Question regarding Lifetime airings of UM

[Nats2019Champs]

Did Lifetime ever air half hour episodes of UM? I don't know if this is just me remembering things wrong, but I could have sworn they had half-hour repackaged episodes aired late at night, mainly focusing on crime & missing persons segments, I don't think they ever featured any UFO, lost loves, etc segments.

These weren't Farina episodes, Robert Stack was alive & still making new episodes around this time, I think in the CBS-era of the show which was where I found UM originally.

[TheCars1986]

Yes they did. I distinctly remember them doing this in the early 2000s at random times (2:00 a.m. for example).

[ghosthouse]

While it is not related to the OP, I had been meaning to ask a question about the Lifetime airings but never found a great spot for it until this post.

I guess my memory is fuzzy...but did Lifetime have their own screen graphics for bumpers, intros and the title cards (Unexplained Death, Wanted, The Unexplained, etc...)? I know they had a woman do the intro instead of Danny Dark and they often did onscreen text updates.

The reason I ask is I watch UM a ton on Pluto TV and I sometimes see episodes or segments that I can definitely recall watching over and over again on Lifetime back in the early to mid 90s...but on Pluto they have the updated theme and screen graphics that the show started using about half way thru the NBC run.

I have a very definite feel, and like, for the old style presentation from the late 80s early 90s NBC run and I feel like Lifetime was more true to that than what I see on Pluto and it puts my mind into a twist. I wonder if Lifetime just kept using the old presentation for airing repeats when NBC had already moved to the new presentation when first airing segments?

[dynoguy88]

Originally Posted by ghosthouse

While it is not related to the OP, I had been meaning to ask a question about the Lifetime airings but never found a great spot for it until this post.

I guess my memory is fuzzy...but did Lifetime have their own screen graphics for bumpers, intros and the title cards (Unexplained Death, Wanted, The Unexplained, etc...)? I know they had a woman do the intro instead of Danny Dark and they often did onscreen text updates.

The reason I ask is I watch UM a ton on Pluto TV and I sometimes see episodes or segments that I can definitely recall watching over and over again on Lifetime back in the early to mid 90s...but on Pluto they have the updated theme and screen graphics that the show started using about half way thru the NBC run.

I have a very definite feel, and like, for the old style presentation from the late 80s early 90s NBC run and I feel like Lifetime was more true to that than what I see on Pluto and it puts my mind into a twist. I wonder if Lifetime just kept using the old presentation for airing repeats when NBC had already moved to the new presentation when first airing segments?

1. Lifetime had one screen graphic of their own they used when introducing segments. They cut out NBC's use of the UM title slowly shooting at the viewer and replaced it with a venetian blind reveal of the show title with 'Lifetime' written underneath it, then it would quickly transition back to the type of case it was introducing; Unexplained Death, Wanted, Lost Love, etc.

2. Lifetime also cut out the entire 'Solved' montage during the opening credits which included the creepiest part of the theme song. Once Stack finished saying, "You may be able to help solve a mystery," they immediately faded to the end of the theme song where it said, 'Hosted by Robert Stack.'

3. On NBC during the closing credits, they would be shown over various reenactment scenes of one segment that was featured in that night's episode. On Lifetime, they only showed the marble board pattern with the closing credits but kept the theme song. Lifetime also cut out all the previews for the next episode, which I can't blame them for.

4. The Lifetime bumpers was also the same venetian blind reveal with the woman's voice saying, "Unsolved Mysteries on Lifetime will return after these messages." The woman's voice also did the talking point at the end of the episode, "If you have any information, please contact yadda, yadda, yadda."

I've very grateful to Lifetime for airing those reruns as long as they did but the number of segments that had major cuts was downright criminal. Any TV show that goes into syndication gets many scenes per episode get cut to make room for more commercials, unfortunately. And that clearly happened here.

[appleachian]

IIRC Lifetime had basically cut the shows up into its individual segments and “played the hits” for lack of a better term. They grouped like segments so graphics matched throughout one show, but you often saw the same segments again and again just like hits on a radio station. Often overnight if they needed something to true the schedule back to an even hour there would be a :25 airing or something of UM.

[Janel "Jaycee" Miller]

I vaguely recall when, over the closing credits of whatever show was airing immediately before UM, some voice would say "use your women's instinct to help you solve a crime." Anyone remember this?

[Man In Black]

Originally Posted by Love A Good Mystery

I vaguely recall when, over the closing credits of whatever show was airing immediately before UM, some voice would say "use your women's instinct to help you solve a crime." Anyone remember this?

I don't remember a voice saying those words over the closing credits on Lifetime, but I was young at the time so it is possible.

I do remember the venetian blinds with I believe an all white background and black lettering. I have searched for a video or picture of it and have not been able to find one.

[ghosthouse]

Wow, thanks for a lot of great responses.

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

1. Lifetime had one screen graphic of their own they used when introducing segments. They cut out NBC's use of the UM title slowly shooting at the viewer and replaced it with a venetian blind reveal of the show title with 'Lifetime' written underneath it, then it would quickly transition back to the type of case it was introducing; Unexplained Death, Wanted, Lost Love, etc.

Wow! I think i almost forgot about the venetian blinds graphic. I remember being so confused why Lifetime would create their own look for the show. I do recall them using an Unsolved Mysteries on Lifetime logo.

Originally Posted by appleachian

IIRC Lifetime had basically cut the shows up into its individual segments and “played the hits” for lack of a better term. They grouped like segments so graphics matched throughout one show, but you often saw the same segments again and again just like hits on a radio station. Often overnight if they needed something to true the schedule back to an even hour there would be a :25 airing or something of UM.

That is also super interesting -- It's been so long, I guess I just thought they showed rebroadcasts of the original shows as they aired on NBC. But the idea of 'playing the hits" makes a lot more sense when I say I remember seeing the same cases over and over again.

Originally Posted by Love A Good Mystery

I vaguely recall when, over the closing credits of whatever show was airing immediately before UM, some voice would say "use your women's instinct to help you solve a crime." Anyone remember this?

I think it might have been "Use your women's intuition..." but they definitely used that sound bite a lot...so much that whenever I think of the show on Lifetime, it's usually the first thing that goes thru my head!