Unusual Suspects

This has become the template for modern true crime shows, so in that sense it is ground breaking. Rather than the relentless teases at the start and before each ad break we now get (which is ridiculous by the way), this show doesn't feel the need to constantly dangle carrots in a desperate bid to keep you watching. This ran from 2010 - 2016. Whether it's a reflection of the times or not, I appreciate that there is no "hard sell" or overly salacious cases to shock the viewer into watching or trying to get the audience to endlessly pour over grisly details. True Crime competition increased exponentially in the years this show aired and by 2016 there was an ocean of choice. If you're interested in quality true crime, start here and avoid the "tabloid" shows. This is where it's at. One of the true and best originals.

This show covers so many different murder cases but it also gets extremely repetitive over time. Literally 9 out of 10 times, you get the same story. Cops try for years to solve the case but they can't. They come to a dead end. No one knows who murdered our victim....and then years later cops get an unexpected phone call and they receive a tip.

Then this leads to case being solved and it turns out that the killer is someone completely random or someone they haven't mentioned at all up until the last 5 minutes of the episode. Literally 9 out of 10 times cases aren't solved with evidence or police work but an anonymous tip that comes years later after the case is closed with introduction of a whole new person in the last 5 minutes. Then the killer just confesses everything and goes to jail.

It would have been much better if they actually picked cases where the case is solved by evidence and police work instead of random anonymous tips that come years after case is closed.

Aside from Unsolved Mysteries, Unusual Suspects is one of my favorite true crime TV shows. Production-wise, the show looked cheap in its debut season. But when the show returned for its second season in 2011, it looked much better. One may see Unusual Suspects as something of a throwback to the 1980s. That might sound unfair, but I can see why it can be viewed as such. In fact, there are moments in the show where reenactments remind me of reenactments from the early seasons of Unsolved Mysteries, due to the look and feel. Unusual Suspects has nice production values.

If Unusual Suspects can teach us anything, it is that even your quiet and seemingly harmless neighbor can be a cold-blooded murderer. Sometimes, a person's public persona can be a stark contrast to who they truly are behind closed doors.

I watch everything True Crime, and I can't stand the shows where the narrator talks in an exaggeratedly dramatic, whispy voice. He is also super disrespectful and keeps referring to sex workers as hookers and prostitutes like it's 1999. I was recommended this show because I liked Your Worst Nightmare - which is 1000x better - and was hugely disappointed.

I've seen all the true crime shows, and this one is definitely at the top. My only thing is how long the show takes to get to the point of who actually did it. It could be a solid 30 minute show but instead it drags out for another 20 after that. I've gotten to the point where I just fast forward it on Hulu.