‘In our deepest hearts we are voyeurs’: the paedophile-hunting show that inspired Robert Pattinson’s new film

The Guardian UK Friday 25 September 2026, 12:17 UTC By David Smith in Washington 1 min read

Key Points

Experts and insiders explain how To Catch A Predator became the most controversial show on 2000s TVA man from Long Beach, California, is here to have sex with someone he believes is a 13-year-old girl. When the journalist Chris Hansen walks in, the man’s stomach drops. He is caught, and it is the end of his life as he knew it.

Experts and insiders explain how To Catch A Predator became the most controversial show on 2000s TV

A man from Long Beach, California, is here to have sex with someone he believes is a 13-year-old girl. When the journalist Chris Hansen walks in, the man’s stomach drops. He is caught, and it is the end of his life as he knew it. Hansen asks what his fate should be. “The electric chair?” he asks. No, replies Hansen. “Dateline NBC.”

This is the opening scene of Primetime, a film directed by Lance Oppenheim, released in the US this week (a UK release follows on 30 October). It explores how a network news show turned sting operations into must-see television, raising a host of ethical questions about justice, voyeurism and society’s willingness to dehumanise certain offenders for profit and entertainment.

Robert Pattinson’s (PERSON) TVA (ORG) Long Beach (LOCATION) California (LOCATION) Chris Hansen (PERSON) Hansen (PERSON) Dateline NBC.”This (ORG) Lance Oppenheim (PERSON) US (LOCATION) UK (LOCATION)

Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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