Series synopsis
To Catch a Predator is an American documentary television series that premiered on MSNBC on November 11, 2004. It ended on December 28, 2007. It stars Chris Hansen.
To Catch a Predator is an American reality television series that features hidden camera investigations by the television newsmagazine program Dateline NBC. It was devoted to impersonating underage people and detaining male adults who contacted them over the Internet for sexual liaisons. People were lured to meet with a decoy under the pretense of sexual contact and then confronted. Show host Chris Hansen clarified in an interview with NPR News that these subjects should be labeled as potential ...
Premise
To Catch a Predator is an American reality television series that features hidden camera investigations by the television newsmagazine program Dateline NBC. It was devoted to impersonating underage people and detaining male adults who contacted them over the Internet for sexual liaisons. People were lured to meet with a decoy under the pretense of sexual contact and then confronted. Show host Chris Hansen clarified in an interview with NPR News that these subjects should be labeled as potential sexual predators, and not pedophiles. "Pedophiles have a very specific definition, people who are interested in prepubescent sex," he stated.
The series premiered in November 2004, and featured 12 investigations in total held across the United States. The investigations were conducted as undercover sting operations with the help of on-line watchdog group Perverted-Justice. Since the third installment, law enforcement and other officials were also involved, leading to the arrests of most individuals caught. No new episodes have aired since December 2007.
NBC affiliates WTMJ in Milwaukee, KSHB in Kansas City and WBRE have also done local versions of To Catch a Predator. Various spin-offs have aired in the same format, including To Catch a Con Man, To Catch an ID Thief, To Catch a Car Thief and To Catch an i-Jacker, which featured iPod thieves. To Catch a Predator is also aired on FX and Crime & Investigation Network in the United Kingdom, the Crime & Investigation Network in Australia and New Zealand and FOX Crime in Portugal.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Chris Hansen as Self – Host
Guest cast
- Dani Jayden as Self - Decoy (as Dani Miura)
- Casey Mauro as Self - Decoy
- Dan Schrack as Self - Decoy
Episodes
This series spans 2 seasons with 51 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 31 | December 16, 2005 | June 6, 2010 |
| Season 1 | 20 | November 11, 2004 | December 28, 2007 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Predator Update | December 16, 2005 |
| 2 | Predator Update: Where are They Now | May 26, 2006 |
| 3 |
In the Beginning (In Our Own Words) Behind the scenes. |
March 13, 2007 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bethpage, Long Island, New York | November 11, 2004 |
| 2 |
Herndon, Fairfax County, Virginia Chris Hansen's report on the dangers of Internet chat rooms for kids includes a hidden-camera investigation and suggestions on how to protect children from online predators. |
November 4, 2005 |
| 3 |
Mira Loma, Riverside County, California Chris Hansen offers a second update to his investigation into online predators and the hazards of Internet chat rooms for children. |
February 3, 2006 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | MSNBC |
|---|---|
| First aired | November 11, 2004 |
| Last aired | December 28, 2007 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Status | Ended |