In a new trailer, below, “Primetime” puts a suspenseful spin on the heyday of NBC’s cultural phenomenon “To Catch a Predator.”
The teaser for A24’s upcoming thriller just dropped, offering audiences the chance to catch a glimpse of Robert Pattinson as he ominously slips into the sports coat of “Dateline NBC” correspondent and “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen. Pattinson’s voice is nearly unrecognizable as he delivers some of Hansen’s signature quips, including “What would have happened if I wasn’t here?” and “You see how this looks, right?”
The show, which ran from 2004 to 2007 on NBC, was emblematic of the true crime-obsessed, tabloid-fueled zeitgeist of the aughts. During a typical episode, Hansen, the show’s producers and the watchdog group Perverted-Justice would orchestrate a sting operation in which decoys would pose as minors to lure predatory men to a house with the intent to engage in sexual acts.
Hansen would then make a dramatic entrance and interrogate the men, who would often stammer and bumble through the encounter before leaving. Outside, police would be waiting to make an arrest, often by tackling the men as cameras followed.
The show was ultimately canceled after the heavily publicized suicide of Louis William Conradt Jr., a Texas prosecutor who was caught talking to and exchanging photos with a decoy posing as a 13-year-old boy. When Conradt didn’t show at the undercover house, NBC and police went to his home in an attempt to serve a search warrant. Conradt died by suicide as the camera crew was making their way into the home.
The incident was featured in a “To Catch a Predator” segment that aired on “Dateline” in February 2007.
Last year, the documentary “Predators” examined the tactics of the investigative series, exploring what “To Catch a Predator” aimed to do, what it actually did and why people — including the documentary’s director, David Osit — were so obsessed.
“Primetime,” which also stars Phoebe Bridgers making her feature film debut, hits theaters this fall. Check out the teaser below.
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