IN SEARCH OF . . . (2018 - )

 THE HISTORY CHANNEL REVIVAL OF THE CLASSIC SERIES. 

One of the great joys of my youth was watching the original IN SEARCH OF... series with Leonard Nimoy that was always on in syndication.  As I recall, in the late 70's, it was aired on either Saturday or Sunday afternoons (or both) around that time when all the Saturday morning cartoons had finished up for the day.  In 2018, the History Channel decided to revive the series with another half-Vulcan as host:  Zachary Quinto.  Of course, this isn't the first revival of the series, as there was a brief one in 2002 hosted by THE X-FILES' Mitch Pileggi.  Neither that one or the new one eclipse the classic Leonard Nimoy run but the Pileggi one was OK and the Quinto version is maybe a little better -- if indeed very different.  The new version of IN SEARCH OF... consists of hour programmes (including commercials) and, unlike the Pileggi version, only focuses on one subject.  The pilot episode entitled "ALIENS" (what ELSE would the History Channel pick to be the pilot episode?!?!?!) began as the first series meant to continue on with Quinto actually travelling to the different places mentioned in the programme and talking face-to-face with the people interviewed.  Quinto is really good in his interactions with his interview subjects and also proves to be a very hands-on host as he straps himself into an "alien abduction simulator" which lifts him blindfolded up into the air after being submerged in a pool of water!  Quinto seems to be really into the investigation portion of his remit as he parachutes out of a plane (a personal fear of his) in order to test a theory on memory function, travels down into a dangerous sinkhole or peers into a frosty container full of actual corpses in the cryogenics lab of Alcor Laboratories in Arizona.   In fact, despite being half Vulcan, Quinto proves to be particularly empathetic in his interactions as he tries to soften the blow when an "alien abductee" who insists on a polygraph test fails it on every UFO abduction question -- or when delicately interviewing a man whose brother was killed when the family home was swallowed up by a giant sinkhole.

Even some of the episodes which delve into subjects in which I'm not particularly interested (such as Artificial Intelligence or SuperHuman Abilities) were surprisingly absorbing and held my attention.  On of these episodes, the aforementioned "Sinkholes", had no prior interest for me but proved to be oddly riveting.  The first series of the programme also includes episodes on "Monsters of the Deep", "Time Travel", "Mind Control", "Life After Death" and a two-parter on "Atlantis"; all of which I found quite interesting.  Oddly, the second series has none of the globe-trotting Zachary Quinto but instead features him only as narrator and in filmed intros and outros of the episodes.  I don't know if Quinto's schedule didn't allow him to actively take part in each episode as in series one, but his more traditional role does somewhat make the show seem more like another History Channel show and I rather missed that aspect of it.  I guess the personal touch was kinda nice.  Series 2 features all good episodes on such IN SEARCH OF... old favourites as "The Loch Ness Monster" (a two-parter), "The Lost Colony of Roanoke" and "The Bermuda Triangle" and is just as interesting as the first series.  Unfortunately, I don't see anything so far about a series 3.  As a lifelong lover of everything weird and unexplained, I certainly hope they'll eventually make another series because we all need mystery in our lives!