General True Crime Shows

[auntjess]

Which Nightmare was that?  I've still got some on the DVR.

[beckie]

Last Seen Alive, second episode:  I hate to be all cynical and stuff, but did anyone else watching this think that the PI Amber was full of shit?  She was so 'I may die in there but if it's my time to go then so be it'.  She just seemed way to invested for a PI and she kept saying she saw Ali but then something would happen that prevented anyone else from seeing Ali.  She says she saw underage girls but when the police raided, no Ali and no underage girls. I just got a huge hero complex bullshit vibe from that woman. I think this whole case on camera was about her and making her look good even though she got zero results.  I just don't buy her at all. 

 

 

 

I finally caught an episode and I thought the same thing. It seemed just to "set up". Plus she didn't seem like a very good PI at all.

 

If this is supposed to be the show that's like Disappeared, I don't see it at all. I didn't enjoy it at all. But I did hope that the brother and sister looking for their missing brother would at least get some clues that would lead to him. I felt like it left that part hanging and I didn't like it. UUUUGGHHH!

[druzy]

Re: Last Seen Alive- If Ali is still alive and she was in that crack house then taken away because the drug dealers were "tipped off" they should have never aired the episode. IMO they only put Ali in more danger. That PI is a civilian, I don't understand how the cops would put her in harms way, so much so that they told her she could die. Did the PI wear makeup to make her face look like she was using drugs?

[walnutqueen]

I totally agree with your assessments, andyourlittledog2.  If Ali is alive and in danger, the PI just put her in even more peril,  but she got on teevee to strut her mad PI skilz so she can shill another desperate family.

 

When I first saw your screen name, I thought you had a dog named Andy.  :-)

[AltLivia]

 

If Ali is alive and in danger, the PI just put her in even more peril,  but she got on teevee to strut her mad PI skilz so she can shill another desperate family.

Absolutely. And if the PI had worn a wire/had some police intervention on her first visit to the house, she might have spared "Ali" that beating. With a little more reconnaissance and less playing girl superhero. 

 

Also "they've shifted people out." I've heard of criminals clearing out, but never moving a more age appropriate group in. Just bizarre.

[beckie]

 

Anyway, the solution is for Amber to pretend to be a madam and go into the crack house/brothel and try to 'buy' Ali for herself.

I found myself wondering, what if she had succeeded in "buying" Ali and then she got her out and it wasn't really Ali? What then? That PI didn't really impress me, at all. And she had sores all over her face, it looked like, so I wondered if perhaps she was just a druggie, herself.

[Edie Wharton]

I didn't see every minute of Last Seen Alive, and I was therefore a little unsure of everyone's names.  The first time the PI (now I know her name is Amber) went into the house, she was accompanied by the druggie.  The father said to the camera that (probably) Amber made him promise that if she had to take drugs in the house to prove her cred, that he was to immediately transport her to the hospital when she reappeared.  How many PI's would get into a situation where they would actually have to take crack or heroin??  She seemed phony to me, too, and I feel bad for the parents.

[druzy]

I found myself wondering, what if she had succeeded in "buying" Ali and then she got her out and it wasn't really Ali? What then? That PI didn't really impress me, at all. And she had sores all over her face, it looked like, so I wondered if perhaps she was just a druggie, herself.

Maybe that's exactly what happened and it was edited out. The sores on the PI's face- I was confused and thought she may have used stage makeup to play the role of a druggie? Who knows? All I know is that I was left with a fame whore wanna be vibe from that PI. My heart goes out to Ali's parents.

Edited June 10, 2014 by druzy

[Edie Wharton]

My, my, my...  PI Amber Cammack is explaining herself and having a convo with another poster who is a PI, on the ID website.  (link at end of post)

 

The new PI, Kelly Townsend, says she'll be appearing in the next two episodes of Last Seen Alive.  Kelly commiserates with Amber about having to wait two weeks between the first visit to the crack house and the subsequent raid.  Kelly says, "You gave a positive ID why in the world does LE do this really pisses me off. If you find Ali again, and LE pulls this crap, contact me and my rescue team will come to you and we will extract her from where ever she is."

 

Amber replies, "Even though I have spent countless hours studying facial features, posture and any other identifying marks of Ali's I cannot be a 100% it was Ali Lowitzer. What I will say is "Columbus Ali" looks very similar to Ali Lowitzer and I have to find her again. I like to think I would know Ali if I saw her but I'm not her mother. I am human so I'm open to the fact I could be wrong! Several Columbus cop's believe they have also seen Ali."

 

And earlier Amber said, "I know the house was tipped off by an informant the police used. The pimps hid the girls out in homeless shelters throughout the city and due to privacy laws the shelters wouldn't let me in or give any information. I have to say that knowing 2 weeks prior to the raid I had set in the same room with 12 underage females and 2 young adults being forced into prostitution and the fact I couldn't save them made it one of the most disappointing moments of my life/career. Even after everything I'm still holding on to hope that I will one day help bring Ali and the other girls home."

 

I hope that these two private eyes are successful at what they do and that they are able to help many people.  But they sound like two little girls playing Man From UNCLE (or whatever it is the kids watch these days.  Cagney and Lacey?  Kidding!  I'm so old.).

 

http://www.investigationdiscovery.com/tv-shows/last-seen-alive/about-this-show/amber-cammack.htm 

Edited June 10, 2014 by Edie Wharton

[beckie]

What is the deal with having PI's on the missing type shows now? Is that the in thing? They even had one on the Disappeared special.

 

Amber was a dingbat and that Kelly person sounds like one too. I totally agree with you. They sound like two little girls!

[Edie Wharton]

Cry Wolfe SUCKS!  It's painful to watch.  Worst re-creations ever, and not clearly marked as such, that I have noticed.

[applecrisp]

Just wanted to hang out with my people at ID.  My Brother the Serial Killer, I know is not new.  I watched and it did not have much about the killings so that was good.  I had never heard of Glen Rodgers before. The family was making a lot of excuses which really bothered.  He had a person in his trunk and the brother didn't call police?  Outrageous !  The brother only turned him in because he knew the old guy.  They grew up dirt poor.

 

The OJ portion was laughable.  He just happened to be there.  

 

I guess what bothers me is we are all having hard time, the economy is bad.  People are scraping by and that causes sooo much stress.  This is when people start drinking more, there is more domestic violence and the downward spiral becomes worse.  I read the first hand accounts of people on food stamps who are

working and I want to cry.  Food shelters are very busy.  People are desperate.  I just think, "we are a rich country can't we do better?'  I don't know but I am sad.

 

I have little faith in our government and I used to be patriotic( not like the Tea Party) but I thought our system worked. I don't think that anymore.

[beckie]

 

Cry Wolfe SUCKS!  It's painful to watch.  Worst re-creations ever, and not clearly marked as such, that I have noticed.

Did you see the one last night where the lady was sure her hubby was cheating on her with someone. Then she calls the PI guy and he says something and her response is "should I go get a divorce?" I was like, Yah lady, go get one RIGHT now, because we all know the divorce will be done before your hubby gets home! What a moron.

 

And then the guy makes the PI guy and camera crew and the girl conveniently calls him dad. I figured when the wife mentioned children that her hubby had other children (or in this case a child) with someone else. Then I realized after the show, that it all has to be fake, fakey, FAKE. Then I wondered who's sleeping with whom, to have these people on these shows. It's not like ID is going to give them much coverage that they'll be world famous. Or maybe it will. lol

 

Oh and the one before it, where the guy ended up being a bigamist, was just as bad!

Edited June 11, 2014 by beckie

[Edie Wharton]

Beckie, I saw them both.  I was giving the show a second chance after last week's crappy debut.  Compared to the first two episodes, at least they tried to give these new shows a little bit of a twist.  But in the bigamy episode, how could you NOT know the twist immediately when in the first few minutes you see a picture of the hubby at a Vegas chapel with another woman and you learn he's away 2-6 days per week??

 

There was one thing that made me laugh (not with derision!):  when "Mr. Wolfe" was on a long surveillance and he critiqued the flowers the subject bought.  "Oh, he went with the mixed bouquet."

 

Why in the world does he insist his clients call him Mr. Wolfe?

[roamyn]

Okay, I know I'm behind, but I just found this thread. So I'm going to touch on several subjects.

1) M. Wm Phelps is an a $$ to listen to, but I like his books.

2) I haven't seens much on 'Unusual Suspects'. I do like that show. The production's kinda low key, and I actually dig the theme.

3) I have a TCL/Gothard & ID crossover idea: Missing for Kissing

[beckie]

What did they do to our thread? it's not showing any views or responses.

[Jaded]

Looks like they created subforums and when threads got moved they lost views and etc. I'm still seeing replies inside the thread though...

Edited June 14, 2014 by Jaded

[roamyn]

That's not always true, yourlittledog.

Sometimes it IS the first person they suspected. The investigation finds more evidence, or the alibi falls through.

I also like the narrator better than NND.

[slensam]

You can see the views and replies when you look at it from its new subforum placement.  

 

I find Unusual Suspects difficult because due to its theme I pretty much know anyone they target in the first forty-five minutes isn't the perpetrator.  It makes for a lot of false leads and then finally someone unexpected at the end. After a while I start to tune out everyone mentioned in at least the first thirty minutes. Sometimes they'll go back to an earlier suspect that had been ruled out, but it seems like usually its someone newer. It just kind of drags for me. 

 

I'm finding it hard to find the sweet spot with these shows.  Some are too dry, some are too melodramatic, porn-y, or sarcastic. I like good reenactments and a good narrator (to my ears) and some seriousness about the subject. I hate when they treat the subject matter like it's some joke. I'm sure the dead person's relatives and friends don't find it amusing to see their loved one's murder treated like a comedy or an excuse to air some soft porn scenes.  I realize I'm watching it for entertainment as well as information, its a subject that just fascinates me. But that doesn't mean I don't care about the people or want them to be treated fairly and responsibly in these shows.  Deadly Affairs and Elder Skelter completely lost the plot on what their subject matter is. 

 

So Unusual Suspects is too dry for me.  But Deadly Affairs makes me want to punch someone.  I am difficult to please I guess.  

I'll take dry to something like "Southern Fried Homicide" any day of the week. Wanna strangle that narrator. Maybe they'll make a show about that!

Edited June 14, 2014 by slensam

[walnutqueen]

Another new series tonight : Devil in the Details.    Hopefully it will focus more on investigating a crime and less on the soft porn Saturday night stuff we've been subjected to of late.

 

A girl can dream ...

[beckie]

 

 

Another new series tonight : Devil in the Details.    Hopefully it will focus more on investigating a crime and less on the soft porn Saturday night stuff we've been subjected to of late.

A girl can dream ...

Let's hope they listen to your dream, walnutqueen! We need some good viewing.

[beckie]

So what did you think of Devil is in the Details, walnutqueen? I was hardly paying attention while it was on, but to me it didn't look much different than the fare ID usually serves up.

[TheEditrixHasSpoken]

SWEET FROSTED BABY JESUS ON TOAST: CRY WOLFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

What horrible awful terribleness!! The reenactments. . .the fakery. . .the questionableness. . .this is ALL REENACTED?!?!? 

OH MY EFFING GAWD!!!!!!!!

Beckie, I saw them both.  I was giving the show a second chance after last week's crappy debut.  Compared to the first two episodes, at least they tried to give these new shows a little bit of a twist.  But in the bigamy episode, how could you NOT know the twist immediately when in the first few minutes you see a picture of the hubby at a Vegas chapel with another woman and you learn he's away 2-6 days per week??

 

There was one thing that made me laugh (not with derision!):  when "Mr. Wolfe" was on a long surveillance and he critiqued the flowers the subject bought.  "Oh, he went with the mixed bouquet."

 

Why in the world does he insist his clients call him Mr. Wolfe?

The whole Mr Wolfe thing is KILLING me because these are actors!!!!!!!!!!

I found myself wondering, what if she had succeeded in "buying" Ali and then she got her out and it wasn't really Ali? What then? That PI didn't really impress me, at all. And she had sores all over her face, it looked like, so I wondered if perhaps she was just a druggie, herself.

All I caught was the last 2 min of that ep and Meth Face PI. . .um. . yeah, no. 

Sorry---I'm VERY hopped up on Cry Wolfiepoo tonight. It's so incredibad, I am beside myself and posted on the wrong thread initially!

[walnutqueen]

beckie - I thought Devil in the Details was not as objectionable as some of the other shite ID's been shilling.  I have to admit, I've already forgotten what the episode was about!

[TheEditrixHasSpoken]

Anyone else watch Nightmare Next Door, and wonder how you would survive living like that? I am so shocked at these stories.

I always ask my friends to ensure that if I die a horrific death in my small town, it's not gleefully covered by that assclown of a narrator. But yes, I'm the REAL assclown because I still watch it. :(

auntjess - I like that Dead of Night show, too - it is one of ID's new offerings that I actually watch.

Totes down with this. Legit and so far, no tomfoolery in terms of reenactments, BS red herrings, nor bad V/O, but just decent storytelling. MOAR please!

Clearly I've been cleaning out my DVR of Cry Crap and Last Seen with Sketchy PI Work. . .wanted to catch Devil in the Details so I'm hoping it's a good one. 

@Andyourlittledog2: Ubervalid point re: title of said Wolfe---well played! Maybe that's the point: it's all just fakery & attention-getting. God knows the REENACTING is so god-awful my 12 y/o could do better. Hell, my 2 tiny turkey dogs could do better. Pug: That's MY bone! Brussels Griffon: You bitch! It's MINE! 

Next thing you know, picked up by ID for fall: Bitches with Stitches. Done. 

[torqy]

Mrs. Torqy and I watched Devil in the Details. Can't really say whether the show overall was good or bad because I was obsessed by the fact that the crime took place in Tucson, and none of the houses or distant views behind them looked anything like Tucson. The second-unit establishing shots were Tucson, but that was all. It's a pet peeve of mine with this type of show. Criminal Minds did a show last season supposedly set in Glendale, AZ; same thing. Establishing shots were in Glendale, or at least in the metro area, but neighborhood shots were SoCal.

Actually, I started laughing partway into the show because of the anvillicious words that floated onto the screen, such as "Semen Stains" or "Lots of Blood!"

Anyone else find this just a hoot?

[slensam]

Mrs. Torqy and I watched Devil in the Details. Can't really say whether the show overall was good or bad because I was obsessed by the fact that the crime took place in Tucson, and none of the houses or distant views behind them looked anything like Tucson. The second-unit establishing shots were Tucson, but that was all. It's a pet peeve of mine with this type of show. Criminal Minds did a show last season supposedly set in Glendale, AZ; same thing. Establishing shots were in Glendale, or at least in the metro area, but neighborhood shots were SoCal.

Actually, I started laughing partway into the show because of the anvillicious words that floated onto the screen, such as "Semen Stains" or "Lots of Blood!"

Anyone else find this just a hoot?

Semen stains and lots of blood! What's next? Much killing! Great murder! Very sex!

Edited June 17, 2014 by slensam

[TaraS1]

Is it sick that I have "favorite" cases?  For some reason, the story of Tom & Jackie Hawks (married couple killed by a former child actor so he could steal their boat) completely fascinates me and I will always re-watch that episode of 48 Hours no matter how many times they replay it.  It's been featured on some of the other ID shows as well and I always watch those too.

[walnutqueen]

TaraS1 - that one hits me too hard, as I knew Tom Hawks' cop brother, Jim, for many years.  He was one of the few really decent cops I knew, and the story is just heartbreaking, because Tom & Jackie were such good people, from all I've heard.

[applecrisp]

About Southern Fried Homicide, so far I am enjoying the stories if not the southern lady at the beginning.  The 1st story was about a nice,black lady who lived out of town and relied on her "nice" neighbors.  Sure they looked rough but were good to her.  They helped her with odd jobs and she in turn made sure they had the essentials.  An odd match to be sure, but it seemed to work.

 

She is brutally murdered.  The family was looked at but seemed OK and they passed lie detector tests.  They had a former boyfriend as the main suspect.  They were sure it was him.  Had to be.  Case goes cold.  The neighbors were white supremacists.  Someone had turned them in.  She had taken out a $25000 life insurance policy for them.  So sad, I hate the phrase -No good deed goes unpunished- it says it all in this case.  WHY do the police rely so heavily on these tests that are not admitted into court.  I see this often on Nightmare Next Door  as well.  I don't get it!

 

The other case was about Susie Newsome Welch or Lynch.  I had seen the Lifetime movie Bitter Blood so I knew the story.  I had never seen it presented by a news show or even ID.  Interesting case, but I did not get to see the end.  I just wondered if anyone knows if it may have had two parts?  Just curious.  Also they had the husband as a talking head which was also unexpected.  So far, I like the show.

 

I live in Iowa, so maybe shocking crimes of the Midwest?  The South really is unique and in most ways I hope it stays that way.  It seems you don't hear regional accents much anymore.

[beckie]

While Id seems to have cut back a bit on the soft porn, they now just seem to make anything. Cry Wolfe is SO bad. If it was supposed to help this guy out, I don't see how. He's so bad! And Last Seen Alive is so incredibly stupid! I'm so disappointed that they cancelled Disappeared for this crap!

 

 

beckie - I thought Devil in the Details was not as objectionable as some of the other shite ID's been shilling.  I have to admit, I've already forgotten what the episode was about!

 

That's says a lot when you can't remember it! lol

[ridethemaverick]

I enjoyed the season premier of Southern Fried Homicide. Great mystery, a case (which turned out to be related to 8 other cases) I hadn't seen before, and it profiled a black serial killer (rarely discussed) who turned out to be the first documented case of a serial killer who knew all of his victims.

Keep it up ID!

[walnutqueen]

That's says a lot when you can't remember it! lol

 

 

Yeah - I'm old and watch too much TV.   :-)

 

ridethemaverick - I thought it was a really interesting case, and I hope they bring more like it (Gah - that sounds like I want more black serial killers, which isn't at all what I meant!).  :-)  That being said, the annoying female Southern voiceover can just go away.

[ridethemaverick]

Lol I know what you meant Walnutqueen.

Am I the only one who fast forwards through the intros to these shows? They all (especially 48 hours on CBS which basically gives an abstract of the entire case) give way too much info for me to enjoy the mystery aspect. So annoying.

[TheEditrixHasSpoken]

Lol I know what you meant Walnutqueen.

Am I the only one who fast forwards through the intros to these shows? They all (especially 48 hours on CBS which basically gives an abstract of the entire case) give way too much info for me to enjoy the mystery aspect. So annoying.

I hope you aren't referring to Paula Zahn's VERY Pre-DICT-able PA-ttern of SPEAK-ing, which is almost distracting to a fault. . .? 

And I'm stuck on 48 Hours on the "nice" mom who was recently found after *many* years of searching after secret life as call girl (sad for parents, esp dad) and girl who had "70s starlet/soft porn" mom" who's case is unsolved. Sorry, not sorry.

Have yet to watch Devil in Details, but seems DVR-worthy from what I'm seeing here. Glad to read genuine Kenda will be back in Fall! Think I read that. . .

[walnutqueen]

Our beloved Joe Kenda (not the one on that Got Away With It crap!) will return in August, TheEditrixHasSpoken.

[slensam]

Handsome Devils........?

[applecrisp]

I am liking Southern Fried Homicide and Swamp Murders. I am on a southern kick right now. I fast forward through a lot of the "hosts" of these shows too,  Is it me or is her accent fake?

 

I still think 48 Hours is my favorite mystery/crime show, when they do it right they are hard to beat.  They just need to do more and different cases.

[beckie]

I skip everything with paula zahn on it. She's not as great as they think she is. UUUUGGHH.

 

And I think I'm done with ID. I can't take it anymore! lol Anyway, I'm about to be homeless for a while, so maybe the break will make me fond of it again.

[walnutqueen]

Oh, noes, beckie!  :-(

 

I finally got to see what you were all talking about when they featured clips from Cry Wolfe on The People's Couch.  OMG, it is even worse than I thought!!!

 

I actually liked the last 2 cases they covered on Last Seen Alive; probably because both people were found (albeit one dead).

[Mrs. P.]

I skip everything with paula zahn on it. She's not as great as they think she is. UUUUGGHH.

I tried to watch her show, because I thought she had some interesting cases. But I finally came to the point where I couldn't stand her voice and the cadence of her speech. I quit watching her altogether.

[roamyn]

I tried to watch the new season of Southern Fried Homicide, but it's too predictable.

I've pretty much given up on ID, except for 'Unusual Suspects'. I'm probably the only non-Kenda fan. He's okay. I just don't think he's all that personality wise, and I don't lithe lilting timber of his voice when he's emphasizing something.

[auntjess]

I was Sins and Secrets, and the hyperbole really got to me.
It was about the murder of the daughter of a prominent couple in San Antonio.
She seemed to well-liked, and a hard worker, but the way kept saying the whole town was shocked by this, and she was one of the brightest and best, just seemed like they were deeming her murder worse  than if someone not as rich or successful had been killed.

I was thoroughly annoyed by the end, and when the killer was from an equally prominent family, they spoke of San Antonio being divided by this.
Now I can believe the country club or Junior League might have been split, but I seriously doubt that most people would even care.

[MrsClaus]

I think ID is scraping the bottom of the barrel with Dark Temptations. I'm going to have nightmares about baby chicks getting squished. Ick!

[walnutqueen]

I think ID is scraping the bottom of the barrel with Dark Temptations. I'm going to have nightmares about baby chicks getting squished. Ick!

 

 

Oh dear god, MrsClaus - I really, really, REALLY don't want to know!  Seriously, I am shuddering just reading that sentence. I will be avoiding this show, for sure.  :-)

 

Suz - I am always sucked in by Sins & Secrets and City Confidential.  I like the "hometownie" kind of feel, I guess - especially with small towns.

[walnutqueen]

Welcome back to Hell, Suz.  :-) 

 

I'd love to upgrade my old DVR, but the thought of having to start all over with the hundreds of series I record (including all the little obscure ones that don't air often), is too daunting for me to even consider.  My eyes are blurring at the very thought of having to scroll through the channel guide.  :-)

[auntjess]

Suz, I'm so glad to have another DIY person.  I made that "topic" which in in genre, Behind the Drywall, and I'm almost the only person who posts.

[applecrisp]

Hey nice to see an active thread of late.  Loved City Confidential especially with Paul Winfield, just a great narrator.  My brother worked for a while in Aspen and the story of Spider Savitch was compelling.  Andy Wlliams' ex got away with murder.  I have never liked Jack Nickleson after that. Also liked the one set in Bermuda.

 

Just curious about who people like as the expert talking heads?  I really like Diane Fanning.  She seems knowledgable and compassionate.  Sometimes I like that Phelps guy in small doses.  And of course now those two are the only ones I can think of.  I know some of the experts on shows like Fatal Vows and Love Scorned are really annoying and seem too contrite.  Just curious.

 

I think I am going to skip Dark Temptations too.

[walnutqueen]

Of course I overthink so there's that.

 

 

There's no such thing as thinking too much in my little world, Andyourlittledog2.  :-)

 

It's a very good thing we're the law abiding types, because you'd make an excellent criminal, Ayld2.  As would I.  :-)

[applecrisp]

Wow so true Walnut Queen and Ayld2,  I have seen a lot of what you say on Nightmare Next Door.  There was a case of a young mother living with an uncle and they had a guest that night, a young man.  He had a gun like the murder weapon and they took his word for it that it was at home just "ask his mother."  She may not even be covering for him , she may not even know.  They focused on the boyfriend and years go by, a cold case detective is assigned the case, bingo solved.  He did it and even confessed.  

 

Another gripe is the lie detector test.  It is not admissible and yet the cops use it to suss out people all the time.  Why?  Another thing urlittledog2 is the overkill angle.  Many killers kill a person who is a substitute for their rage, serial killers.  It does not always mean they are close to the victim.  

 

What is your biggest police pet peeve?  Mine is focusing on one person too fast.  My second one is forming an opinion about the killer just by the crime scene.  Example...  overkill, manner of death if not obvious and expecting people close to the victim to act a certain way.  Sometimes you are damned if you are too emotional.