Jumping the Waterborne Cryptid: Season 8 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Chichester Crowe · 02-05-2019, 07:00 PM

There was a thread 10 years ago about UM "Jumping the Shark", and the consensus was, "Blasphemy!" After revisiting the latter seasons, I think Season 8 qualifies.

Season 8 Revisions
- New Theme Song
- New Graphic Aesthetic
- New Co-host (Keely Shaye Smith)

I feel that these changes were a poor choice for the overall feel of the show, though they weren't necessarily the deal breaker. Many of the true crime segments from this season are very well done. It's the Unexplained segments that clearly suffer here. Aside from a handful, most of the Unexplained segments from season 8 were "jump the shark" gimmicks meant to keep people interested. Some could argue (we know Stack would) that the Unexplained segments were always gimmicks to keep people tuned in.

Perhaps it's not a coincidence that Season 8 had greater viewership than Season 7, and that the aesthetic changes helped in that, but I can't see it. Family Curses, French Toast Dreams, and Kid Geniuses? No thanks. Hell, even Gulf Breeze is more interesting that any of those.

Every TV show has it's peak and then decline. It doesn't mean that people stop watching or that they don't have a good episode every now and then. It just means that no matter how hard it tries, it will never be like it once was.

I hope the Netflix folks can prove me wrong with their reboot.

Chichester Crowe · 02-07-2019, 01:14 AM

Looking back at ratings and time slot also provides a different picture.
UM aired on Wednesdays at 8 PM.
At the start of season 7, UM switched to Sunday nights airing an hour earlier (7 PM).
Then a month later, it switched to Friday nights at the regular time (8 PM).
Seasons 7-9 had drastically lower ratings and single digit millions of viewers.
Perhaps the Season 7 time slot switch was the fatal error that then lead to the producers attempting to mess with the thematic formula in Season 8?

Huskerz85 · 02-12-2019, 02:59 PM

The time slot change combined with the increasingly hokey stories did it for sure.

Netflix discovered how to bring back that same kind of sensationalism that UM had in its early days (when UM was profiling examples of murder, kidnapping & the like that the viewing public hadn't been exposed to near as much as they would be later).

I think if their researchers/investigators cover cases thoroughly and not just from one or two angles, they can stick with the same formula UM always used and come out winning. A key though will be finding a host who can bring the same kind of gravitas to the table that Stack did.

Chichester Crowe · 02-12-2019, 04:47 PM

My vote is for Jeremy Irons, though he's playing Adrian Veidt in the upcoming Watchmen series.

This comment was on Bloody Disgusting. I'm not sure if it's trolling or what?

"Andy Cohen wouldn't exactly have been my first choice either, but Netflix asked him to host and he's apparently seriously considering the offer. He's about to become a new father (a mystery in its own right), and the the series wouldn't require him to travel at all. Netflix doesn't base its programming on demographics but on something sinister-sounding it calls "taste communities.""

02-05-2019, 07:00 PM	#1
Chichester Crowe You el sickos will pay. Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 04, 2019 Posts: 166	Jumping the Waterborne Cryptid: Season 8 There was a thread 10 years ago about UM "Jumping the Shark", and the consensus was, "Blasphemy!" After revisiting the latter seasons, I think Season 8 qualifies. Season 8 Revisions - New Theme Song - New Graphic Aesthetic - New Co-host (Keely Shaye Smith) I feel that these changes were a poor choice for the overall feel of the show, though they weren't necessarily the deal breaker. Many of the true crime segments from this season are very well done. It's the Unexplained segments that clearly suffer here. Aside from a handful, most of the Unexplained segments from season 8 were "jump the shark" gimmicks meant to keep people interested. Some could argue (we know Stack would) that the Unexplained segments were always gimmicks to keep people tuned in. Perhaps it's not a coincidence that Season 8 had greater viewership than Season 7, and that the aesthetic changes helped in that, but I can't see it. Family Curses, French Toast Dreams, and Kid Geniuses? No thanks. Hell, even Gulf Breeze is more interesting that any of those. Every TV show has it's peak and then decline. It doesn't mean that people stop watching or that they don't have a good episode every now and then. It just means that no matter how hard it tries, it will never be like it once was. I hope the Netflix folks can prove me wrong with their reboot.

02-07-2019, 01:14 AM	#2
Chichester Crowe You el sickos will pay. Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 04, 2019 Posts: 166	Looking back at ratings and time slot also provides a different picture. UM aired on Wednesdays at 8 PM. At the start of season 7, UM switched to Sunday nights airing an hour earlier (7 PM). Then a month later, it switched to Friday nights at the regular time (8 PM). Seasons 7-9 had drastically lower ratings and single digit millions of viewers. Perhaps the Season 7 time slot switch was the fatal error that then lead to the producers attempting to mess with the thematic formula in Season 8?

02-12-2019, 02:59 PM	#3
Huskerz85 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 31, 2006 Location: Westeros Posts: 740	The time slot change combined with the increasingly hokey stories did it for sure. Netflix discovered how to bring back that same kind of sensationalism that UM had in its early days (when UM was profiling examples of murder, kidnapping & the like that the viewing public hadn't been exposed to near as much as they would be later). I think if their researchers/investigators cover cases thoroughly and not just from one or two angles, they can stick with the same formula UM always used and come out winning. A key though will be finding a host who can bring the same kind of gravitas to the table that Stack did.

02-12-2019, 04:47 PM	#4
Chichester Crowe You el sickos will pay. Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 04, 2019 Posts: 166	My vote is for Jeremy Irons, though he's playing Adrian Veidt in the upcoming Watchmen series. This comment was on Bloody Disgusting. I'm not sure if it's trolling or what? "Andy Cohen wouldn't exactly have been my first choice either, but Netflix asked him to host and he's apparently seriously considering the offer. He's about to become a new father (a mystery in its own right), and the the series wouldn't require him to travel at all. Netflix doesn't base its programming on demographics but on something sinister-sounding it calls "taste communities.""