General True Crime Shows

[Maizie131]

So, Surviving Evil is back. I haven't seen every episode, but I don't recall Charisma Carpenter doing a studio interview of the survivor before. Is that new?

I noticed that, too, (her interviewing a survivor) and I have seen every episode.  That should be interesting to watch - I do like her. 

[Brattinella]

I did watch the Evil Twins, and I really don't understand how they all died on the tracks!  Broad daylight, the lights were flashing and the arms came down, and they had at LEAST a mile of visibility on both directions on the track.  Why didn't they GET OUT? 

Edited October 16, 2015 by Brattinella

[ridethemaverick]

My tolerance level for Paula Zahn's show is at about zero (I always ff to the end). If there's nothing worth watching on other channels, I'll put on ID reruns. Every single fucking time I hear her say "...in her/his OWN bedroom" ... or "...in her/his OWN home..." I can't get to my remote fast enough! Who the fuck else's bedroom or home would she/he be in?!?!? (This is, of course, after the "intro" to the show which clearly indicates where the murder occurred.) Oh my God! Just the inflection of her voice sends me over the edge -- which is the exact reason why I never watch Tamron Hall's show, either. They obviously went to the same school.

Sorry...had to vent. Maybe I should've taken this post to the "Pet Peeves" forum?!? But they don't have a category for shows on TV that REALLY piss us OFF! hahaha! Can someone make one? hahaha!

Cosign. I'll add another PZ pet peeve...when she asks stuff like:

"How horrified were you when you found out about your brother's murder"

Or

"How devastated were you when you found your wife's body?"

Um, very? How else does one answer such a stupid question? Gah, I hate it!

[Maizie131]

ridethemaverick - great comments...couldn't agree more.  There's just so much to snark about PZ.  Only hope is she reads this forum & gets a clue.  Problem is - that show does feature some interesting cases, however (as I said above), you've gotta fast-forward to the end because you'd go nuts listening to her ridiculous questions posed to those interviewed! 

 

Anyhow, as most of you know because you watch ID, our saving grace is that A Crime To Remember will be back on November 10th!  I'd forgotten that it won an Emmy this year -- for "Lighting Direction and Scenic Design."  Gawd I love this show, and must admit it's reminiscent to me of one of my favorite shows of all time:  Mad Men (due to the "Scenic Design").  Can't WAIT! 

[KellsBells]

Cosign. I'll add another PZ pet peeve...when she asks stuff like:

"How horrified were you when you found out about your brother's murder"

Or

"How devastated were you when you found your wife's body?"

Um, very? How else does one answer such a stupid question? Gah, I hate it!

 

And the one that gets me..."Did you kill [insert victim's name here]?" I mean, sometimes she asks it of people who are about to be cleared as suspects, but a lot of time she asks it of people who are obviously guilty and yet are still denying their guilt. Does she think that in the face of her fabulous studio presence she's going to suddenly get them to confess? So dumb. I always want her to follow up the no answer of one of them by scoffing and saying, "You know, everyone knows you're guilty, it's ridiculously obvious you're guilty, saying your not just makes you sound dumb." But she never does. 

[tobeannounced]

Ah, yes, PZ, we've snarked on her before.  It never gets old though - lol.  Snarking, I mean, Her show, not so much.  I know she covers other cases, but it seems like the vast majority are a young woman raped and murdered 30, 40 years ago whose case is finally solved by the DNA technology that wasn't around back in the day. Please, Paula, don't go to the well for that one again.

[Andyourlittledog2]

Fatal Vows 'Crazy Love' episode had a TH where the female district attorney noted the following:

 

"He was already makin' plans to move. He'd taken away his television. A man's not too far behind his big screen TV. That's my experience. He moves that out, he's gone!"   

 

I love that.  Heh. 

[applecrisp]

Maizie, I am looking forward to A Crime to Remember and am happy Fatal Vows is back.  How are some of the new shows on ID any recommendations?

[auntjess]

I've set my DVR to get Hotel Horrors, but not sure if I'll watch it.
The promo crap makes it look like sadistic crap, but one of the ads sounded like murders done in hotels, and if so, I'll watch it.

Fatal Vows fails my "whodunit" criterion, as do a lot of the shows.
 

[Maizie131]

Maizie, I am looking forward to A Crime to Remember and am happy Fatal Vows is back.  How are some of the new shows on ID any recommendations?

applecrisp - I've now watched a couple episodes of Killer Instinct w/Chris Hansen and liked both.  Last night's "Mount Vernon Gothic" was really bizarre & horrific (two adjectives used by Hansen, himself), but I think he tells the stories well, and nothing -- so far -- irritating in his delivery.  Time will tell...

[editorgrrl]

I've set my DVR to get Hotel Horrors, but not sure if I'll watch it. The promo crap makes it look like sadistic crap, but one of the ads sounded like murders done in hotels, and if so, I'll watch it.

The first episode of Do Not Disturb: Hotel Horrors is about the December 2010 death of aspiring swimwear designer Sylvie Cachay at Soho House in NYC. It's a private club in the meatpacking district that has some hotel rooms: https://www.sohohouseny.com.

Diirector Joel Schumacher is an executive producer of the series, and there are only three episodes: https://corporate.discovery.com/discovery-newsroom/guests-check-in-but-never-check-out-in-investigation-discoverys-new-series-do-not-disturb-hotel-horrors/

Edited to add that Sylvie's mother has awful lip fillers. And I paused to read Sylvie's four-page list of stuff she wanted her boyfriend to do, like use fewer paper towels, go to bed by midnight & get up by 10 a.m., and be more ambitious.

The third episode is set in London, so I'm all in.

Edited October 22, 2015 by editorgrrl

[walnutqueen]

Last night's Evil Twins had an interesting and tragic twist - a true case of folie a deux.  How horrible that their psychosis caused both sisters to try to kill themselves and their children, with one of them succeeding.

[tobeannounced]

I had never watched Evil Twins before, but that was a really gripping story that I had never heard before.  Is it usually pretty good?

[applecrisp]

I had never watched Evil Twins before, but that was a really gripping story that I had never heard before.  Is it usually pretty good?

 

I like it, it has a narrowed premise so there can be a klunker here and there.  I also really like Evil Kin as they often have fresh stories and older stories many i have not heard of.  I am fascinated with the evil family premise, that mothers and fathers teach their children crime.

Edited October 24, 2015 by applecrisp

[torqy]

A while after the air date, but did anyone else see the Evil Kin show about Renee Curtiss up in Washington? Found it interesting because the story was in one of Ann Rule's books. I usually complain when Dateline pads out a story to fill 2 hours, but this could have used a bit more time, as what I thought were key points in the book were left out of the show. Agree or disagree?

I'll never understand why they elevated this story so much, except for the obvious angles. It wasn't much of a mystery. They beat this dead horse until it turned to glue. Hard to believe anyone is still interested.

 

 

I can't imagine that I'd watch yet another show about Jodi whatshername - a story that's been so overdone by the media that you can't even stick a fork in it, because all that's left is ashes.  

I live in Phoenix, and you can't imagine what it was like. Just glad that she's in the state pen now where she has no access to the media.

Edited October 25, 2015 by torqy

[Brattinella]

A while after the air date, but did anyone else see the Evil Kin show about Renee Curtiss up in Washington? Found it interesting because the story was in one of Ann Rule's books. I usually complain when Dateline pads out a story to fill 2 hours, but this could have used a bit more time, as what I thought were key points in the book were left out of the show. Agree or disagree?

 

 

I live in Phoenix, and you can't imagine what it was like. Just glad that she's in the state pen now where she has no access to the media.

 

Yeah.  If only the Kardashians were there, too!

[Andyourlittledog2]

It was the same in No Cal and Southern Oregon.  All Jodi, all the time. Some days I wished I hadn't moved here.  LOL 

 

I like Evil Twins and Evil Kin.  They mostly have stories I haven't heard before and the family angle is interesting. 

 

There seem to be a lot of shlocky melodramatic crapfests on right now or coming up and I haven't watch any yet so I don't know if the commercials simply are awful or if the shows are awful too. But they seem an awful lot like Obsession and Suspicion to me. I think those two had the same production company because they seemed to suck in exactly the same ways. There also seems to be a lot of 'celebrity' hosts for new shows lately. It's like their agents thought hosting a true crime series would get them more TV exposure.  It's a freaking avalanche of has beens and fading stars on ID shows lately.  They add nothing to the shows themselves. 

[auntjess]

Reelz is showing The Shift again, if you need a break from ID shows.
I see they're showing repeats of See No Evil, so I hope that means a new season is coming soon.  I do like surveillance tapes.

[Brattinella]

I especially liked the episode (not sure what show) had the Greystone Mansion in it.  What a gorgeous place!  Dark polished wood everywhere, too bad it is cursed!

[grumpypanda]

applecrisp - I've now watched a couple episodes of Killer Instinct w/Chris Hansen and liked both. Last night's "Mount Vernon Gothic" was really bizarre & horrific (two adjectives used by Hansen, himself), but I think he tells the stories well, and nothing -- so far -- irritating in his delivery. Time will tell...

I watch a lot of murder tv so I'm somewhat desensitized to watching stories about terrible murders but the Mount Vernon episode of Killer Instinct left me absolutely horrified. The detective's description of finding that young boy's head was horrific (I can't even come up with a better word.) As disturbing as Killer Instinct is, I really think that it's the best show that ID has come out with since Disappeared. So far most of the cases that have been covered are new to me and I like that it has no cheesy gimmicks or over the top sexy reenactments.

[applecrisp]

I was never a fan of Chris Hansen but he really did find some terrible and shocking murders that I had not heard of.  There are a couple of shows Fatal Vows is one, that have a diffferent slant that I really like even if I have seen it before. I just like the angle of the crumbling marriage and how hard divorce can be.

[BigBlueMastiff]

 

A while after the air date, but did anyone else see the Evil Kin show about Renee Curtiss up in Washington? Found it interesting because the story was in one of Ann Rule's books. I usually complain when Dateline pads out a story to fill 2 hours, but this could have used a bit more time, as what I thought were key points in the book were left out of the show. Agree or disagree?

Do tell, missed this one.

[mansonlamps]

Is anyone watching Behind the Screams on Reelz?  They tell the real stories behind horror movie stories or killers such as Silence of the Lambs or Insidious.  They also did John Wayne Gacy, not sure what that had to do with movies or TV aside from him dressing as a clown.  Anyway, some of them have been pretty good.

[walnutqueen]

Thanks for the heads up, mansonlamps.  I just set the DVR to record a few episodes this afternoon/evening.  :-)

[BigBlueMastiff]

One More Time, I don't understand those women either. I don't even have kids, but there's no effen way some random dude would move in with me in my kids without a thorough background check and having known him at least a year. hell he wouldn't meet my kids until I knew he was serious, and not a criminal.

 

Anyone watching CI (Crime & Investigation) network? Caught Vanished hosted by Natalie Holloway's mom last night, and it was pretty good, decent sub for my beloved Disappeared.

[KellsBells]

Is anyone watching Behind the Screams on Reelz?  They tell the real stories behind horror movie stories or killers such as Silence of the Lambs or Insidious.  They also did John Wayne Gacy, not sure what that had to do with movies or TV aside from him dressing as a clown.  Anyway, some of them have been pretty good.

John Wayne Gacy was the inspiration for the killer clown in Stephen King's book "It." 

[BigBlueMastiff]

I watched Stranger in my Home yesterday. I was so disturbed by the poor old lady from CT who moved to help her daughter in FL. Daughter clearly has issues, maybe substance abuse, two sons in jail, and is fighting with mom, though mom pays for everything, and got her out her trailer and into a shared house. Why in the world would the daughters locked up sons introduce their grandmother and mother to a soon to be released felon, and suggest he move in with them, WTF??? There is no way in hell I would allow some ex con to move in with my 80 yr. old mom/grandma. Why did the daughter allow this? The ex con had no job, no $, and mooched off granny, eventually putting a wedge between her and the daughter, and of course finally taking everything, including granny's life.

[Constantinople]

"Baba Wawa Presents American Scandals" premieres tonight.

 

Lord knows why.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Constantinople

[Cobb Salad]

I thought she retired. The clips I saw showed her interviewing people from 'scandals' that were overdone when they were happening, IMO. I'm passing on this.

[Rina99]

How much damned Vaseline do they have on this lens for Babs?  It's startling when they transition from her to clear footage.

[LakeGal]

I watched the show Your Worst Nightmare on Netflilx.  The episode "When the Lights Go Out" was really creepy.  It was scarier than a horror movie because you knew it was true.  It is about Cassie Jo Stoddart housesitting for her aunt.  Truly creepy and scary.  Very well done.  

[auntjess]

I've tried two of the Hotel Hell shows, and don't like the format.
They focus on how the crime came to be, and on the people involved.  This bored me.  Show me the solving of the crime.

 

And if you missed an old show, Suburban Secrets, or something with Suburbs in it, do watch one.
This show makes Nightmare Next Door look like an Emmy-worth series.

I promise, the script and narration is even cheesier.

[smittykins]

Over at the TWoP forums, we've been amusing ourselves with ideas for new ID shownames (after hearing about their latest "Sinister Ministers).  Thought I'd share the list with you all:

I know this is an ancient post, but I thought of another one a couple days ago: Stalkers with Walkers.

Hey, it could happen...;)

[walnutqueen]

I know this is an ancient post, but I thought of another one a couple days ago: Stalkers with Walkers.

Hey, it could happen...;)

 

I shall add it to the master list, smittykins!  :-)

[Shriekingeel]

Just saw last week's Surviving Evil, the most infuriating yet. Guy rapes and kills one young woman, stabs another 33 times and leaves her for dead. Sentenced to death, sentence commuted to life, gets to marry multiple women and father four children behind bars.

Animal.

[NewDigs]

Oooh, a new season of Momsters is on the way, later this month I think. Yay! I just saw a promo with Roseanne, looking good in a short blonde hairdo. Although she went through at least one annoying phase years ago, overall I like her and have enjoyed her intros on this series. 

 

Not up there with A Crime to Remember, of course, but I've enjoyed Momsters too.

I greeted Momsters with an eyeroll but now that I've seen the commercial and have heard more about it am looking forward to it. Wasn't sure about the Roseanne factor.

And if anyone is wondering when the season-opener of Crime to Remember starts you need just check the lower right corner of the ID screen. It begins in, 13: 45: 15-14-13-12... That's kind of annoying.

Spray tan murder is on right now.

[Maizie131]

Did anyone watch A Crime To Remember?  (I did.)  What's the consensus?  I'm surprised there's no chatter about it. 

[Brattinella]

Yes I did, and he was a particularly nasty specimen.

[applecrisp]

i did too.  I did like that the town rallied for the black girl Opal.  It is these stories we need to hear about .   In 2015, we could be doing better.

 

Also, I watch Sister Wives about polygamy, did anyone happen to see The Wives Did It?  I am fascinated by plural marriage so I liked it.  Of course it was yet another tale of how hard it is on the wives.

Edited November 12, 2015 by applecrisp

[roamyn]

It appears they're doing more famous crimes this season w/the nurses massacre and the Sam Shephard case.

My grandmother was a patient of Dr. Shephard. My uncle inherited a book he signed for her before they both died (within months of ea other). So I have a heavy view point on that case, and I'm not sure I'm going to watch (for the record I'm positive ge was innocent).

[Fraoch]

I went to a small liberal arts college in southern Indiana. Years later, I found out that Sam Shephard was also an alum. Being a true crime fanatic, I enjoy having this random odd connection to a case like that. :) (And I also think he was innocent.)

 

A Crime to Remember: I always appreciate this show's attention to casting, when it shows the actors at the end and then photos of their real-life counterparts. And I'm interested in the "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" case, not knowing much about the story behind the movie.

[andromeda331]

I agree it was really great to see how they rallied to find Opal. I also liked how they got him to talk.

By not talking to him, not saying a word. What a sick man.

[applecrisp]

I agree it was really great to see how they rallied to find Opal. I also liked how they got him to talk.

By not talking to him, not saying a word. What a sick man.

 

Yeah, how do these people act so normal.  I have a hard time of that myself.

[KellsBells]

Just saw last week's Surviving Evil, the most infuriating yet. Guy rapes and kills one young woman, stabs another 33 times and leaves her for dead. Sentenced to death, sentence commuted to life, gets to marry multiple women and father four children behind bars.

Animal.

 

It upset me as well. What the hell kind of prison was he in that he could marry and father children? That's just wrong. 

[auntjess]

 

It appears they're doing more famous crimes this season w/the nurses massacre and the Sam Shephard case.

I'd be interested in the nurses,  I read it at the time, and was appalled that they didn't gang up on him.

As I recall, one tried to get them to, but they wouldn't.  I think she lived by hiding.

I've seen so muich on the Shepard case over the years, that I might pass on that one.

[Brattinella]

Oh, the nurses!  Broke my heart back then, and still does.  Speck was a disgusting POS who survived a long time in prison turning tricks and growing boobs and doing drugs, having a good old time.  A video popped up after he died, and he was on camera with his buddies, truly repellant.

I have always wished the nurses would have attacked him, some might have gotten away.

[Constantinople]

Finally saw Lock Up Your Daughters, the Season 3 premiere of A Crime to Remember.

 

Aside from being the actions of a serial killer, the crimes were notable because the killer contacted the editor of the local paper to report the killings.  The killer bragged that he wouldn't be caught because he was smarter than the police.  So the Gaffney Strangler anticipated the Zodiac Killer, though the Gaffney Strangler relied on the telephone.  In fact, according the show, the police briefly suspected the editor when the police bugged the editor's office phone and the editor subsequently said he was called at home.

 

Since it was a small town, the police didn't even have their own camera.  They had to rely on the paper's photographer to take pictures of the crime scene.

 

There's also a news clip of Ted Koppel interviewing a local man (Ted had to do something before Nightline).

 

The episode brought up the issue of race relations in the area, noting at the start of the episode that the local high school was just then being integrated.  Later, the narrator said Gaffney had two towns, black and white, but the abduction of a black girl brought the town together while everyone, black or white, searched for her (the previous victims had been white).  But then the show dropped that train of thought once the police picked-up the killer.  So we have no idea what longer-term effect, if any, the murders had on the "two" towns.

[Brattinella]

Wow, Ted Koppel looked to be no older than 20 or so!

[KellsBells]

Wow, Ted Koppel looked to be no older than 20 or so!

 

I know! I was shocked at how young he looked -- I definitely did a double-take then rewound to see if that was really him. Anyway, I just watched it and it was very well done and the bonus was that it was a crime I'd not heard of. I rarely watch ID live because there are so many commercials, especially during the day, sometimes the commercials last for 10 minutes! 

[walnutqueen]

Oh, the nurses!  Broke my heart back then, and still does.  Speck was a disgusting POS who survived a long time in prison turning tricks and growing boobs and doing drugs, having a good old time.  A video popped up after he died, and he was on camera with his buddies, truly repellant.

I have always wished the nurses would have attacked him, some might have gotten away.

 

Oh, dear gawd, I am having horrible flashbacks to some sick thing I saw on TV with him and his boobies sitting around a table in women's underwear with fellow inmates, telling stories, grinning and ... I just can't. even.  It was AWFUL.  Is that what you're remembering, too?