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Encounters: The Hidden Truth (1994)
Encounters TV series was actually pretty good
I used to watch "Encounters: The Hidden Truth" back in the '90s. It aired on the Fox network from 1994 to 1996. I think it started with one special that aired early in 1994, which did well in the ratings and led to the production of the weekly series later that year. It aired sporadically in different time slots and on different nights for 2 or 3 seasons. Even though it seemed like a similar replacement for the "Sightings" TV show that Fox had canceled in 1993, Encounters had a slightly different style and spin on its paranormal content. While I liked Sightings a lot more, I still liked Encounters and watched it whenever it was on. Despite the less than glowing review that another reviewer gave this show on this board, I think it was pretty good and was worth watching for anyone who was interested in the paranormal. The other reviewer obviously doesn't believe in paranormal events and apparently likes to look down on shows like this. The show's original host John Marshall seemed to be somewhat skeptical, but the paranormal stories were still presented in a straightforward and serious manner, nonetheless. Marshall and his team of investigators were replaced by actor Steven Williams (from "The X-Files") in the last 3 episodes of the series.
UFOs: The Best Evidence Ever Caught on Tape (1997)
Good UFO Special
I remember watching this TV special on UFOs back when it first aired. While it has been over ten years ago since it aired, I generally remember enjoying it. I was always looking for UFO specials or series on TV back in the '90s (still am today) and this was one of the better ones, from what I remember. I can't pretend to remember every UFO that was presented on that special, but I do remember at least one UFO caught on video tape that was clearly NOT faked (despite what the other reviewer of this special said). I may be wrong about this, but I don't remember the producers of this special saying whether these UFOs were alien or otherwise. I think they left it up to the viewers to decide.
I also enjoyed Jonathan Frakes narrating the special. He narrated several UFO/paranormal TV specials and series back in the mid-90's to early 2000's on different networks and always did a good job. The special received high enough ratings that a second special was produced and aired in 2000 (although, I don't see it listed on IMDb, for some reason). So, this special was popular at the time. I would actually like to buy this special on DVD to add to my collection, but I don't think that it has been released officially on DVD yet.
I felt a need to give my review on this TV special since the only other review on this page was negative and, apparently, posted by someone who is a skeptic or complete disbeliever. While I don't believe that every UFO is alien in origin, I do believe that everyone should have an open mind about this subject. A small percentage of UFOs cannot be explained by hoaxes or misidentification, and those sightings should be investigated more closely.
The New Roswell: Kecksburg Exposed (2003)
Good UFO documentary
This was one of several 2-hour documentaries that the Sci Fi Channel produced and aired which investigated mysteries that were possibly paranormal in nature. This one involved the mysterious crash of something in Kecksburg, PA. and the military involvement in the event.
This is the second documentary that Bryant Gumbel hosted for Sci Fi. I think the documentary was very well-produced and interesting. I believe in the possibility of UFOs being spaceships piloted by aliens, so this type of documentary is right up my alley. Even if you don't believe in those sorts of things, this documentary doesn't necessarily state that the object was of alien origin. They interview believers and skeptics and look for evidence in the forest where the object landed.
While they don't really come up with a definitive answer by the end of the documentary, it is still fun to watch and speculate about. For those few people who were disappointed in it: Maybe the Sci Fi Channel shouldn't have advertised that the doc would give answers quite so much, but that was the fault of Sci Fi's marketing department, not the documentary makers. As some people say, "It's the journey, not the end result." (paraphrasing). Having former news anchor Bryant Gumbel as host helped in making the documentary more credible, especially since he handled it with a straight-faced, serious attitude.
All in all, I enjoyed it and found it compelling (as I did the other two UFO documentaries that Sci Fi produced). I think we need more serious investigative documentaries like this one to be produced by Sy Fy. I think that they are more compelling than most of Sy Fy's fictional shows.
Sightings (1991)
Best paranormal documentary show ever!
"SIGHTINGS" was THE best documentary series about paranormal phenomena, in my opinion. I really wish that Paramount would release the entire series on DVD, preferably in separate season releases. So far, the only official releases of the series by Paramount were three VHS cassettes that featured compilations of different segments from the first 2 or 3 seasons of the show. These VHS tapes were titled "Sightings: The UFO Report", "Sightings: The Ghost Report", and "Sightings: The Psychic Experience" which were all released in 1996. The 58-minute long cassettes barely scratched the surface of all of the stories and investigations covered by the series over the years and featured story segments in an edited format. Unedited DVD releases of the entire series are really wanted by fans.
Here is the history of the show, for those who aren't familiar with it: "Sightings" started out as an hour-long TV special about real-life UFO sightings and alien encounters titled "The UFO Report: Sightings". It aired on the Fox network in October 1991 and received great ratings. That led to a second "Sightings" special about ghosts and hauntings titled "Sightings: The Ghost Report" which aired in February 1992. Ratings were good again, so Fox decided to make "Sightings" a weekly half-hour series which began airing in April 1992. It aired on Fox for 2 seasons from 1992 to 1993. After being canceled by the network, the show returned as an all-new hour-long weekly series airing in first-run syndication from 1994 to 1996 for its 3rd and 4th seasons. The Sci Fi Channel picked up the series for its 5th and final season from 1996 to 1997. The cable channel also produced and aired a half-hour behind-the-scenes special about the show, featuring interviews with host Tim White and executive producer Henry Winkler (among others) which aired in 1996. After the weekly series ended, the Sci Fi Channel produced 5 two-hour "Sightings" specials featuring different paranormal topics that aired sporadically in 1998. (Repeats of the weekly series continued to air occasionally on the channel until 2003.) In 2002, a scripted, made-for-TV movie based on a segment of the series aired on the Showtime cable channel titled, "Sightings: Heartland Ghost". That movie was later released on DVD. In 2003, the producers of the show edited together some old footage with some new interviews and produced a weekly first-run syndicated series called "Unexplained Mysteries" which aired until 2005.
"Sightings" had both style and substance. The writing on the show really sucked you into each segment and made you interested in it. The show was packed with lots of information and managed to get it all in within each 5 to 10 minute segment, without seeming rushed. I liked the fact that it featured several different topics per hour (or 30 minutes in the first two seasons). Topics mainly included UFOs, aliens, ghosts, psychic detectives, near-death experiences, and creatures (such as Bigfoot and lake monsters). Other paranormal topics were also explored from time to time, as well as some science news. In some ways, the show was the unofficial precursor to the popular fictional series "The X-Files". ("The X-Files" replaced "Sightings" on Fox's Friday night schedule in 1993, exploring the same topics, except in a fictional format.)
"Sightings" wasn't the first show of its type. Other shows such as "In Search Of" and "Unsolved Mysteries" aired years before "Sightings" and covered various paranormal topics occasionally, but "Sightings" was one of the first series to feature paranormal topics as its main episode content each week. Over the years, other paranormal documentary shows tried to copy the show's formula (never succeeding as well, in my opinion). In the early 1990's, "Sightings" seemed to pave the way for more paranormal programming, not only on Fox, but on other networks, cable channels, and in syndication.