, video cameras everywhere, social media....it's crazy. If UM was still on right now, and Robert Stack was looking for you, you'd better leave the planet or you'll probably be found by tomorrow.

I also hope that UM would stick to covering stories that need covering and that are maybe a bit obscure. Every crime show known to man has covered The Zodiac, and while UM did pick some higher profile cases, they also brought to light other cases that I would never have heard of....like Donald Kemp, Anthonette Cayedito, Wendy Camp, Judith Hyams, Bonnie Wilder (hee hee! @ Bonnie), and countless others. I hope they would stick to those types of segment rather than glamourizing the show to get ratings. Not only did this add a spookiness because these crimes were REAL and I had no idea of them, it also helped lesser-known cases gain exposure and potentially bring some sort of closure/result for the victims and families.

I hated (and still hate) the ghost segments, so I hope selecting those segments would come to an end lol.

[MegtheEgg86]

Originally Posted by flytrapp

I also hope that UM would stick to covering stories that need covering and that are maybe a bit obscure. Every crime show known to man has covered The Zodiac, and while UM did pick some higher profile cases, they also brought to light other cases that I would never have heard of....like Donald Kemp, Anthonette Cayedito, Wendy Camp, Judith Hyams, Bonnie Wilder (hee hee! @ Bonnie), and countless others. I hope they would stick to those types of segment rather than glamourizing the show to get ratings.

This. That's what I love about UM. AMW was the epitome of championing cases thousands of people would have never heard about otherwise, but I felt UM did an outstanding job of selecting well-known regional cases to bring to a nationwide audience. UM also answered many appeals from law enforcement agencies and private investigators that were at their wit's end trying to find resolutions to cases. You don't see that very often anymore.

[UMFaninMD]

Originally Posted by Spark Of Spirit

The two things they wouldn't retain (and to me were essential to the show) would be the film style and the music. Unfortunately they would "modernize" both (by taking out the atmosphere and making it like every other crime show out there now) and would take away a lot of what made the show work so well in the process.

I agree. Look at the way they did the Farina version of the show, with annoying hard rock guitar riffs and those now cliche "whiteout" SFX and jump cuts. I don't think they would keep the scary music and the flat, documentary style that made the show so compelling to watch. The segments would also probably be not as long as it was during UM's heyday.

I do think they would keep profiling stories that today's media wouldn't even consider touching. UM covered cases that weren't always the missing pretty, upscale suburban housewife or college student. The variety was always a huge bonus. They probably would scale back on the supernatural segments and missing legends, but I think mysteries like that missing plane out of Malaysia would still be a go.

Personally, I think CM should just give in, stop being so stubborn and stingy and let the forbidden sites start airing the old cases again. It gives them new exposure and could lead to a solve.