By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
The original In Search of TV series ran for six years, with Leonard Nimoy as host, and it dealt with a broad spectrum of “unsolvable” mysteries–ranging from the disappearance of famous individuals to the paranormal. Instead of boldly going to where no man has gone before, this series is revisiting familiar mysteries with the new Spock from the movies–Zachary Quinto–trying to be as excited or curious about the topic at hand.
The last episode, titled “End of the World,” feels appropriate to conclude the two season series. It never had the same enthusiasm which I enjoyed from the original run. Plus, History Channel has not revealed if this show is going to continue.
To offer updates on whether or not certain mysteries can get closure–namely on where the missing Roanoke colony went–would benefit this program greatly than to leave viewers hanging. Some of them are worth revisiting from time to time in other shows, but when it’s the same ol’ material, to make one program better than another requires some original, if not unorthodox thought.
Buried Worlds with Don Wildman offers an idea in what happened–they were murdered and their ghosts still linger–but this offering from Travel Channel is not without some issues. Quinto tries to be inquisitive and express exhilaration, but it’s also possible he’s just not that interested at all.
To the producer credit than the host deciding what to “search for,” the best five episodes deal less with the supernatural and more with scientific possibility. The topic of how to be superhuman, if time travel is possible and where artificial intelligence is headed, is far more reaching.
If a season three does emerge, this program can do better by changing the formula up by considering current quests. Like what medicine must do to find the cure for cancer. Even more pressing now is developing the vaccine for covid-19. Not everyone is worried about a huge asteroid smashing into this planet, but it’s bound to happen sometime in the future! I’m still in search of reveals of what lies beyond the solar system and how a black hole looks when it’s eating nearby stars.
I can only hope the producers behind this show and Mr. Quinto are listening. Let’s get space exploration into the mix. Since this show is using Star Trek actors, let’s take advantage of it!
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