Chris Hansen Buys Ads for His Predator Crime Network to Run Ahead of ‘Primetime’

As “Primetime” moviegoers prepare to watch the new film featuring Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, they will encounter an unusual sight. The host of NBC’s “Dateline” has not only been involved in the development of the Lance Oppenheim crime drama, but he has also purchased advertisements for his own true crime streaming network, TruBlu, to air during the film’s previews. The ads will be shown exclusively before “Primetime” for the first four weeks of its theatrical release, according to Entertainment Weekly.

In the advertisements, Hansen quotes a line he frequently used during the show, expressing his need for viewers to take a seat. TruBlu is a boutique streaming service that offers true crime series and documentaries, including a series titled “Takedown With Chris Hansen,” which is seen as a successor to “To Catch a Predator.” The platform features content such as the show’s spiritual successor, which recounts the rise and fall of the original program.

“To Catch a Predator” gained immense popularity on NBC, becoming a ratings hit and a cultural phenomenon due to its simple yet effective formula – luring alleged predators to a sting house, confronting them with their online chat logs, and having police arrest them as they left. The success of the show generated debates surrounding the ethical and legal implications of Hansen’s team, particularly their close collaboration with the online volunteer group Perverted Justice in conducting the sting operations and supplying chat logs to law enforcement for possible prosecution.

The turning point in the show’s history occurred in 2006 when Dallas Assistant District Attorney Bill Conradt tragically took his own life with a gun after Hansen’s team and local law enforcement arrived at his residence with a warrant, based on information provided by Perverted Justice. Conradt’s suicide became the basis for a 2007 Esquire article called “Tonight on ‘Dateline’ This Man Will Die,” which serves as the source material for the upcoming film “Primetime.”

A24 plans to release the film in select theaters on September 25, with a nationwide expansion scheduled for October.