Final Verdict on the new Unsolved Mysteries - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

drew790 · 10-28-2020, 08:14 PM

So like the title implies, what's everyone's final thoughts now that we've run through all of the episodes of the revival?

For me, despite some initial enthusiasm in Volume 1 I'm ultimately disappointed.

The new production is too cautious of litigation to discuss theories of relevance or potential suspects, they spend way too much time on things that don't warrant it. Alonzo Brooks' episode is the biggest example of this, almost the whole thing dedicated to the search for the body and not what happened at the party and who it happened with. I come away from the hour not sure of anything and generally not able to come to any conclusions from the little they're still giving despite the extended runtime.

isotope · 10-29-2020, 02:22 AM

Tend to agree - the bloated run times means that that the segments seemed to be full of irrelevant information, endless drone footage and lengthy shots of people staring forlornly into the distance. There is just not enough to differentiate the new UM from any of the other dozens of true crime series out there, and not enough in many of the stories to support a 50 -60 minute show.

It seems strange to say, but I actually thought the Berkshire UFO segment was, on its own terms, the best of the new segments and the one that benefits most from the new format. It was unique, presented something strange and unsettling without providing any answers and avoided the cheesiness that a Stack-era re-enactment and 80s SFX would have provided. It was also the shortest and tightest of the new episodes.

TheCars1986 · 10-29-2020, 06:51 AM

Case by case:

1. Rey Rivera - highly misleading segment which kind of took me out of the remainder of the reboot.

2. 13 Minutes - interesting case, but this felt more like a Disappeared episode than UM to me.

3. House of Terror - sorry, but could not get into this one at all. Plus, it was fairly obvious what had happened.

4. No Ride Home - this was the first one that felt like a UM segment to me. And it was fairly balanced in terms of foul play/accidental.

5. Berkshires UFO - terrible segment.

6. Missing Witness - I enjoyed this one but it didn't feel like UM. Felt like a "Betrayed" episode.

7. Washington Inside Murder - Rey Rivera 2.0

8. Death in Oslo - too much time was spent on the ridiculous "espionage" angle instead of trying to find out who this woman was.

9. Death Row Fugitive - this was the best segment of the reboot, IMO, and felt like classic UM to me.

10. Tsunami Spirits - this was enjoyable and informative on Japanese culture. It went off the rails when they got to the ridiculous ghost parts.

11. Lady in the Lake - Rey Rivera 3.0

12. Stolen Kids - haven't seen this one yet.

All in all, an overall disappointment. My biggest gripe is how with the new format of one case per episode, they could have given out more information about each case...yet either exaggerated or outright omitted facts from cases to paint a scenario deemed more "mysterious". I get it. UM is a television show and is in the entertainment business. At least the classic UM could get away with it because each segment had to fit within 12-15 minutes. I think the reboot should have chosen more cases that could were actually solvable. Which was the entire premise of the original.

Huskerz85 · 10-29-2020, 12:47 PM

It's "Unsolved Mysteries" in name only. Change up the music, sure. Flirt with a new, host-less format, okay. As others have said though, the selection of and way cases have been presented make it indistinguishable from the plethora of other true crime shows out there (and ultimately, makes UM 2.0 look more and more like a lazy attempt to cash in on the popularity of the genre).

Hoping the official podcast they launch in 2021 will be better.

ScaryFog · 10-29-2020, 03:07 PM

The bloated times does it for me. I look and see it’s 42 minutes and it’s almost like you have to make time for it, like it’s a chore.

I appreciate that this and other true crime shows shine a light on unsolved crimes. The Hunt with John Walsh resulted in several captures. But that too was bloated.

A 15 to 20 minute segment is enough. I don’t need this persons entire backstory. I’ve been finding that I can’t sit through an entire segment, I’ll pause it and continue later.

rusty spike · 10-29-2020, 03:20 PM

I've had to rewind and rewatch after dozing off.

I'm sort of embarrassed that I can't stay awake. I think a host would help me keep better engaged with the segments.

ScaryFog · 10-29-2020, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rusty spike

I've had to rewind and rewatch after dozing off.

I'm sort of embarrassed that I can't stay awake. I think a host would help me keep better engaged with the segments.

Robert Stack made you afraid to close your eyes.

drew790 · 10-29-2020, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rusty spike

I've had to rewind and rewatch after dozing off.

I'm sort of embarrassed that I can't stay awake. I think a host would help me keep better engaged with the segments.

Same. I've said it so many times now "I need to watch it again" but I've watched Alonzo Brooks twice now and I still feel like I came away with nothing. The search for the body was not the story, the story is the party but they didn't want to implicate anyone evidently and risk being sued.

drew790 · 10-29-2020, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScaryFog

I appreciate that this and other true crime shows shine a light on unsolved crimes. The Hunt with John Walsh resulted in several captures. But that too was bloated.

They've deliberately chosen mysteries that can't be solved and that's the biggest failing of the new show. They can't risk one of their cases being solved in the two years it takes to film and release it, they have a finite episode count ordered and a with one story a pop there's no room to throw in an extra segment like the old show did when that sort of thing would happen. So they've gone for cases that aren't mysteries at all and in no danger of being solved.

Zero · 10-30-2020, 04:19 AM

Do you all have ADHD or something? Or work 14 hour days? 45 - 50 minutes is too long? Have to make time for it? Lose interest/fall asleep after 20 minutes? Pretty sad.

alistaircranium · 10-30-2020, 08:37 AM

My main issues are with the music and re-enactments. It was a mistake to go with boring piano music instead of a synthesizer. Also, there is no dialogue in the re-enactments and you rarely see the actors’ faces.

I think the show considers itself Prestige TV because it’s on Netflix and has conformed to an idea of what Prestige TV should be instead of staying true to the things that made the original series interesting and unique.

drew790 · 10-30-2020, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zero

Or work 14 hour days?

I happen to, yes.

I'm sorry you find that sad.

WishfulDreamer · 10-31-2020, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

5. Berkshires UFO - terrible segment.

Sorry, this just cracked me up because you had an explanation by each one and then for this one you were so unimpressed this is all you wrote.

I do think Stolen Kids was a solid segment, so I would definitely recommend watching it. I was glad they also put the missing posters and age progressions of several other children at the end to give them more attention.

Gelatinous Goo · 11-01-2020, 11:26 AM

Based on everyone's reviews, I don't think I'll even bother watching most of the reboot. There are enough of these types of shows on TV already. No, thank you.

If there's one episode that I will likely watch, it's Lester Eubanks.

Somebody brought up The Hunt with John Walsh. Come to think of it, you're right--some episodes were a bit bloated. Many of them were indeed watchable and I strongly desire more new content. Hoping this show comes back. Also, they already covered Lester Eubanks. It wasn't one of their strongest efforts. There's lots more to cover that they omitted, hence my interest in checking out UM's take on the case.

lori19 · 11-01-2020, 06:17 PM

I wanted so much to love the reboot. It was Unsolved Mysteries that got me hooked on true crime and being generally fascinated with things that couldn't be easily explained. The only thing I like about the reboot is Robert Stack in silhouette during the opening credits. It takes me forever to get through 1 episode...I find myself stopping after 20 minutes and coming back to it later. But once I got to House of Terror, they completely lost me. It doesn't stand out to me like the original. It's a shame, they could've done so much better.

10-28-2020, 08:14 PM	#1
drew790 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jul 17, 2017 Posts: 847	Final Verdict on the new Unsolved Mysteries So like the title implies, what's everyone's final thoughts now that we've run through all of the episodes of the revival? For me, despite some initial enthusiasm in Volume 1 I'm ultimately disappointed. The new production is too cautious of litigation to discuss theories of relevance or potential suspects, they spend way too much time on things that don't warrant it. Alonzo Brooks' episode is the biggest example of this, almost the whole thing dedicated to the search for the body and not what happened at the party and who it happened with. I come away from the hour not sure of anything and generally not able to come to any conclusions from the little they're still giving despite the extended runtime.

10-30-2020, 04:19 AM	#10
Zero Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 15, 2003 Posts: 495	Do you all have ADHD or something? Or work 14 hour days? 45 - 50 minutes is too long? Have to make time for it? Lose interest/fall asleep after 20 minutes? Pretty sad.
	__________________ "Are we ourselves, and do we really know?"

10-29-2020, 02:22 AM	#2
isotope Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 09, 2013 Location: Australia Posts: 287	Tend to agree - the bloated run times means that that the segments seemed to be full of irrelevant information, endless drone footage and lengthy shots of people staring forlornly into the distance. There is just not enough to differentiate the new UM from any of the other dozens of true crime series out there, and not enough in many of the stories to support a 50 -60 minute show. It seems strange to say, but I actually thought the Berkshire UFO segment was, on its own terms, the best of the new segments and the one that benefits most from the new format. It was unique, presented something strange and unsettling without providing any answers and avoided the cheesiness that a Stack-era re-enactment and 80s SFX would have provided. It was also the shortest and tightest of the new episodes.

10-29-2020, 06:51 AM	#3
TheCars1986 #VLSKMS Forum Fanatic Join Date: Nov 22, 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 8,606	Case by case: 1. Rey Rivera - highly misleading segment which kind of took me out of the remainder of the reboot. 2. 13 Minutes - interesting case, but this felt more like a Disappeared episode than UM to me. 3. House of Terror - sorry, but could not get into this one at all. Plus, it was fairly obvious what had happened. 4. No Ride Home - this was the first one that felt like a UM segment to me. And it was fairly balanced in terms of foul play/accidental. 5. Berkshires UFO - terrible segment. 6. Missing Witness - I enjoyed this one but it didn't feel like UM. Felt like a "Betrayed" episode. 7. Washington Inside Murder - Rey Rivera 2.0 8. Death in Oslo - too much time was spent on the ridiculous "espionage" angle instead of trying to find out who this woman was. 9. Death Row Fugitive - this was the best segment of the reboot, IMO, and felt like classic UM to me. 10. Tsunami Spirits - this was enjoyable and informative on Japanese culture. It went off the rails when they got to the ridiculous ghost parts. 11. Lady in the Lake - Rey Rivera 3.0 12. Stolen Kids - haven't seen this one yet. All in all, an overall disappointment. My biggest gripe is how with the new format of one case per episode, they could have given out more information about each case...yet either exaggerated or outright omitted facts from cases to paint a scenario deemed more "mysterious". I get it. UM is a television show and is in the entertainment business. At least the classic UM could get away with it because each segment had to fit within 12-15 minutes. I think the reboot should have chosen more cases that could were actually solvable. Which was the entire premise of the original.

10-29-2020, 12:47 PM	#4
Huskerz85 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 31, 2006 Location: Westeros Posts: 740	It's "Unsolved Mysteries" in name only. Change up the music, sure. Flirt with a new, host-less format, okay. As others have said though, the selection of and way cases have been presented make it indistinguishable from the plethora of other true crime shows out there (and ultimately, makes UM 2.0 look more and more like a lazy attempt to cash in on the popularity of the genre). Hoping the official podcast they launch in 2021 will be better.

10-29-2020, 03:07 PM	#5
ScaryFog Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Nov 25, 2009 Posts: 222	The bloated times does it for me. I look and see it’s 42 minutes and it’s almost like you have to make time for it, like it’s a chore. I appreciate that this and other true crime shows shine a light on unsolved crimes. The Hunt with John Walsh resulted in several captures. But that too was bloated. A 15 to 20 minute segment is enough. I don’t need this persons entire backstory. I’ve been finding that I can’t sit through an entire segment, I’ll pause it and continue later.

10-29-2020, 03:20 PM	#6
rusty spike Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 08, 2015 Location: Southwest Posts: 1,124	I've had to rewind and rewatch after dozing off. I'm sort of embarrassed that I can't stay awake. I think a host would help me keep better engaged with the segments.

10-30-2020, 08:37 AM	#11
alistaircranium Banned Banned!! Forum Regular Join Date: Aug 10, 2015 Posts: 503	My main issues are with the music and re-enactments. It was a mistake to go with boring piano music instead of a synthesizer. Also, there is no dialogue in the re-enactments and you rarely see the actors’ faces. I think the show considers itself Prestige TV because it’s on Netflix and has conformed to an idea of what Prestige TV should be instead of staying true to the things that made the original series interesting and unique.

11-01-2020, 11:26 AM	#14
Gelatinous Goo Member Forum Regular Join Date: Apr 14, 2010 Posts: 573	Based on everyone's reviews, I don't think I'll even bother watching most of the reboot. There are enough of these types of shows on TV already. No, thank you. If there's one episode that I will likely watch, it's Lester Eubanks. Somebody brought up The Hunt with John Walsh. Come to think of it, you're right--some episodes were a bit bloated. Many of them were indeed watchable and I strongly desire more new content. Hoping this show comes back. Also, they already covered Lester Eubanks. It wasn't one of their strongest efforts. There's lots more to cover that they omitted, hence my interest in checking out UM's take on the case.

11-01-2020, 06:17 PM	#15
lori19 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 30, 2017 Location: Boston Posts: 7	I wanted so much to love the reboot. It was Unsolved Mysteries that got me hooked on true crime and being generally fascinated with things that couldn't be easily explained. The only thing I like about the reboot is Robert Stack in silhouette during the opening credits. It takes me forever to get through 1 episode...I find myself stopping after 20 minutes and coming back to it later. But once I got to House of Terror, they completely lost me. It doesn't stand out to me like the original. It's a shame, they could've done so much better.