Dateline NBC

Dateline is predictable in the best way: I know it's going to be well produced and interesting, if necessarily uneven. That said:

1) First, high praise: What I like most about Dateline (and other crime shows) is that vast majority of people we meet in any given episode are good people. There's always a murderer or two, but they're the exception. The rest-- survivors, witnesses, prosecutors and most cops-- are truth-seekers in search of justice. (I forgive the defense lawyers because they're doing a necessary job). Ultimately, far from being a condemnation of humanity, Dateline proves that most of us are honorable.

2) This bugs me. Common to many, if not most, episodes is a phrase like "Stuff like that never happens here." Give it up, guys. Obviously homicides can happen anywhere-- especially the murders that Dateline specializes in, which involve family dysfunction and/or sociopaths.

3) Could someone please ask Andrea Canning to tone down her sing-song delivery; it undermines the gravity of the subject matter. She speaks like a normal adult when she's interviewing people, but her voice-over narration sounds like she's reading "Goodnight, Moon" to a four-year-old.

4) I'd also appreciate it if the women being interviewed weren't coiffed and slathered in make-up. A significant number have also had significant plastic surgery without significant success. So while the men are allowed to age gracefully, the women are often one whorl of hair away from looking grotesque.

5) The series was better at one hour. Expanded to two hours, we get a lot of filler interviewing survivors about what the victim was like, which becomes repetitive and sentimental. It works best as a procedural-- like "Law and Order," but more powerful because it is history, not fiction.

It's a great show, predictable sometimes but engaging. Keith Morrison is a true legend. He makes any story sounds more interesting! Josh Mankiewicz and Dennis Murphy are also great. However, I can't stand Andrea Canning. She doesn't let the people she interviews talk! She interrupts them or makes stupid comments like "You must have been so shocked seeing your mother lying there bleeding from a gunshot wound!" She basically tells the story and waits for the other person to say yes or no. Or she asks questions like this : "You go into the house and you found a cup. Did you think it was as the killer's?" - Yes "Did you think we need to find the person to go used this cup?" - Yes "You must have thought we need to run a DNA test." - Yes Let the person tell the story! That's why you have them on.

Took 2 stars off for this, otherwise, great show!

Lately, Dateline has become a poor copy of 20/20, Sixty Minutes, and 48 Hours with hours spent on covering crime such as murders and scams. Much like A&E's American Justice, Investigative Reports, and other series. Dateline covering the Suitcase Murders was kind of inferior to other shows that focused on the same crime. There is plenty of true crime out there but you should pick and choose one that will engage the audience and expand on understanding it. They aired the Suitcase Murders after the verdict and before sentencing Melanie McGuire to life in prison for murdering and dismembering her husband, William McGuire. Even though there was no evidence connecting her to the crime but circumstantial coincidences. THe fact that Court TV was airing the trial made it easier for NBC Dateline to obtain access to the proceedings.

I used to love this show. But the old style of presenting with the weird exaggerated inflections of voice is just too much anymore. The worst offenders are Andrea Canning and Keith Morrison. The rest of the cast is fine, but I can't listen to the unnatural voice cadence of either Andrea or Keith anymore. It almost sounds like a parody. I just started watching The Ultimate Betrayal episode on Peacock and couldn't last five minutes listening to Andrea Canning. Perhaps I'm in the minority, but there are so many other shows available that are just as interesting, but have cast members that speak like normal people.

There is no reason each of these cases requires a 2 hour show. Two hours for a special? Sure. Is every episode a special? Hell no. The same cases are thoroughly covered in other series/TV shows in 1 hour or less. Cut out the BS interviews with friends and relatives answering low-brow questions like, "Were you sad when you found out they were dead?", or, "Did you feel relieved when the perpetrator was caught?" These are duhhh questions and answers that offer no added perspective to the story, only a drawn out episode with fading attention from the viewer. I would rather watch the same crime case on another program and get the same information without my back hurting from sitting so long.