Bizarre Murders

This rather amateurishly acted variety of less than usual murder stories could have made a really good series, if it had been written a bit better and shot with a more competent cast. Its episodes are presumedly based on actual crimes, but the factual details were purposely and I believe unnecessarily obscured for unknown reasons. The somewhat snarky comments - by the 'host' - add nothing positive to the proceedings and would be best dispensed with. However, after all is said and done, I enjoy learning about many of the cases themselves...

Mind you, when I say it's entertaining enough, I mean it's good enough to have running on your TV when you're just about to fall asleep but too lazy to roll over and click the clicker. Ok, maybe I even enjoy it a bit. Obviously the producers have taken creative license with the storylines, and the narration reminds me of that old "Ripley's Believe it or Not" show, but some (honestly not that) intrepid digging around the web will find that the stories do have basis in fact. You can't research cases by name, obviously, but searching using some basic thematic info like "mistaken identity murders in Houston" will net you inspiration for Season 1, Episode 1's tale, for instance. Overall, it's a cute show not to be taken too seriously (even if it does cover real murders) and it serves its purpose as mindless brain fodder for when my Ambien kicks in.

I like the show overall, I just can't understand why they felt the need to change the real life details. I've seen several of these where I recognized the story from other true crime stories, namely Forensic Files, but also a few others; but the names and places were different. And others I wanted more details so went searching and found the true stories and we're from other countries, but this show made it seem like it happened here in the US.

So to quote Christian Slater in Pump Up the Volume:

"Well it's too bad about that one actually, to me the real truth is always a bigger turn on."

But for some reason they change names and sometimes backgrounds, but the main story is the same.

As IMDB reviewer elektroad so aptly said in in their review title, "Fake? Real? Who cares? Steve Moore makes this better than other 'crime' shows." My philosophy exactly! There are a ton of serious, play-it-straight crime shows to choose from on basic cable, the internet, streaming video services, etc. What makes Bizarre Murders stand out is the combination of satirical re-enactments and narrations complemented by host Steve Moore's commentary. His real life professional credentials from 25 years in the FBI give the show authenticity while at the same time mirroring its tongue in cheek comedic slant with his own dry sense of humor. Yes, it's intentionally whimsical, but you still learn stuff about criminal behavior and investigations. Go Steve!!

For those of you who enjoy the show and want to share your enjoyment with other fans, check out my Bizarre Murders fan page on Facebook.