The New Unsolved Mysteries (with Dennis Farina)

[Dr. Evil]

Spike Gets a Modernized Oldie
Unsolved Mysteries gets a manly makeover
By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/22/2007

Everything old is new again. Spike TV has picked up a repackaged, refreshed version of television classic Unsolved Mysteries that the male-focused cable network will start airing in fall 2008.

“We were looking for a great performer for early fringe,” says Rob Friedman, the network’s senior vice president of programming. “HBO came in and pitched us the newly re-edited Unsolved Mysteries. There are more stories per hour, more male-oriented stories, new graphics and a new host.”

Last June, HBO Television Distribution chiefs Scott Carlin and Tom Cerio started shopping an updated version of the 20-year-old show to cable networks. The sale offers a glimpse into the lengths owners of older syndicated fare are willing to go to polish and sell their library of content, generating a new income stream for dormant properties. The show format offers a unique chance to update and refresh, unlike other syndicated fare.

Friedman says the show is a “great a lead-in to CBS’ off-network CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and for many of our movies.” Spike paid an estimated $1.6 million per episode for CSI back in 2002. The refurbished edition of Unsolved Mysteries—which aired in originals on NBC from 1987 to 1997, CBS from 1997 to 1999 and Lifetime from 2001 to 2002—likely goes for a more reasonable $100,000 per episode cash license fee, according to industry estimates.

The deal should prove profitable for all participants, with Spike paying a fair price; the show’s production company, Cosgrove/Meurer Productions, continuing to make money on a show that by all rights should be retired by now; and HBO taking a cut.

“The show wouldn’t be spinning off anything just lying in the vault,” says one syndication analyst. “Right now, whatever the numbers are, it’s making money.”

With 900 hours of footage and 230 episodes in the can, Cosgrove/Meurer has plenty to choose from as it whittles the show down to 175 episodes.

To give the series a faster, more modern feel, the revamped shows will include five stories per episode, up from the original four. The show’s graphics are being swapped out for computer-generated versions, and the unsolved stories are being updated with new information.

“We asked Bob Cosgrove and Terry Meurer if they would consider the possibility of doing an off-the-body renovation, which is when you literally take the car off the body and replace virtually everything or upgrade everything to practically new condition,” Carlin says. “So we’re adding new music, finding a new host, and enhancing the video. We’re using all the editing bells and whistles that are available to post-production now. We thought: If we can find a way to keep all those stories intact, we may be able to regenerate this show and make it brand-new again.”

At some point, Cosgrove/Meurer also might produce new episodes for Spike, Carlin said.

Perhaps most importantly, Spike gets to cast its own host for the show, a role that the late Robert Stack made his own. Actor Clancy Brown (Carnivale, Lost) hosted HBO’s pilot, but Brown is not available to host any further episodes. Friedman says a decision will be made soon from a short list of candidates.

Even though the show has aired in repeats on Lifetime since 1993, both Carlin and Friedman think it stands to gain a new audience on Spike TV.

“The primary audience on Lifetime is women 25 and 35-plus. The audience on Spike is predominantly comprised of younger males age 18 to 34,” Carlin says. “They are too young to remember the show on broadcast, and there have never been a lot of guys watching programs on Lifetime.”

Carlin adds, “It’s really an opportunity for Spike to take an established brand and make it feel truly like a first-run show.”

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6492832.html

[Matt]

Won't work without Stack's creepy as hell voice.

[Warhammer]

Stack looked scary, too. I was afraid of him and his voice when I was a kid. The Unsolved Mysteries theme was creepy, too.

Hopefully, this revamp does justice, yet stands on it's own without coming close to a Robert Stack imitation.

[Dr. Evil]

On the IMDB Board, the new host is Dennis Farina.

What made the show great was Robert Stack. Whenever I see him in the movie "Airplane" I think: "He's still scary, even in a comedy."

And weren't some of these crimes also profiled on America's Most Wanted?

[Warhammer]

I'm sure that some of the crimes were on both shows. I'm not digging Dennis Farina, though. I mean, when I see him, I think "cool and nice guy." I even think of him as "stern and rugged" before "creepy" like Robert Stack (not meant in a derogatory way, but just in the interest of the show).

[Dr. Evil]

Who would have been a great replacement for Stack?

[Dr. Evil]

According to the IMDB boards: The music remains the same.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by Dr. Evil

Who would have been a great replacement for Stack?

Though he does not have a "creepy" voice, Liev Schreiber would have been great. If you've watched any of the HBO 24/7 mini-series, that voice is Schreiber's voice. His voice is stern and solid. It's different, but it comes to mind as something not only fresh, but new and not a Stack-rip.

Here is a piece of 24/7 for some who haven't seen it. I was shocked when I found out it was Liev Schreiber.

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Dr. Evil

Who would have been a great replacement for Stack?

I'm not sure I can think of any suitable replacement. Stack was just...perfect.

[Dr. Evil]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

Though he does not have a "creepy" voice, Liev Schreiber would have been great. If you've watched any of the HBO 24/7 mini-series, that voice is Schreiber's voice. His voice is stern and solid. It's different, but it comes to mind as something not only fresh, but new and not a Stack-rip.

Here is a piece of 24/7 for some who haven't seen it. I was shocked when I found out it was Liev Schreiber.

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

Liev does some narration for the PBS show "American Experience" so I have heard his work.

[SFII]

i hope they atleast bring back the creepy music.

[Dr. Evil]

Originally Posted by SFII

i hope they atleast bring back the creepy music.

According to IMDB.COM on the message board for the original show, the creepy music remains the same.

[Mister J]

God, Stack used to own this role.

My initial fear is that is the midst of this 'repacking and refreshing' that the show will simply be lame. Beyond that, I don't know if Farina will be able to fully set the appropriate tone for the unsettling nature of the show. There was always something creepy about watching UM. I will check at least the first handful of eps though.

[HR-PUFF&STUFF]

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[SFII]

i hope they do stuff on UFOs. UFO stuff that i haven't seen before, that is. and i've seen a lot.

come to think of it, there's so many shows out there nowadays that pretty much cover everything this show is made of. UFOs, ghost stories, lost civilizations, mysterious deaths, sea monsters, psychic cops, and missing persons.

yeah, i don't know if i'm gonna watch this show now.

[Mogwai]

loved the old one. creeped me out though. alien/ufo stuff was the best!

[superhero]

I always liked unsloved myster. the ghost storys used to scare me when i was a kid.

[deathshead2]

Scary stuff. This better be good, but knowing Spike tv it won't be.

[Shifty]

Matthew McConaughey's acting debut. They need shows like this to find criminals.

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I'd give it a try, loved the original. Having 5 segments sounds like a dumb move, the stories are going to be short don't know how they will be good.

[Dr. Evil]

Originally Posted by slinger

Matthew McConaughey's acting debut. They need shows like this to find criminals.

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I'd give it a try, loved the original. Having 5 segments sounds like a dumb move, the stories are going to be short don't know how they will be good.

America's Most Wanted has also done a good job looking for criminals. Unsolved Mysteries though does deal with the paranormal as well.

Unsolved Mysteries used to scare me a lot when I was a kid. I lived in Germany for 7 years and the show was really popular there too, and as a kid, whenever they did the stories of suspected murderers, ghosts, and so forth it would make me scared to go to sleep in my room.

But I watch it now mainly for the interesting subjects about crime scenes, ghosts, mysterious creatures, and so forth. I was never into the whole "reunions" they did as part of their happy segments.

How about some interesting Unsolved Mysteries clips?

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[Dr. Evil]

Jesse James Hollywood, who was captured on America's Most Wanted:

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Elvis Last Day:

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[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

This show had a cool theme tune, sounded really evil and sinister.

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[Shifty]

Originally Posted by Dr. Evil

America's Most Wanted has also done a good job looking for criminals. Unsolved Mysteries though does deal with the paranormal as well.

I know that's why I said it. Unsolved Mysteries has put more criminals behind bars than the majority of other shows on television. It has also reunited lost loves and families.

Without A Trace shows missing people at the end of the episode and of there is AMW but other than that its slim pickens. Better a show that has positive results for society then some rich teenager show.

I don't know if they can really make a good Unsolved Mysteries show again honestly. But as a fan of the old show and so forth, I sincerely hope they explore some of the old elusive creatures, ghosts, and so forth in an intelligent fashion this year as well.

Don't know if the Unsolved Mysteries this time around will do the whole criminal aspects again.