In Search of...

This series explored various phenomena, legends, and mysteries and still holds up 20 years after it left the air. I just loved this show as a grade schooler in the seventies, because I was heavy into monsters and ghost stories and the show frequently profiled legends like vampires, werewolves, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, and it did introduce me to subjects like the Hope Diamond, the Mary Celeste, and the burial of Pompeii by Mt. Vesuvius' eruption. While hardly authoritative(the History Channel disclaimer informs viewers that the show is primarily conjecture), the show is intriguing to watch now. Leonard Nimoy's calm, detached narration is comforting in a nostalgic sort of way, and the entire show has a resolutely objective feel. Funny, but I thought the show only lasted a couple of seasons, not the six indicated. Oh well, the show must have alot of fans, because it has run on A&E and now resides on the History Channel. Lucky us!

I originally watched this show, because I was 11 years old and a Trekkie. Anything with Shatner or Nimoy, and I was there! Still am, actually. However, I really became hooked. I found the speculation fascinating and educational. Now, these shows are wonderful to look back on, because they are so dated. There will always be new information coming about old topics. Amelia Earhart is a good example. There will also be instances where we learn just how flawed science can be. And why we should proceed cautiously when science instructs us on a subject. Case in point: The episode dealing with the "coming ice age"...haha. Yes, only 30 years ago, this was the thinking. Get ready, in 30 years we'll be looking back shaking our heads at the thought of "global warming".

Its such ashame that shows of this caliber don't exist anymore. For gods sake if your gonna do a real life series about strange things... make it seem realistic. The best thing about "In Searh Of" was the production values and style. Very similar to the classic Nostradamus TV movie narrated by Orson Welles all of the things on this show may not be 100% factual, but boy do they come across that way! The location filming, somber tone, simple editing techniques, and excellent work of Leornard Nimoy are all pitch perfect and create just the right mood. The new version that aired on the sci-fi channel a few years back looked like it was shot in someones basement and featured a lot of flashy lights, quick cuts, weird people with little credibility, and talentless hack Mitch Pileggi. Is it just me or are good hosts impossible to come by these days? The last one i can remember for a dramatic series was Robert Stack on Unsolved Mysteries. Man was he good. Now we get people like Forrest Whitaker and Henry Rollins who just aren't up for the challenge. Anyway if you wanna feel like your actually watching something true to life steer clear of the new one and check this classic out!

When I first saw this as a boy I was thrilled!Leonard Nimoy was the perfect host for these mysterious subjects.It definitely fired up my imagination.There were the obvious subjects(bigfoot,loch ness,ghosts) but there were also takes on Pompei and stuff.I still enjoy it now via the history channel.

This show is without a doubt a true classic that has stood the test of time. Even though it first aired a quarter of a century ago it has not aged a bit and there is not a documentary series since that could top it. I'm glad it is still in syndication and that future generations can appreciate its greatness as well. No one else could have done a better job hosting a series like this then Leonard Nimoy. He brought intensity, style and an air of mystery like no other. Everything about this wonderful show was first rate from the crisp narration to the spooky music. Weather we were hunting for Jack the Ripper, Bigfoot or whatever happened to Amelia Earhart, you always knew you were in for a great ride! I remember as a kid there was one episode that terrified me. It was about haunted England and there was one scene where it reenacted a ghost story about a young woman who was frightned to death by a ghost that appeared at the foot of her bed. I lost a lot of sleep over that one.