47 reviews
"Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction" has to be one of the coolest concepts for a series. Each episode has five fascinating stories are narrated or played out and you have to guess which ones are real and which ones are made up. At the end of each episode, it is revealed which ones are true and which are fiction. The stories run the gamut: some are scary, some touching, some just outright stupid. All of them have some element of unbelievability and make you say to yourself "There is no way in the world that this actually happened". While the acting may not be great and some of the stories may be corny, this show is still always fun to watch. The show's appeal is not really based on the acting, it is more based more on imagination and suspense.
Johnathan Frakes is unbelievably as the host. At the beginning of every episode, he'll show some kind of drawing or model which is not actually as it appears. After every story, he will come up with a pun which pertains to the story. For instance after a story in which a guy hitched a ride with a dead person, he said "Is this story true or are our writers just taking you for a ride?".
So, if you are fascinated by unbelievable real-life stories like me, I would definitely recommend it. It is one of the few good shows that really keeps my interest.
Johnathan Frakes is unbelievably as the host. At the beginning of every episode, he'll show some kind of drawing or model which is not actually as it appears. After every story, he will come up with a pun which pertains to the story. For instance after a story in which a guy hitched a ride with a dead person, he said "Is this story true or are our writers just taking you for a ride?".
So, if you are fascinated by unbelievable real-life stories like me, I would definitely recommend it. It is one of the few good shows that really keeps my interest.
Fun series that provides the viewer five paranormal-based segments per episode, in which the stories presented may be fact or fiction, and you have to figure out which choice is the right one based on logic and intuition. More often than not, I got it right! The first season(the only one on DVD) was hosted by actor James Brolin("The Car", "Capricorn One" & "The Amityville Horror") who did a reasonable job presenting the stories, but sometimes looked indifferent about the whole thing! Jonathan Frakes("Star Trek: The Next Generation") was brought in for the remaining three seasons, and clearly had fun doing it, so he is usually preferred by fans, though for some reason, his seasons are not yet on DVD, which is something I hope is rectified one day, seeing as how his time is the favorite.
Update: All four seasons are now available for streaming from Amazon Prime, though the last 3 seasons are still not on DVD!
Update: All four seasons are now available for streaming from Amazon Prime, though the last 3 seasons are still not on DVD!
- AaronCapenBanner
- Aug 19, 2013
- Permalink
I enjoy this series. I never bothered to watch it until now although I'm a fan of TNG. #1 did a great job hosting this show. Some of the stories they said were fiction are actually based on a true incident. There really was a guy who bought a car super cheap from a women going through divorce, for instance but he didn't have a premonition beforehand. Appreciating the show does require at least some awareness of the unseen realm. I see some reviews that think all the stories are made up but that is just their disbelief. This is a unique series but definitly has that 90s flavor.
Watching the stories on this wonderful show was like eating potato chips, you couldn't stop at just one. What fun, its like you got to play detective in finding which of the stories was fact or not. Some of the most outlandish ones turned out to be true! There was one I remembered. It was about a man who wrote a novel called Futility about the sinking of a great ship called the Titan that hits an iceburg in the North Atlantic. There is terrible loss of life because there are not enough lifeboats. The only thing was this book was written in 1898 14 years before the Titanic was even built. This actually was a true story. They cancelled this show too soon and I really miss it.
i stumbled across this collection by accident,and i'm really glad i did.it's an anthology series,containing five separate short stories in one hour.each tale has too do with the unexplained.the tales themselves defy explanation,logic,and even reality.the twist is that of the five stories,some are based on actual events and some are merely made up to entertain the viewer.it is not until the last segment is over that the host(James Brolin in season one)reveals which stories are true and which are made up.i like the idea of trying to separate fact from fiction.for me,this is a very compelling,well written series.each of the stories is less than 10 minutes long,yet gives you all the information you need.if you want something that'll send shivers down your spine,this is the series you've been waiting for. 10/10
- disdressed12
- Oct 17, 2007
- Permalink
I have loved this programme since I watched it at around 9 years old. I have recently gone back and started watching it again and can say that my feelings toward the show haven't changed at all. I would definitely recommend this programme to any anthology loving people especially due to the resurgence of anthology shows in recent years, such as Black Mirror
- declanhdaiquiri
- Jan 8, 2019
- Permalink
This is an entertaining TV show, with the same level of suspense and thrills as "Sightings" and "Unsolved Mysteries." In each episode, five creepy stories are shown - topics ranging from unexplained deaths to the paranormal. You will have to guess with tale is fact and which one is fiction.
The episodes are well acted out, with stories that play with your detective mind and gets you trying to sort out if they are based on true events or not. The creepiness factor gives you an edge-of-your-seat experience. I also like how you could participate in the show and keep your own tally of guessing the "fact or fiction" factor of each story.
Again, an entertaining TV show - excellent and appealing.
Grade A
The episodes are well acted out, with stories that play with your detective mind and gets you trying to sort out if they are based on true events or not. The creepiness factor gives you an edge-of-your-seat experience. I also like how you could participate in the show and keep your own tally of guessing the "fact or fiction" factor of each story.
Again, an entertaining TV show - excellent and appealing.
Grade A
- OllieSuave-007
- Jun 11, 2017
- Permalink
This is another one of my favorite unexplained phenomena documentary programs though also an honorable mention in favorite anthology shows, this show is also another under the radar gem that I feel has be a bit forgotten.
The show is an interesting one as it's a bit on the variety side, what makes this show truly unique is how it can really pull the rug from under you or catch you off guard while retaining your interest.
It's somewhat of an anthology as we have a variety of tales some true some not, sort of like with the show "One Step Beyond" another forgotten gem. It's also sort of a game show, throughout our viewing we are constantly being challenged into guessing which stories are true or false. I honestly wasn't discouraged when I guessed wrong or saw that one story I enjoyed was fiction that was just part of the game and that's part of the point of the show, how sometimes the line between both fact and fiction can be a blur and how sometimes our perception we hold on the line between them isn't always what we think.
Just the way the stories we're told and enacted some of them are a stretch to believe and sometimes that feeling of scepticism is correct. But when we discover the stories are true, I'll admit it really blew me away and made the story even better because of that. Though even some of the fictional stories I enjoyed because even though they we're true they were fun all the same, and the way the story unfolds almost felt like they could have been.
I thought the reenactments or even just plain stories were well done and well-acted (ok, not every one of them but in reenactment segments it happens). Some of actors in them are ones you may have seen before, most notably sci-fi and horror alumni like Ashley Lawrence you know from the first two "Hellraiser" films, Grace Park from "Battlestar Galactica", and many more. In a way this sort of adds to the game show element as you constantly trying to spot the familiar faces much as anyone trying to find Waldo in the "Where's Waldo" books.
I even like the host, there were two of them and both I thought were good in their own way like James Brolin whom has a sort of calm subtlety to him. But to me it was Johnathan Frakes whom I thought was great he just has this energy and charisma. I even love it whenever there are these elaborate props involved in the host segments, much like with Hitchcock in "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" before each tale that correlate with it.
There are a lot of stories I like I'll just says three since there is a lot. Whether their true or not I won't say you'll just have to see them and find out for yourself.
1. Damsel: This one may seem like a tired cliché hence the title, but whose to say this can't happen. Ashley Lawrence as I mentioned before is in this one and is just fraking hot as usual. Like her character whom is sympathetic as she's a person looking for love and hasn't much luck, yeah, we've all been there; however as an old saying goes her luck is about to change.
2. Graffiti: It's a story that takes place in a time long gone, on a teenage trouble maker that could have a psychic ability he uses for evil and his connection with a message constantly scrawled, once we find out the meaning of that message at the end of the story, I'll admit it gave me a cold chill.
3. Dead Beat Dad: This one is on a person (played by Laura Haring from "Mulholland Drive") that either could be a guardian angel or have the power of suggestion delivering justice toward a cheating lowlife gambler. I just though it was a cool E.C. comic like tale seeing scum of society getting poetic justice.
Overall, if you're into the unexplained phenomena genre this is a show worth checking out. But remember, truth can be stranger than fiction.
Rating: 4 stars
It's somewhat of an anthology as we have a variety of tales some true some not, sort of like with the show "One Step Beyond" another forgotten gem. It's also sort of a game show, throughout our viewing we are constantly being challenged into guessing which stories are true or false. I honestly wasn't discouraged when I guessed wrong or saw that one story I enjoyed was fiction that was just part of the game and that's part of the point of the show, how sometimes the line between both fact and fiction can be a blur and how sometimes our perception we hold on the line between them isn't always what we think.
Just the way the stories we're told and enacted some of them are a stretch to believe and sometimes that feeling of scepticism is correct. But when we discover the stories are true, I'll admit it really blew me away and made the story even better because of that. Though even some of the fictional stories I enjoyed because even though they we're true they were fun all the same, and the way the story unfolds almost felt like they could have been.
I thought the reenactments or even just plain stories were well done and well-acted (ok, not every one of them but in reenactment segments it happens). Some of actors in them are ones you may have seen before, most notably sci-fi and horror alumni like Ashley Lawrence you know from the first two "Hellraiser" films, Grace Park from "Battlestar Galactica", and many more. In a way this sort of adds to the game show element as you constantly trying to spot the familiar faces much as anyone trying to find Waldo in the "Where's Waldo" books.
I even like the host, there were two of them and both I thought were good in their own way like James Brolin whom has a sort of calm subtlety to him. But to me it was Johnathan Frakes whom I thought was great he just has this energy and charisma. I even love it whenever there are these elaborate props involved in the host segments, much like with Hitchcock in "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" before each tale that correlate with it.
There are a lot of stories I like I'll just says three since there is a lot. Whether their true or not I won't say you'll just have to see them and find out for yourself.
1. Damsel: This one may seem like a tired cliché hence the title, but whose to say this can't happen. Ashley Lawrence as I mentioned before is in this one and is just fraking hot as usual. Like her character whom is sympathetic as she's a person looking for love and hasn't much luck, yeah, we've all been there; however as an old saying goes her luck is about to change.
2. Graffiti: It's a story that takes place in a time long gone, on a teenage trouble maker that could have a psychic ability he uses for evil and his connection with a message constantly scrawled, once we find out the meaning of that message at the end of the story, I'll admit it gave me a cold chill.
3. Dead Beat Dad: This one is on a person (played by Laura Haring from "Mulholland Drive") that either could be a guardian angel or have the power of suggestion delivering justice toward a cheating lowlife gambler. I just though it was a cool E.C. comic like tale seeing scum of society getting poetic justice.
Overall, if you're into the unexplained phenomena genre this is a show worth checking out. But remember, truth can be stranger than fiction.
Rating: 4 stars
- hellraiser7
- Jan 13, 2019
- Permalink
...one of the greatest TV shows ever made—and sadly, one of the most under-appreciated. Few series leave such an impact on viewers. Entertaining, exciting, varied, fun, memorable, freaky, chilling, eerie, funny, moving
it is all that and more, thanks to the five-stories-per- hour format.
Each segment illustrates a self-contained, usually very well-shot and - cast (with great, occasionally recognizable, but usually not "name" actors) tale of a potentially supernatural/paranormal, shocking, freakish, bizarre, incredibly coincidental, ironic, or outlandish event. The"game" or "test" is for you to ponder and evaluate the plausibility or likelihood of these stories; which were created by the show's writers, and which did they base upon phenomena that, according to interviews and research, supposedly have taken place in the past for real people?
The hosts (James Brolin in the half-length first season and the overwhelmingly fan-favored Jonathan Frakes during the remaining three) proffer some possible explanations, theories, and interpretations, then leave it up to you to make your guesses and check them at the end. The viewer does end up wishing that this were a 1.5-hour program so that the "true stories" behind the "facts" could be explored with more than a simple yes or no, or a couple scant details regarding the general location and time period. However, it is what it is, and what it is, is brilliant. It's my opinion that both hosts are wonderful, and create the proper spooky atmosphere—using illusions, props, creative set pieces, and cheeky jokes to introduce each segment and reveal the answers in the end. However, Frakes definitely does have the edge over Brolin, as he simply owned the show and fully made it his own. He's the one with whom you primarily associate it; his enthusiasm, mischievous grins, sly, witty remarks, amusing puns, more-elaborate set, and overall perfect attitude suited the series ideally, to a T. They struck gold in getting him for it, bringing that special touch.
Every one of the 255 individual stories contained within this one 45- episode series has something great to offer—its own characters (many to love, and many to love to hate!), unique setting, compelling themes again, they are so memorable and so varied that it's tricky to sum them up. You WILL have favorites, and ones that haunt you, sticking with you even if you've seen them but once and can eventually only recall certain key details. There's just so much excellence to be had—frights, laughs, thrills, even tears. Few things can really compare with BB:FoF (those that can to some degree include Are You Afraid of the Dark?, the Goosebumps books and certain episodes, Tales From the Darkside, Tales From the Crypt, The Twilight Zone, Urban Legends, Night Visions, The Outer Limits, Unsolved Mysteries, and the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark trilogy—which has a number of directly corresponding stories.)
This is an outstanding, very special show that has generated many terrific times and memories for me personally. Memories of waiting with eager anticipation to play along with each new episode on Fox every Friday night, watching alongside my mom and little brother in the living room of reliving the absorbed memories again and again, helping friends and others to remember and re-watch stories they couldn't fully recall, after I discovered that they too had been fans playing episodes in my friend's car on a trip via portable DVD player keeping records as I played along, summing up every story as I went so that I'd have the entire show straight in my head typing up my segment-finding key for the 12 discs once I'd purchased it discovering that there'd been an entire fourth season I had not gotten to see on TV, finally owning it in English, and experiencing that magnificent, irretrievable sense of first-viewing joy and surprise.
I hadn't even known there was actually more for me to see. I wrote letters telling the producers how desperately I wished to see another season, how thrilled I'd be at the chance to audition to be in a story, how willing I was to write some myself and, oh, how I DO wish there were more new episodes to get excited over! No reason not to pick this amazing show up for a renewed/revived Season 5 and/or 6! Just keep researching those unbelievable, fantastic stories—such things happen, and are reported quite frequently make up some more, write/cast/film the things, et voilà! Best thing ever. I'm sure Frakes would resume hosting, and a great many talented actors—including his Star Trek brethren—would willingly contribute their acting skills. The show was a Canadian production, so there would likely be more Canadians game to act, too. ;) I had intended to reenact a few segments as a university film class project, but alas, didn't have enough time in the semester for such an awesome undertaking.
Well, to return to the original point this entire series demands a high- quality English-language release, and it should certainly be available to steam. It's a shame that my (admittedly very well-put-together) DVD set had to be a bootlegger. The show must be remembered and celebrated as the television marvel it is. So find it whichever way you can, grab a blanket and some popcorn, kick back, and enjoy. Get into the mood. You won't regret it—unless you don't enjoy creepy, scary stuff, of course. In which case you might do yourself a favor to find a viewing buddy, or at least snug your best plush pal!)
Each segment illustrates a self-contained, usually very well-shot and - cast (with great, occasionally recognizable, but usually not "name" actors) tale of a potentially supernatural/paranormal, shocking, freakish, bizarre, incredibly coincidental, ironic, or outlandish event. The"game" or "test" is for you to ponder and evaluate the plausibility or likelihood of these stories; which were created by the show's writers, and which did they base upon phenomena that, according to interviews and research, supposedly have taken place in the past for real people?
The hosts (James Brolin in the half-length first season and the overwhelmingly fan-favored Jonathan Frakes during the remaining three) proffer some possible explanations, theories, and interpretations, then leave it up to you to make your guesses and check them at the end. The viewer does end up wishing that this were a 1.5-hour program so that the "true stories" behind the "facts" could be explored with more than a simple yes or no, or a couple scant details regarding the general location and time period. However, it is what it is, and what it is, is brilliant. It's my opinion that both hosts are wonderful, and create the proper spooky atmosphere—using illusions, props, creative set pieces, and cheeky jokes to introduce each segment and reveal the answers in the end. However, Frakes definitely does have the edge over Brolin, as he simply owned the show and fully made it his own. He's the one with whom you primarily associate it; his enthusiasm, mischievous grins, sly, witty remarks, amusing puns, more-elaborate set, and overall perfect attitude suited the series ideally, to a T. They struck gold in getting him for it, bringing that special touch.
Every one of the 255 individual stories contained within this one 45- episode series has something great to offer—its own characters (many to love, and many to love to hate!), unique setting, compelling themes again, they are so memorable and so varied that it's tricky to sum them up. You WILL have favorites, and ones that haunt you, sticking with you even if you've seen them but once and can eventually only recall certain key details. There's just so much excellence to be had—frights, laughs, thrills, even tears. Few things can really compare with BB:FoF (those that can to some degree include Are You Afraid of the Dark?, the Goosebumps books and certain episodes, Tales From the Darkside, Tales From the Crypt, The Twilight Zone, Urban Legends, Night Visions, The Outer Limits, Unsolved Mysteries, and the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark trilogy—which has a number of directly corresponding stories.)
This is an outstanding, very special show that has generated many terrific times and memories for me personally. Memories of waiting with eager anticipation to play along with each new episode on Fox every Friday night, watching alongside my mom and little brother in the living room of reliving the absorbed memories again and again, helping friends and others to remember and re-watch stories they couldn't fully recall, after I discovered that they too had been fans playing episodes in my friend's car on a trip via portable DVD player keeping records as I played along, summing up every story as I went so that I'd have the entire show straight in my head typing up my segment-finding key for the 12 discs once I'd purchased it discovering that there'd been an entire fourth season I had not gotten to see on TV, finally owning it in English, and experiencing that magnificent, irretrievable sense of first-viewing joy and surprise.
I hadn't even known there was actually more for me to see. I wrote letters telling the producers how desperately I wished to see another season, how thrilled I'd be at the chance to audition to be in a story, how willing I was to write some myself and, oh, how I DO wish there were more new episodes to get excited over! No reason not to pick this amazing show up for a renewed/revived Season 5 and/or 6! Just keep researching those unbelievable, fantastic stories—such things happen, and are reported quite frequently make up some more, write/cast/film the things, et voilà! Best thing ever. I'm sure Frakes would resume hosting, and a great many talented actors—including his Star Trek brethren—would willingly contribute their acting skills. The show was a Canadian production, so there would likely be more Canadians game to act, too. ;) I had intended to reenact a few segments as a university film class project, but alas, didn't have enough time in the semester for such an awesome undertaking.
Well, to return to the original point this entire series demands a high- quality English-language release, and it should certainly be available to steam. It's a shame that my (admittedly very well-put-together) DVD set had to be a bootlegger. The show must be remembered and celebrated as the television marvel it is. So find it whichever way you can, grab a blanket and some popcorn, kick back, and enjoy. Get into the mood. You won't regret it—unless you don't enjoy creepy, scary stuff, of course. In which case you might do yourself a favor to find a viewing buddy, or at least snug your best plush pal!)
- thereseuphemiaabernathy
- Aug 30, 2013
- Permalink
This show says some stories are "inspired" by fact. That's what you have to keep in mind, inspired. In other words every story is fiction, some more than others. that said, I like this show, I'm just not kidding myself. All the stories are in fact, fiction.
- jimvandemoter-50236
- Feb 27, 2021
- Permalink
Everyone, this show is absolutely amazing. I remember growing up as a kid waiting for this show to come on. It was great then, and 25 years later, it is absolutely amazing rewatching it now.
I remember how freaky some episodes were when I watched in my pre-pubescent years. Especially when the stories came out as "Fact." I couldn't sleep at night.
Now I rewatch it as an adult and it's pure comedy. I love the stories, and that the acting is so bad, it's actually good! And they are still scary!
But the true gem of this show is Jonathan Frakes. From his opening line, to the optical illusion, to the questions he poses to you before and after each story... it's pure genius. And when he tells you if it's Fact or Fiction at the end... Jonathan Frakes makes this show 100000/10. Do yourself a favor and binge this if you haven't already.
I remember how freaky some episodes were when I watched in my pre-pubescent years. Especially when the stories came out as "Fact." I couldn't sleep at night.
Now I rewatch it as an adult and it's pure comedy. I love the stories, and that the acting is so bad, it's actually good! And they are still scary!
But the true gem of this show is Jonathan Frakes. From his opening line, to the optical illusion, to the questions he poses to you before and after each story... it's pure genius. And when he tells you if it's Fact or Fiction at the end... Jonathan Frakes makes this show 100000/10. Do yourself a favor and binge this if you haven't already.
- garyhogaryho
- Apr 23, 2023
- Permalink
This show is fantastic, my complaint I have is that whenever it's streaming they always show Jonathan Frakes on season one, when it should be James Brolin. Although the show did kinda suck at season 4 tbh. I think they ran out of stories. I remember tuning in the first time I saw the show and wasn't scared at all from it and I saw Jonathan Frakes and thought welll I'm gonna enjoy this. Great show tho I watch it it for nostalgia.
- chefmarty-34833
- Jan 12, 2022
- Permalink
This is a great little show much a long the same lines as Unsolved Mysteries, only the stories might be true or made up, the answers are revealed at the end of each episode. Entertaining enough. Just don't try and treat us like idiots and claim some of the stuff they claim was truth. That or the fabrications of the truth are very very thin.
- MikeHunt1075
- Dec 1, 2021
- Permalink
Beyond Belief is a great show. It has a mood similar to Unsolved Mysteries, with a touch of Twilight Zone. Jonathan Frakes makes a great host. I was surprised to see this show on tv so recently since it was off the air for more than a year at least, or at least it seemed that way. It's fun to guess which stories are fact and which are fiction. You would be surprised which are real.
I definitely loved this show. It was a mix of horror and comedy. Yes, the acting wasn't always the best, but get over it honestly. Most acting on TV is bad. In my opinion, the show got better when Brolin was replaced. At least the new host was better suited and had a wry sense of humor.
FOX treats their shows like crap, and change Beyond Belief's time slots way too often for any fan to keep up. And Sci-Fi needs to stop randomly airing episodes and have some consistency with their scheduling.
A DVD release would definitely make my day. But I doubt we'll see that happen anytime soon.
FOX treats their shows like crap, and change Beyond Belief's time slots way too often for any fan to keep up. And Sci-Fi needs to stop randomly airing episodes and have some consistency with their scheduling.
A DVD release would definitely make my day. But I doubt we'll see that happen anytime soon.
- mahou_fancy_lala
- Dec 15, 2004
- Permalink
I first watched this show in 2009 and was quite hooked, unfortunately, once it was taken off the air, I forgot about it, until 2013, when I watched a handful of episodes on YouTube, I kept doing that until 2017, when I just felt I saw all the episodes. I decided to watch the show in full in October last year and every night I watched the show, I was so satisfied. This show honestly needs to come back.
- pkmntrainerelio
- Jun 15, 2019
- Permalink
I Loved this show growing up. It was so much fun figuring out what was real and what was made up. It was kind of like The Twilight Zone meets Unsolved Mysteries. Plus the actors that were on the show, some became even more famous. I was so sad when it was cancelled.
I just wish it would come out on DVD so I can rewatch it whenever I want. It would be fun to even have special features to know how the hosts loved being a part of the show and what an impact it had on TV at the time. Plus try and get some of the more famous actors talk about being in their episodes.
- superangel-20187
- Apr 23, 2020
- Permalink
This is one of the best guilty pleasure shows I watch. The show is imaginative, fun, sometimes scary, interesting, thought provoking. Part of me loves it because I was a kid when it first aired on tv. I actually believed some of the stories could be true back then.
This show doesn't attempt to be a "great" show. It knows what it is and that is where the fun is. The host, Jonathan Frakes, is great at setting the mood, sometimes over the top, as he makes you believe that the supernatural can be a possibility. His puns after each episode are stupid, yet endearing. The show would've been a massive flop without his narration.
This show doesn't attempt to be a "great" show. It knows what it is and that is where the fun is. The host, Jonathan Frakes, is great at setting the mood, sometimes over the top, as he makes you believe that the supernatural can be a possibility. His puns after each episode are stupid, yet endearing. The show would've been a massive flop without his narration.
- policyoftruth-65554
- Jan 9, 2023
- Permalink
- nikifroelich
- Jun 10, 2019
- Permalink
This show is excellent. Too bad it didn't last for more seasons. Frames was a really good Host. James Brolin was ok, but not nearly as good as Frakes. The acting was very good and the stories are terrific! Some of the stories that are deemed true are pretty hard to believe but from what I have read, they are factually true. Another series that was off the air much too soon. I never get bored watching this show. It is one of the few shows that I have no complaints about whatsoever! If anything could be a complaint, it would be James Brolin ; he doesn't have a really good presence being the host. I just guess I am comparing him to Jonathan Frames, who is great. Thank you for reading this! Enjoy the series.
- skarylarry-93400
- Mar 24, 2023
- Permalink
I saw some episodes of this series in German TV. Maybe it is the German translation or just the different culture, or that I'm a skeptic but I found it really bad.
The host Jonathan Frakes, which of course I new as Commander Riker from Star Trek: The Next Generation, lost a lot of his credibility to me here. Basically directly after I saw his introduction for the first time. If I remember correctly, he just stated that he believed in the supernatural.
The stories shown were never interesting to me. Actually as soon they started to be interesting they were over. I was surprised that some people here said it is scary. OK, to be fair I might just have taken this show the wrong way. I thought it as entertainment, a little similar (really only a little) to "Outer Limits", which I loved. However, this shows takes itself serious! Something I could never do. Many stories which can be easily taken as coincidences or just as exaggerated are presented as "real mysteries".
For people which have a tendency to take certain things serious which they shouldn't it maybe a cult series, but I found it dull, boring and stupid.
The host Jonathan Frakes, which of course I new as Commander Riker from Star Trek: The Next Generation, lost a lot of his credibility to me here. Basically directly after I saw his introduction for the first time. If I remember correctly, he just stated that he believed in the supernatural.
The stories shown were never interesting to me. Actually as soon they started to be interesting they were over. I was surprised that some people here said it is scary. OK, to be fair I might just have taken this show the wrong way. I thought it as entertainment, a little similar (really only a little) to "Outer Limits", which I loved. However, this shows takes itself serious! Something I could never do. Many stories which can be easily taken as coincidences or just as exaggerated are presented as "real mysteries".
For people which have a tendency to take certain things serious which they shouldn't it maybe a cult series, but I found it dull, boring and stupid.
- martin-scharrer
- Mar 28, 2012
- Permalink
This is one of my favorite shows on television. The concept is excellent. The production has a similar feeling to "X-files" and "Unsolved Mysteries", but is also in the tradition of "Ripley's Believe It or Not", "Twilight Zone", and other old shows that delved into the weird and wonderful.
I also enjoy guessing whether the stories are fact or fiction. The show invites the viewer to participate and give their belief system a workout.
I also enjoy guessing whether the stories are fact or fiction. The show invites the viewer to participate and give their belief system a workout.
I really loved this show when it was on TV. It was taken off the air without any good explanation which is bizarre since it had gotten good ratings. Hosted for the most part by Jonathan Frakes, each show consisted of five bizarre mini-stories - either "inspired" by real life events or completely fictional. At the end of each story, the viewer is asked to decide which is which. The answers are given at the end. That's what sets this show apart from other bizarre story anthology shows like Twilight Zone (which started this genre), Outer Limits, Tales From The Crypt, The Hitchhiker, etc., it has an element of truth to it. How real is that truth is questionable. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the "true" stories are slightly exaggerated even if they are based on real events. But never-the -less, a really great and entertaining show. I wish they bring it back.
When I was a kid there were 3 shows that I would be obsessed with yet scared me to no end. The X Files, Unsolved Mysteries, and Beyond Belief. With every new episode of this show I would become thoroughly engrossed, mystified, and terribly frightened. The thought of some of these being "based on true events" is such a powerfully odd feeling.
The production value was absolutely fantastic and way better than you'd expect as far as acting and writing went. You always quickly connected to the characters and story even in its quick style of being one of many per episode. James Brolin hosting was fine at first but when Jonathan Franks took over the show elevated to a different level. His vigor and eerie energy added a ton to the overall show and he was only in it for a portion of each episode. Just shows what a great host can do.
I truly believe this show should've lasted another decade but it had so much to contend with on Fox at the time. I've revisited it many times throughout my life and it only gets better. For anyone that wants to watch it's free on vudu and TUBI.
The production value was absolutely fantastic and way better than you'd expect as far as acting and writing went. You always quickly connected to the characters and story even in its quick style of being one of many per episode. James Brolin hosting was fine at first but when Jonathan Franks took over the show elevated to a different level. His vigor and eerie energy added a ton to the overall show and he was only in it for a portion of each episode. Just shows what a great host can do.
I truly believe this show should've lasted another decade but it had so much to contend with on Fox at the time. I've revisited it many times throughout my life and it only gets better. For anyone that wants to watch it's free on vudu and TUBI.