I enjoy the content but it seems like 3-4x an episode they review everything you've already seen. It gets very annoying as they act like you have the memory of a gold fish
33 Reviews
Should shorten episodes
randallkbridges16 August 2020
From 60 Minutes to Dateline but Not as Good
Zach12629 July 2023
I miss the days of old when 20/20 did an hour long 60 Minutes investigative journalism style that covers several diverse stories. Now they do a single story that's two hours long about murder or kidnappings like Dateline does. They must've saw how good NBC's ratings were and decided to completely copy their format. Although the stories are competently researched & reported, they just aren't as well paced or hold my interest as well as those on Dateline. They also don't have a great narrator/reporter like Keith Morrison to give it that extra flair. But, if they could make it just an hour or get a better narrator, I might watch a little more.
Great show. But hate the spoilers.
alex-hendriks-alex14 February 2022
Like the title says I really love the show. It goes in depth of each story.
But can ABC please remove the spoilers before each episode and before each break? I want to watch the episodes without knowing what's going to happen. I really dislike this.
But can ABC please remove the spoilers before each episode and before each break? I want to watch the episodes without knowing what's going to happen. I really dislike this.
20/20 going down the tubes.
PatrynXX30 January 2004
Guess I should have figured John Stossel was becoming corrupt. The minute he said that drug companies should be charging high prices to seniors, he lost me as a fan.
The show truely became stale when Hugh Downs left. :( Hugh and Barbara were a team. No wonder she's leaving. Probably can't stand John.
Frankly when she leaves, the closest competitor to 20/20? Bill O Rielly. I'm guessing it won't last long if John's the sole host.
Give me a break!!
The show truely became stale when Hugh Downs left. :( Hugh and Barbara were a team. No wonder she's leaving. Probably can't stand John.
Frankly when she leaves, the closest competitor to 20/20? Bill O Rielly. I'm guessing it won't last long if John's the sole host.
Give me a break!!
Occasionally interesting, just switched off a real TURKEY.
CatRufus559129 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Most of the time, the wife and I enjoy watching the 'murder mysteries' featured on 20/20. Tonight on 'OWN', however we were watching a show that seemed to hold promise- a father who, with the help of his son, faked his own drowning to collect on an insurance policy.
Well, that portion of the show lasted about TEN MINUTES before it turned into a trite
episode about practical jokers faking accidents, death, turning into zombies, etc.,
etc., etc. JUNK!!! Just one episode of many, I admit, but bad enough to make me write this review. Sorry!!!
Background music
cjcampidonica25 February 2023
The show is interesting...however LOWER the cotton-picking background music!! If you want people to watch and hear what the shows about... LOWER the cotton-picking background music!!! I'm going to keep watching for a few more episodes, and if you haven't LOWERED the cotton-picking background music...you've lost me as a watcher. Don't know how much weight my little review carries, but maybe there are others who feel the same as I do. Let's hear it folks, I can't be the only one who thinks the background music is overpowering. How can you decide if you like the show if you have no idea what's being said. Thank you for listening!
The best one hour TV news program in TV history!
blanbrn12 December 2006
Over the years, when I can it has always been a tradition to watch "20/20" on ABC Friday nights at 10PM. This one hour news program has always been the most informative, and it features stories that touch your life, and the segments are often about the average American citizen just like you or me. Many of the stories aired are often controversial involving the law and crime, plus many reports are educational about your health and sex life and even sometimes they have celebrity reporting, but overall this program sticks to everyday common reporting. Plus the hosts, and reporting have always made this show A+ material, it was always great with legends Barbara Walters and Hugh Downs, now the torch has rightfully been passed to the fact finder John Stossel and the flashy Elizabeth Vargas. The myths, lies, and stupidity segments of Stossel's are just great, I love the way he proves the media powers and so-called experts wrong by his research and common wisdom. Overall "20/20" is a TV news legend that should continue to last many years more with great reporting like it always has.
Good news magazine show
Catherine_Grace_Zeh20 July 2007
"20/20," in my opinion, is a good news magazine show. During the time he was on the air, I enjoyed seeing Hugh Downs as the co-anchor. When he retired in 1994, I was really sad. My reasons for this are very hard to explain. If you ask me, it seems that nobody stays with a TV show throughout its entire run anymore. Still, I enjoyed hearing him report about what was happening in the world. I still think about him to this day. The only thing I don't like hearing about was when someone had been murdered or gone missing. Now, in conclusion, I'd like to say that Hugh Downs was a fine reporter who will be sorely missed. There will never be anybody like him.
A hot mess; repetitious; loud music adds no value
todd-ramirez18 February 2023
This used to be okay. But lately narrators repeat the same info 3-4 times. And some details are not necessary; they don't move the story along. A 2-hour episode can be done in half the time.
The music background is too loud and adds zero value to the story. Come on, it's not a music video. Stop the cheesy music score.
The chronology in the storytelling is a hot mess. Throughout 75% of an episode you're more and more confused. Only in the last 25 minutes do things come together and you piece things together and understand - finally - what's going on. ABC, you're not making an M. Night Shyamalan film. Don't feel obliged to have twists and turns and spectacular reveals. Lately I have been so lost halfway in an episode that I just stop watching to get me out of my misery. I did exactly that just now. I recorded the episode, started watching but when I found myself uninterested and bored, I just stopped, deleted the episode and canceled the series recording.
Dateline NBC is 10 times better. Great storytelling. Soft, unobtrusive music that you hardly notice is there. Chronology logically builds and builds to an exciting conclusion in the last 15 minutes but throughout the journey, you're fully comprehending the progression of the story.
The music background is too loud and adds zero value to the story. Come on, it's not a music video. Stop the cheesy music score.
The chronology in the storytelling is a hot mess. Throughout 75% of an episode you're more and more confused. Only in the last 25 minutes do things come together and you piece things together and understand - finally - what's going on. ABC, you're not making an M. Night Shyamalan film. Don't feel obliged to have twists and turns and spectacular reveals. Lately I have been so lost halfway in an episode that I just stop watching to get me out of my misery. I did exactly that just now. I recorded the episode, started watching but when I found myself uninterested and bored, I just stopped, deleted the episode and canceled the series recording.
Dateline NBC is 10 times better. Great storytelling. Soft, unobtrusive music that you hardly notice is there. Chronology logically builds and builds to an exciting conclusion in the last 15 minutes but throughout the journey, you're fully comprehending the progression of the story.
Like 60 Minutes, A Tradition of News!
ShelbyTMItchell12 April 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Like it's sister show on CBS of 60 Minutes. 20/20 Is also a great show. For the news. As I used to watch it with my parents on Fridays. As we were growing up.
Though I did not at all like Barbara Walters, still the show is very informational and really educational. When it shows news stories that has a little bit of the news.
Some news stories are news and are serious. And some are comic. Still it knows when to be not funny and knows when to be. Really one of the best news programs.
Not the best like 60 Minutes. But it is up there!
Though I did not at all like Barbara Walters, still the show is very informational and really educational. When it shows news stories that has a little bit of the news.
Some news stories are news and are serious. And some are comic. Still it knows when to be not funny and knows when to be. Really one of the best news programs.
Not the best like 60 Minutes. But it is up there!
20/20 needs glasses
crash214 February 2007
Back in the days of Barbara Walters and Hugh Downs, 20/20 was the best news magazine show on TV. I especially liked their undercover investigations, busting scams and criminals. John F. Stossel did his "Give Me A Break" part very well at the time. The older 20/20 shows were the best! And I never missed a show. But ever since Hugh Downs left, the show just hasn't been the same. And now that Barbara Walters has left too, the show has become much of a joke. 20/20 used to be all about protecting the consumer and busting scams and criminals. But now, all they do on 20/20 (besides covering stories that are already all over the news, a lot of which is simply entertainment news) is bust myths. This is sadly, the exact same concept that has also brought down the Discovery Channel. The Discovery Channel used to be all about shows investigating both a lot in science and law, but now all they do is show stupid "reality" shows and bust urban myths. I just can't understand all of this, obviously the people in control of these TV networks today are just some really stupid (and lazy) people.
If I wanted sensational crime I would switch over to date line
dawnsacks-015787 February 2019
Used to be my go to Friday night show. Are used to do interesting stories interviews and in-depth reporting. Lately it's just been one crime story after another. If I want to true crime stories NBC has date line for that
How "greedy" an entrepreneur is?
l-479159 February 2020
People kept and keep complaining the existence of the superrich, who deprive the money and opportunities of the public. Therefore, it was truly lucky for Mr. Glenn Stearns to not be criticized for his decision to start another business, which this self-made billionaire hoped would earn one million dollars or more.
Mr. Stearns has already got a lot of money; however, this self-made billionaire still chose to attend a TV program which asked him to start a business undercover with only 100 dollars in his pocket on the first day. In the end of the show, he made it, and an expert believed that the value of his Underdog BBQ was 750 thousand dollars.
It is true that an entrepreneur uses or has to "occupy" a lot more public resources, which, in a way, gives people like Mr. Obama a reason to claim that "you didn't build that". The question is, entrepreneurs don't get rich by using public resources but by serving the public.
In a 2014 film, America, Dinesh D'Souza told his audience that the rich get rich because they offer their customers what they need in advance. He knew that because he himself, like Mr. Stearns, ran a little restaurant. This India-born gentleman did not rape his consumers off by offering a cheap but delicious hamburger.
People who believe that entrepreneurs take advantage of public resources should ask themselves some questions. Does it cost a businessman money to hire a driver to drive a truck that the businessman has bought previously to fetch the goods in another city, using the petrol which the businessman has to pay for? And once he earns, does he have to pay more tax than the truck driver he hires?
Back to Mr. Stearns' case. He started his new business in Erie, bringing energy and opportunities to this place unknown to him 90 days before. It is the trade and free market that bridge the connection between this rich guy living in California and the land far in Pennsylvania. Does that mean Mr. Stearns is ruthless? No!
In a barbecue festival, the Underdog team was making constant efforts to attract more customers. In order to prepare well for the next day, Mr. Stearns asked some of his people to stay up late to work. Most of his people was ok with that.
However, did Mr. Stearns and his team members spend so much time and energy because they love their customers? Frankly speaking, NO! They did that because they believed there would be payoff for that. For Mr. Stearns, he got the money to open the restaurant. For the other members, it secured their jobs and positions in the future.
So it was the case with a guy John Stossel interviewed once whose job was to heat the water for the cattle, which would become the delicious steak on the table of New Yorkers like Mr. Stossel. However, this man didn't seem to know whom Mr. Stossel was. "Whose John Stossel?" He answered in the documentary. Yet the man still worked diligently, which, eventually, offered Mr. Stossel good steak in the supermarket and earned himself sufficient money for his family, too. That honest guy loved himself more, but his work still made Stossel's life better. It was a WIN-WIN.
Therefore, the next time when you see people like Glenn Stearns on TV, don't think they are greedy. Because thanks to their "greed", your life is better.
(this article is just for exercising.)
Mr. Stearns has already got a lot of money; however, this self-made billionaire still chose to attend a TV program which asked him to start a business undercover with only 100 dollars in his pocket on the first day. In the end of the show, he made it, and an expert believed that the value of his Underdog BBQ was 750 thousand dollars.
It is true that an entrepreneur uses or has to "occupy" a lot more public resources, which, in a way, gives people like Mr. Obama a reason to claim that "you didn't build that". The question is, entrepreneurs don't get rich by using public resources but by serving the public.
In a 2014 film, America, Dinesh D'Souza told his audience that the rich get rich because they offer their customers what they need in advance. He knew that because he himself, like Mr. Stearns, ran a little restaurant. This India-born gentleman did not rape his consumers off by offering a cheap but delicious hamburger.
People who believe that entrepreneurs take advantage of public resources should ask themselves some questions. Does it cost a businessman money to hire a driver to drive a truck that the businessman has bought previously to fetch the goods in another city, using the petrol which the businessman has to pay for? And once he earns, does he have to pay more tax than the truck driver he hires?
Back to Mr. Stearns' case. He started his new business in Erie, bringing energy and opportunities to this place unknown to him 90 days before. It is the trade and free market that bridge the connection between this rich guy living in California and the land far in Pennsylvania. Does that mean Mr. Stearns is ruthless? No!
In a barbecue festival, the Underdog team was making constant efforts to attract more customers. In order to prepare well for the next day, Mr. Stearns asked some of his people to stay up late to work. Most of his people was ok with that.
However, did Mr. Stearns and his team members spend so much time and energy because they love their customers? Frankly speaking, NO! They did that because they believed there would be payoff for that. For Mr. Stearns, he got the money to open the restaurant. For the other members, it secured their jobs and positions in the future.
So it was the case with a guy John Stossel interviewed once whose job was to heat the water for the cattle, which would become the delicious steak on the table of New Yorkers like Mr. Stossel. However, this man didn't seem to know whom Mr. Stossel was. "Whose John Stossel?" He answered in the documentary. Yet the man still worked diligently, which, eventually, offered Mr. Stossel good steak in the supermarket and earned himself sufficient money for his family, too. That honest guy loved himself more, but his work still made Stossel's life better. It was a WIN-WIN.
Therefore, the next time when you see people like Glenn Stearns on TV, don't think they are greedy. Because thanks to their "greed", your life is better.
(this article is just for exercising.)
Deserves Attention in 2021
bettinahooper20 February 2021
20/20 is no longer a segmented magazine/reporting show. For now, each episode is a short documentary that reports and reveals a specific true story, more often than not, the story surrounding a specific crime.
Most of the docs are very good, but some are excellent, with inspired storytelling techniques crafted by superb direction and editing. A few have been so well done, I wonder why they haven't been nominated for awards.
I am not particularly interested in 'true crime' or 'inside looks', or reality TV in general, but I am a fan of fine film making and 20/20 has hit that mark a couple of times each season over the past few years.
Most of the docs are very good, but some are excellent, with inspired storytelling techniques crafted by superb direction and editing. A few have been so well done, I wonder why they haven't been nominated for awards.
I am not particularly interested in 'true crime' or 'inside looks', or reality TV in general, but I am a fan of fine film making and 20/20 has hit that mark a couple of times each season over the past few years.
20/20 Third Rate in 2022
klion-3607015 April 2022
This show has become less and less interesting and compelling for several reasons: The reporters keep repeating themselves using the same interviews over-and-over within the same hour-long show. The indication is the producers don't have enough footage and/or content for the show's timeframe. Hence, as "fillers" they keep repeating the same segments during the show. This redundancy makes 20/20 painfully slow and much more boring than shows like Dateline or 48 Hours. Another new 20/20 feature pushing the show even further down the rating scale is its weird use of cartoon images throughout the broadcast depicting various scenes within the story. I don't know what the Executive Producers are thinking, but converting real-life videos and images into cartoon segments is incredibly irritating and distracting as it detracts from the reality of the show's intended true-life content. If I wanted to watch cartoons, I'd watch the Disney channel.
Fall from Grace
embmw25 March 2019
Once upon a time 20/20 offered outstanding investigative pieces by quality journalists such as John Stossel. So how did it get to the point where too-skeezy-for-TMZ Nancy Grace is now featured?!?! Nancy Grace??? Really???
Is this really the direction ABC wants to take its premier news magazine? There are plenty of tabloid TV shows on the air and, after the addition of Nancy Grace, most of them are more credible than 20/20. It's almost unbelievable that ABC is setting its sights so low these days.
Is this really the direction ABC wants to take its premier news magazine? There are plenty of tabloid TV shows on the air and, after the addition of Nancy Grace, most of them are more credible than 20/20. It's almost unbelievable that ABC is setting its sights so low these days.
20/20 has turned into a 2/20
astazg-8462525 February 2023
20/20 used to be a compelling, well produced show for great many years. Enter the 2022/23 season - Just what has happened?! Gone is the captivating storytelling which is now being replaced with rush-for-ratings productions of inferior quality. The scripts are incoherent, the editing seems to be done by interns. The choice of music is beyond questionable, not to mention the sound level which many times surpases the narration. Add to it the completely unnecessary, cheap special effects, and you have the recipe for one inedible smorgasbord. The producers should rethink the road ahead, and perchance follow the example of one Keith Morrison who manages to turn even a relatively uninteresting subject matter into a compelling story, with no tricks or gimmicks used.
Should be one hour!
mls418219 November 2022
I used to love this show. I felt it was grade A crime reporting. The two hour shows are ludicrous. God help you of you do a shot every time they say, "coming up ..." You would end up passed out on the floor.
If this show is going to survive they better go back to a concise on hour format. The two hour shows are frustrating and end up boring. The episodes ate so padded and dragged out!
There are some pretty decent crime videos on YouTube that are about 20 minutes! They may not be as reliable, professional or polished as 20/20 but they are the new competition. Get with it ABC. You are losing viewers.
If this show is going to survive they better go back to a concise on hour format. The two hour shows are frustrating and end up boring. The episodes ate so padded and dragged out!
There are some pretty decent crime videos on YouTube that are about 20 minutes! They may not be as reliable, professional or polished as 20/20 but they are the new competition. Get with it ABC. You are losing viewers.
Stop the music
pumping_iron-123 October 2022
You really have to stop with the background music. It's loud and annoying. I tried to watch S45 Ep5. I was so looking forward to seeing this because the crime occurred in my city. The background music was so loud, I couldn't hear the narrative. Sometimes there were vocals in the music at the same time as the narrative. I couldn't focus on what was happening on the screen because the music was so annoying. I kept hoping it would get better, that the music would eventually stop. But it didn't. After about twenty minutes I finally gave up. On multiple occasions I have tried to watch an episode and the background music drove me away. Please just stop.
This series could also be reduced to one hour episodes. Two hours is too long, repetitive and boring.
This series could also be reduced to one hour episodes. Two hours is too long, repetitive and boring.
Embarrassing
shelleyalevin9 April 2022
When I was a kid this show was a serious new magazine show. Maybe it really was or maybe it was my child-like perspective. But now it's a soap opera drama. Not journalistic. The so-called journalists "act" pathetically with their supposed indignant outrage. SMH :(
Please listen to our feedback
trudewalk21 January 2023
This show could be better if the sound track did not overcome the dialogue. It is not relaxing to watch, because I have to strain to hear the conversation.
Also, the show should be reduced to one hour, because the content is repeated and the show seems to drag. I sometimes have to watch it in pieces because I am distracted by the flatness from the repetition, and the need to break from the strain of listening.
Finally, there is a way to tell a story in which it is not so predictable. Last week Dateline and 20/20 covered the same story-the murders in Idaho. By far, Dateline produced a much better show. I want 20/20 to improve. I'm rooting for you, but I'm about to move on.
Also, the show should be reduced to one hour, because the content is repeated and the show seems to drag. I sometimes have to watch it in pieces because I am distracted by the flatness from the repetition, and the need to break from the strain of listening.
Finally, there is a way to tell a story in which it is not so predictable. Last week Dateline and 20/20 covered the same story-the murders in Idaho. By far, Dateline produced a much better show. I want 20/20 to improve. I'm rooting for you, but I'm about to move on.
Music..
srhona-2397417 April 2022
It's so loud, that you cannot hear the story. Is it important to you for people to watch and turn on CC in order to follow the story you're trying to provide? I use to love this show. You are making it impossible to watch.
The quality has plummeted beyond repair.
Clothes-Off3 July 2012
Since the departure of Barbara Walters and Hugh Downs, there is not a scrap of the show that 20/20 used to be left. It's as if they put Geraldo Rivera in charge. With every story, be it a murder case, political story, or profile of a company, they manage to find the LEAST credible interviewees to discuss the subject, to the point where you have to assume they were the absolute last program to pick of the scraps of the few remaining people on any given story who would talk to the press. As for the correspondents on the show, they are no longer of the quality of, say, Lynn Sherr. They tend to ask the most insipid questions in a tone of voice that suggests they think they're brilliant. They are so not. I wrote the show off the day I turned it on and saw smarmy John Stossel and vapid Elizabeth Vargas staring back at me from the anchor desk, the perfect symbol of how OVER the show was, and is.
Stop the music!
vickylcornell26 February 2023
It's bad enough that the 2 hour long reporting that could be accomplished in an hour is boring and repetitive, the too loud music that drowns out the dialogue makes it impossible to sit through! Get it together ABC! Is 20/20 an in depth news program? It feels more like a bad movie if the week with too loud music that adds nothing to the report. The coverage that's provided is the opposite of informative and often leaves questions unanswered or maybe the bad sound and too loud dramatic music drowns out what is being said. Basically I think I get annoyed at trying to sus out the point of the report.
I like the format.
williamekirkpatrick3 November 2021
Great format. Good solid delivery of some of the information. However, the series lacks any real depth and will sell out for an episode just because it is relevant to current news stories. Zero... absolutely zero passion for a story. They are just here for views and likes. There are other places to get a telling of these stories that actually tell a story. Trash...
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