This is probably old news to a lot of
you, but a revamped Unsolved Mysteries is airing on Spike TV now.
Covering topics from missing persons to UFOs and alien abduction, the
original Unsolved Mysteries was a smorgasbord of strangeness. This
latest version of the show may have a new set, host and theme song, but the
topics remain the same. It's everything that was good about the original,
but wrapped up in a slick, highly enjoyable package.
With paranormal and true crime reality shows flooding the airwaves, you're
probably wondering if this new series is worth your time. After watching a
handful of episodes during Spike TV's Unsolved Mysteries marathon
this week, I can tell you emphatically, "Yes."
Having grown up in the 1990s, my interest
in the paranormal can be attributed to two main causes: The X-Files
and Unsolved Mysteries. I have both fond
and frightening memories of watching Unsolved Mysteries in its
prime-time slot on NBC. I would usually grow bored during the unsolved
murder segments, but a wave of excitement would come over me whenever a UFO
story was covered. When it came to reenacting the accounts of UFO witnesses
and alien abductees, few did it better than Unsolved Mysteries.
Throughout school, the best part of staying home sick was being able to
watch The Price is Right and Unsolved Mysteries on the
Lifetime Channel. Along with a couple of back-to-back episodes of In
Search Of, I had more than enough incentive to feign illness on
occasion.
I've already mentioned the professionally crafted reenactments, so what else
made Unsolved Mysteries so entertaining to watch? Let's face it,
Robert Stack was reason enough to tune in. If I had to chose a narrator to
read my life story to future generations, I can think of none better than
Mr. Untouchables himself. From talking about a grisly murder scene to a
spotting of the Loch Ness Monster, he was able to bring a feeling of weighty
seriousness with merely the tone of his voice. Having passed away in 2003,
Stack's presence is not to be found on the new Unsolved Mysteries.
Hosting duties are now handled by Law and Order star Dennis Farina.
He's no Robert Stack, but Farina does manage to add to the show a certain
level of intellectual class.
I also mentioned that the show's theme song has been updated. Considering
the original theme ranks among the best in television history, I'm a little
confused as to why it was decided to change it, but I assume it has
something to do with appealing to new audiences. Nevertheless, changes
aside, it still feels like the Unsolved Mysteries we all fell in love
with. Considering all of the hand-held, on-location, in-your-face, "reality"
paranormal shows out there, a scripted, news magazine format program is a
nice change of pace.
I feel it's worth noting that the show now feels more efficient than ever.
Instead of the usual three or four stories per episode, the new version
shoots for five. While this does mean that each story receives less
coverage, it also prevents stale segments from dominating too much of an
episode. Maybe I just don't have the attention span that I used to, but I
feel that this new format is just right for this type of show. It does air
on Spike TV, after all...a channel I don't usually choose if I'm looking for
in-depth information sources.
My primary complaint with the new series would have to be the reduced
emphasis placed on the paranormal stories. It's quite noticeable that the
majority of the featured cases are murder mysteries or missing people.
Considering it was the paranormal aspect that got me--and I assume many
others--interested in the show in the first place, it's rather off-putting.
But for us long-time fans of the series, the show's producers have done a
great job updating and recapping many of the stories featured in past
episodes. Every once in a while you might find yourself feeling a tad
nostalgic when an older story is brought up. It's also nice to get closure
on some of the more heartbreaking murder and lost love cases.
Nothing will replace the original Unsolved Mysteries in my heart, but
the new series is a worthy continuation of the series. If you find yourself
flipping through channels this week, I suggest you try Spike TV. If you're
looking for something to have on in the background or veg out to, I can
think of few things better. Oh, and if you want to be hit by a nostalgia
bomb, you can listen to the original Unsolved Mysteries theme song
here:
http://www.unsolved.com/about.html
